NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-23-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: August 24, 2025

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR news, I'm Dale Wilman. Israel says reports that Palestinians in Gaza are now dealing with famine conditions are lies promoted by Hamas. The IPC, which is the world's leading authority on food crises, announced Friday that the region, is now undergoing famine and that view is shared by other aid organizations. Scott Paul is with Oxfam America. He says his group has been trying to get aid into Gaza for months and has been blocked by Israel. There is an entire system set up, a scale from one to five, to help policymakers understand just how severe food insecurity is and how close they are to famine. So now we are

at famine. Famine isn't meant to be a warning. Famine is failure. Famine means it's already too late to save lives. Hospital officials in Gaza, meanwhile, say Israeli airstrikes and gunfire killed at least 33 Palestinians today. Officials say those killed were sheltering intense or searching for food aid. Postal services from several countries around Europe are suspending shipment of many packages to the U.S. officials say they lack clarity over new import duties being imposed by the U.S. starting on August 29th. And Britain's Royal Mail has become the latest of those services to pause deliveries. Vicki Barker has more on this story from London. Last month, President Trump signed an executive order ending tax exemptions on low-value imports.

Gifts worth less than $100 will remain duty-free, but starting August 29th, all international shipments of any value must pay the same tariffs as their country of origin. There's confusion, though, over just how the duties are to be collected and, by whom. Now, Britain's Royal Mail says it will suspend its business delivery service starting Tuesday, just the latest foreign postal service to pause shipments to the U.S. In a statement, Royal Mail adds it hopes to have a new system in place by the time the new rules take effect. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. People are being urged to evacuate their homes as wildfires continue to burn in the West this

weekend. Among the areas hit is California's wine region and scenic Napa, County. And Pierre Zelina Weiss reports. The picket fire first sparked Thursday afternoon and its cause is not yet known. The area where it's burning is the same as the devastating 2020 glass fire, which raged for 23 days and destroyed more than 1,500 structures. But officials assured residents that the weather condition is between now and then have made this fire easier to control. Further north in Jefferson County in central Oregon, a similar blaze roared. The flat fire, which is already burned across thousands of acres is being aided by persistent heat. Residents in the Lake Billy Chinook area were warned to leave immediately due to the imminent threat to the area.

Alana Wise, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. People living in the Western U.S. are continuing to face potentially dangerous levels of heat this weekend. Whether officials say some 1.2 million people are under extreme heat risk right now. That risk. means nighttime temperatures will not bring significant relief. The heat was so severe in Portland, at least one participant in a relay race there lost consciousness after running four miles. Wildlife managers in Montana have decided to increase this year's wolf hunting and trapping quota by more than 100 animals. Montana Public Radio's Ellis Julin has more. Montana's Fish and Wildlife Commission authorized a statewide quota of 452 wolves. That's 118 more

than last year. They say that increase is necessary to try to reduce the overall wolf population, a directive given to them by the state's Republican majority legislature. Included in that number is a regional limit for the number of wolves that can be killed in areas bordering Yellowstone National Park. That area has seen declines in wolf populations in recent years. Opponents of these changes say killing this many wolves could warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. A federal court recently ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reassess threats facing wolves. For NPR news, I'm Ellis Jew Lynn in Helena, Montana.

Nevada beat Connecticut 8 to 2 today in one of two Little League World Series semifinals games. Garrett Gallegos hit home run and pitched five innings in the win. The Las Vegas team is looking for Nevada's first ever title. They'll be playing Taiwan in this year's final on Sunday. Taiwan beat Aruba 1 to nothing in the international semifinal. Taiwan is hoping for its first title since 1996. I'm Dale Wilman and PR News.

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