NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-23-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: August 23, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. A U.S. District Court judge in California has ruled the Trump administration cannot deny federal funding to dozens of cities over their so-called sanctuary policies. As NPR's Matt Bloom reports, the ruling follows a similar decision from earlier this spring. U.S. District Judge William Oreck ruled the Trump administration offered no opposition to a request for an injunction from over 30 cities. who had their funding threatened, except to say that a similar request earlier this year was wrong. The list of cities includes Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and other major metro areas that limit police cooperation with federal immigration agents. The cities say billions of dollars

of funding are at risk. Orick's ruling echoes a similar one for March when the administration's threats were declared unconstitutional. Trump's efforts to crack down on sanctuary cities comes amid a larger push to remove millions of undocumented migrants from the country. Mabloom, NPR News. The Trump administration has indicated it may withhold tens of millions of dollars in election security funding if states don't comply with its voting policy goals. NPR's Miles Parks reports election officials say new rules for the funding make it inaccessible for most of the country.

Almost $28 million in election security grants are now at risk. after the Trump administration changed the requirements for how states can qualify for them. NPR is the first to report on the development. The Department of Homeland Security, which manages the grant program, is now requiring states to prioritize compliance with election certifications that are so new, no jurisdiction in the country has equipment yet that meets the standards. DHS also wants officials to use a new tool that developed this year for citizenship verification, but it hasn't proven the tool works or explained how the data the tool analyzes

is secured. NPR spoke with multiple state voting officials who say in many places the money just won't be spent because of the new rules. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington. The Texas State Senate approved a bill last night to redraw the state's congressional map at the request of President Trump. It's to increase the Republican representation in the U.S. Governor Greg Abbott says he will sign the measure into law. Canada is dropping retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. to match U.S. tariff exemptions. for goods covered under the Trade Pact signed by U.S., Mexico, and Canada in 2020.

The move is designed to restart trade negotiations with the U.S. But Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says the tariffs on steel will stay in the meantime. Canada will retain our tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos, as we work intensively with the United States to resolve the issues there. Carney says Canada and the U.S. have reestablished free trade. This is NPR News. South Korean President Lee J. Myeong is in Tokyo, where he met today with Japanese Prime Minister Shigaru Ichibu.

The two leaders agree to closer cooperation in a number of areas, such as economic security, artificial intelligence, and North Korea's nuclear and missile threats. Lee is scheduled to come to Washington for a summit with President Trump on Monday. Some two million people are expected at what is considered. Europe's largest street party. It's a celebration of Caribbean culture. Vicki Barker has more. Security at this annual celebration of Afro-Caribbean culture is especially tight this year, with facial recognition technology in use for the first time.

Ahead of the Carnival, London police have already arrested people, they say, intended to disrupt the event. Scotland Yard says it wants to prevent last year's violence, which saw two murders and which left more than, than 60 police officers injured. But Civil Liberties groups have condemned the use of facial recognition technology, and there have been jeers for one other edict, which forbids any of the 7,000 police officers patrolling the carnival

from dancing along with the revelers this year. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. In baseball, the Little League World Series is underway this weekend in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Today's games include U.S. teams from Fairfield, Connecticut, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the winner will go on to play the winner of the international championship, either Taipei or Aruba. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.