NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-21-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: August 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Israel's given the green light for the construction of thousands of new homes in the occupied West Bank. Critics say the long-delayed settlement project will bury the chances of a Palestinian state. NPR's Jackie Northam has more from Tel Aviv. The so-called E1 settlement project has been on the drawing board for more than two decades, but pressure from the U.S. and other nations prevented it from becoming a reality until now. The controversial development, which involves more than 3,400 housing units, will be built on a tract of land east of Jerusalem,

effectively slicing the West Bank in two. The Palestinian Authority called the development illegal and said it would destroy the chance of a two-state solution. Israel's ultra-right finance minister, Bezal Smotrich, who approved the plans, said the E1 settlements will erase any notion of a Palestinian state. The number of settlements has quickly grown over the past few years, despite international condemnation. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Hurricane Aaron is expected to remain out at sea. However, Bruce Convisor reports from New Jersey. The storm's proximity to the coastline poses a threat to anyone considering going into the ocean. More than a dozen beaches along New Jersey's 140-mile coastline will be closed today as Hurricane Aaron churns northward through the Atlantic Ocean. New York City beaches will also be closed. Wind-wipped waves create ideal conditions for deadly riptides. Rip tides are dangerous because it's very difficult for anyone caught in the current to get back to shore.

Tropical storm force winds are expected to batter area coastlines with tidal surges up to 10 feet. Coastal flooding and beach erosion seems likely. When the beaches will reopen is unclear, the worst-case scenario would have them closed through the weekend. For NPR news, I'm Bruce Convisor and Greenbrook. New Jersey. And this unusually large storm is producing tropical storm conditions cross the eastern seaboard and will do so for the next few days. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has spoken to NPR after he received a letter from Attorney General Pam Bondi that threatened criminal prosecution of him and other officials for allegedly impeding immigration enforcement.

In Pam Bondi's letter to me, she cites no law that says we're in violation of federal law. She cites nothing. It is all posturing. And as, As a lawyer, it's clear to me that our law is lawful. We follow all applicable federal laws, and that's why I don't think she's going to challenge us in court because she would lose. The Trump administration says it is carrying out a mandate from a majority of U.S. voters to crack down on illegal immigration in the country. It has accused Democratic-led states of blocking the federal effort by promoting protections for migrants in the U.S. illegally. From Washington, this is NPR News. The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute confirms its founder James Dobson died today. He was 89 years old.

The influential evangelical leader authored dozens of books and hosted the radio show Focus on the Family. The Colorado-based program posted on Exit Dobson was a hero of the Christian faith and leaves behind a legacy of family. ministry that will live on for generations. In promoting conservative family values, the show advocates against abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, and the teaching of evolution in schools. The show was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson survived by his wife of 64 years, two children, and two grandchildren. A new study finds public wolf hunts in the West have had little impact on livestock losses. NPR's Nate Rot reports. One of the goals of hunts in Montana, in Idaho, for example, has been to reduce pressure on ranchers.

Livestock losses are one of the more difficult challenges that have come as Western wolf populations have rebounded in a number of states. Leandra Mers is a co-author of the new study published in the journal Science Advances and an assistant professor at San Diego State University. And she says the finding show... If our focus right now is using hunting as the primary means of reducing that, it's not as effective as we would hope. And those ranchers still are losing cows. Other tools and strategies like the wider use of non-lethal deterrence, she says, should also be considered.

Nate Roth, NPR News. The Dow is down more than 200 points or roughly half a percent. This is NPR.