NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-21-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. The White House has released new details on its trade agreement with the European Union. While Trump and the EU announced the existence of a framework last month, details had been lacking. And as NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports, there is still more negotiation to come. Under the deal, the U.S. will impose 15% tariffs on most EU imports, as previously announced. But the U.S. will also charge higher tariffs on European-made cars until the EU lowers tariffs on U.S. goods. The new information is not a formal agreement, but rather comes from a fact sheet released by the White House this morning. And there are still big questions. The fact sheet acknowledges that the two parties will still need to negotiate topics like cybersecurity and rules of origin. In addition, while Trump has touted an expected $600 billion EU investment in the U.S., it's not clear that investment will actually hit those levels. Danielle Kurtzleben and PR News. Lawmakers in California are expected to take a final vote to.

on a plan to redraw the state's congressional lines. The proposal is aimed at helping Democrats flip a handful of Republican seats to their control. Lawmakers need to approve the measure in order to put it before California voters this November. From Member Station KQED, Guy Marzerati reports. Democrats in California are hoping to flip five House districts held by Republicans to match the five seats GOP lawmakers in Texas are eyeing with their own redistricting plan. California's state Senate and Assembly will vote on the proposed map and on a separate bill calling the November 4th special election. California's current district lines are drawn by a voter-created commission, so Democrats will need voter approval to pass the plan. Republicans in the legislature have filed a lawsuit to block the new maps, claiming they've been unlawfully rushed to a vote.

For NPR News, I'm Guy Marzarotti in San Jose. Meanwhile, the Texas State House has passed a vote. Republican plan to redraw congressional districts in that state. The Republican-led measure now goes to the Texas State Senate. National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers are patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C. More reinforcements are coming. NPR's Rachel Treesman reports it's not clear how long they can remain deployed. The Home Rule Act only allows the president to control D.C. police for 30 days without authorization from Congress. Trump said last week, would ask for an extension. The president can use D.C.'s national guard as long as he wants.

The White House declined to answer NPR's questions about a potential timeline for withdrawing guard troops. Legal experts say they could potentially be removed through court rulings or congressional action. There are also practical considerations. Republican governors in the South could recall their state guards to help with hurricane relief. Rachel Treesman, NPR News. On Wall Street, the Dow is down 110 points. This is NPR. Forecasters say Hurricane Aaron is slowly pulling away from the east coast. It is not made landfall, but tropical storm warnings extend from North Carolina's outer banks to southern Virginia. Officials are urging people to stay out of the ocean because of life-threatening rip currents.

These warnings reach as far north as New England. Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile hit a U.S. electronics factory in Ukraine today. Ukraine's president says a dozen people were wounded and there's a lot of damage. Video showed heavy smoke rising from an industrial plant. Officials say the facility is in western Ukraine near the border with Hungary. Conservative evangelical Christian leader James Dobson has died. He was 89 years old. As NPR's Jason DeRose reports, Dobson, founded the influential media organization, Focus on the Family.

James Dobson created Focus on the Family in 1977 and through its syndicated radio program helped bring the culture wars to the mainstream. Dobson's shows focused on opposing abortion rights and challenging sex education and evolution being taught in public schools. A particular area of emphasis was his opposition to LGBTQ plus rights, including same-sex marriage and adoptions by same-sex couples. In 2004, Dobson founded a lobbying organization called the Family Policy Institute. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all ministers in the Church of the Nazarene, but James Dobson himself wasn't officially a minister. Rather, he trained as a psychologist. Jason DeRose, NPR News.

Again on Wall Street, the Dow is now down 111 points. This is NPR.