NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-23-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: August 23, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. Texas is a signature away from having its newly drawn congressional map in effect. State lawmakers approve the bill early this morning. It gives Republicans an edge in five districts held by Democrats. The Texas newsroom's Blaise Ganey reports on what's next. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed that he will sign the new maps into law. It comes after President Trump called on the state to redistrict last month. state Democrats say the maps are illegal. Senator Boris Miles of Houston says they racially

gerrymander in the ethnically diverse city of Houston, where he said some communities have been bunched together with others broken apart to dilute their voting power. He says he doesn't accept Republican denials that race was not a factor. I want you to know I thoroughly disagree with you because Senate District 18 is more than packed. Senator's nine was cracked. Texas new districts are likely to be highlighted during a potential court. challenge. For the Texas newsroom, I'm Blaise Ganey in Austin. The Justice Department has released hundreds of pages of transcripts and audio from its interviews last night with Gulen Maxwell, the girlfriend of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and herself convicted of

sex trafficking minors. For years, Epstein had socialized with President Trump. Maxwell said she never saw Trump do anything wrong. I never saw the president in any type of massage setting. I never witness the president in any inappropriate setting in any way. The president was never inappropriate with anybody. In the times that I was with him, he was a gentleman, in all respects. After the interviews, Maxwell was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to a minimum security cruising camp in Texas. Lawyers Philhar Obrigo Garcia, who was released from jail yesterday, say the government now intends to deport him to Uganda. He's back in Maryland, awaiting trial in a charge of human smuggling. His lawyers say he turned down and offered a plea

guilty and be sent to Costa Rica. Federal regulators have ordered a company building a billion dollar wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island to stop, even though construction was nearly completed. NPR's Michael Koppel reports. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has issued a stop work order to the Revolution Wind Project, saying in a letter to one of the developers that it needs time to address national security concerns. Works almost finished on the project. which is expected to help power homes and businesses in Rhode Island and Connecticut starting next year. One of the developers, a Danish firm called Orsted, said it's considering all its options, including a potential lawsuit. The head of the National Ocean Industries Association, whose members include oil and gas companies,

said stopping construction could hurt jobs and local communities. The Trump administration has made it harder for companies building wind and solar projects to qualify for federal tax incentives. Michael Copley, NPR News. This is NPR News. in Washington. Opposition lawmakers in Taiwan will stay in office after today's second round of a recall election. All seven will keep their seats, as did 24 members of other parties. This is a win for the opposition that favors closer ties with China. In a separate referendum, voters favored a return to nuclear power, but not by enough votes for the measure to pass. Work is nearing completion

on a project to replace the grass in the iconic White House Rose Garden, with stone. NPR's Tamara Keith reports, this is just the latest renovation Trump is undertaken since returning to office. Trump said the grass had to go because it got too soggy for fine footwear. The lawn has been replaced with white stone, but the rose bushes remain around the perimeter. There are new patio tables with yellow and white striped umbrellas that bear a striking resemblance to those at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. On a warm, sunny afternoon, Trump was blasting the Beatles from the Rose Garden's new outdoor speaker system. He can play DJ from his iPad, just like in Florida.

The project's $1.9 million price tag is being covered by private donations to the trust for the National Mall. Tamara Keith, NPR News. One of the most active volcanoes in the world is erupting again. Kilawa in Hawaii began sending lava 100 feet into the air yesterday. It's the 31st eruption since December. People who can't make the trip to Hawaii can watch a live stream provided by the U.S. Geological Survey. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News.