NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-23-2025 9AM EDT

Episode Date: August 23, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jail Snyder. Texas is a signature away from having its newly drawn congressional maps in effect. State lawmakers debated the bill into the early morning hours before passing it. As drawn, the map gives Republicans an edge in five districts held by Democrats. The Texas newsrooms of Lays Ganey has details 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. But 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 late Jeffrey Epstein's convicted co-conspirator, Glenn Maxwell, is denying that Epstein kept a client list. There's no list. There's never been a list. And you never heard Mr. Epstein talk about such a list? Never. Maxwell, being interviewed last month by Deputy Attorney

General Todd Blanche as the Trump administration faced pressure to disclose details about the Epstein case. as seeking a pardon from President Trump and has been accused of lying to federal officials. During the interview, she said she did not witness any inappropriate conduct by Trump or former President Bill Clinton. Shortly after the interview, she was moved to a less restrictive federal prison in Texas. Kilmar Obergo Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador and later returned to the U.S. has now been released from a jail in Tennessee. In Paris, Herrio Martinez Beltran, reports that he returned to Maryland to await trial, and federal human smuggling charges.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was sent back to his home country of El Salvador in March, despite a court order blocking his deportation there. His lawyer, Sean Hecker, says Abrego Garcia was, quote, unlawfully arrested and deported, and then in prison, all because of the government's vindictive attack on a man who had the courage to fight back against the administration's continuing assault on the rule of law, end quote. Abrogo Garcia's case raised basic questions about due process under President Trump's ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration.

Upon his return to the U.S. in June, Abrego Garcia was immediately detained on charges of transporting unauthorized migrants across the U.S. He pleaded not guilty in June. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News. A federal judge in California has extended a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from denying federal funding to dozens of cities and counties over policies

that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. And you're listening to NPR News. A deadly crash of a tour bus in New York State remains under investigation. State police major Andre Ray says no charges have been filed, and while operator impairment has been ruled out, Ray says other driver-related causes are being investigated. At this point, and again, it's still under investigation. It's believed the operator became distracted, lost control, over-corrected,

and ended up on the right shoulder there. The tour bus was returning to New York City from Niagara Falls when it flipped over on interstate. 95 people were killed. Dozens were sent to hospitals. Work is nearing completion on a project to replace the grass and the iconic White House Rose Garden with stone. And Paris Tamber Keith reports this is just the latest renovation President Trump has 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. And I'm Jail Snyder. This is NPR News.