NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-20-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: August 20, 2025

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Hi, I'm Dave I say founder of StoryCorps. This message comes from NPR sponsor, Subaru, the largest corporate supporter of Adopticlassroom.org, by providing teachers with funding for supplies and resources. Subaru, more than a car company. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Lawmakers in Texas have approved a new congressional map that's aimed at helping Republicans pick up an additional five seats in next year's midterm elections as requested by President Trump. Trump. Andrew Schneider from Houston public media reports the proposal will next head to the state Senate. Democrats had left the state for two weeks to try to slow the passage. Democratic State Representative John Rosenthal called the entire process, quote, a sham from beginning to end. If you're losing a game so badly that you feel the need to change the referees and change the rules to help you win, maybe it's time to have a look in the mirror. Republican State Representative Todd Hunter, the author of the redistricting bill, said repeatedly that the aim of the bill was to enable Republicans to maximize Republican political performance, which he said has been allowed by the courts.

Democrats countered the bill was racial gerrymandering, which is illegal. For NPR news, I'm Andrew Schneider in Houston. The White House says more than 550 arrests have been made since President Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation's capital. NPR's Jennifer Lutton reports the city's, large immigrant population has mixed emotions about the growing operation. In this largely Latino neighborhood of Washington, D.C., street vendors and food delivery drivers have disappeared. Residents say people are anxious and afraid to go out since ICE and other federal agents started turning up to arrest people.

It's sad, says Janet Bernal, as she pushes a toddler in a stroller, they work hard, pay their taxes, and are treated badly. She and others do support cracking down on criminals. The White House says some arrested immigrants here illegally have been charged with kidnapping, assault, and burglary. But legal rights groups say some with legal status are also being arrested for minor infractions through traffic checkpoints and roving patrols. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News, Washington. President Trump is calling on a member of the Central Bank's governing board to resign. After allegations, she made false statements on mortgage.

applications. MPR. Scott Horsley reports Trump is in the midst of a high-pressure campaign to get the Fed to lower interest rates. This comes after Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist who oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, leveled charges about a couple of loan applications that Cook made back in 2021 a year before she joined the Fed board. Pulte says Cook applied for two different home loans, two weeks apart, one in Michigan, the other in Georgia. and claimed on each application that the home would be her primary residence. That's NPR, Scott Horsley, reporting. At the close on Wall Street, the Dow was up 16 points.

The NASDAQ fell 142. This is NPR News. This week's billboard charts feature a breakthrough for a Japanese band and for the country's music industry. NPR's Stephen Thompson has more. Four new albums debut in the top 10 on this week's Billboard 200 albums chart, including new ones by the rapper Gunna, the rocker MGK, and the long-running pop band Jonas Brothers.

And then there's the band Baby Metal, the first ever all-Japanese act to land an album in the top 10. Metal 4th debuts this week at number 9. As you can hear, baby metal has an unusual sound. It's a hyperactive mix of sugary pop and heavy metal. The band has been releasing albums for more than a decade, but now it's got the biggest hit of its career and a milestone for Japanese pop music.

Stephen Thompson, NPR News. It's never too late to start a family. A pair of 100-year-old tortoises at the Philadelphia Zoo just became parents. Mommy arrived back in 1932 and had never laid a single egg. But five years ago, Abrazzo showed up. Now the slowest love story in zoo history has a baby boom with 16 hatchlings. The first four females that were born in the spring were named Sophia, Blanche, Dorothy, and Rose.

After the characters in the hit TV show, The Golden Girls. I'm Windsor Johnston, and you're listening to NPR News in Washington. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit wise.com. T's and Cs apply.