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Episode Date: August 23, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. Some business leaders are protesting. President Trump's new 50% tariffs on some imports from Canada. The tariffs were put in place Friday night after trade talks collapsed. Mike Roach is a co-owner of Paloma Clothing in Portland, Oregon. If the president really knew the full negative impact of the tariffs that he put on the nation's small businesses, I believe he'd canceled the tariffs tomorrow. But he clearly doesn't understand what the negative impact.

are on small businesses. He either doesn't know or doesn't care. Canada's prime minister says he'll levy tariffs on the U.S. in September. A federal judge says the Trump administration acted illegally when it stopped processing immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, and Yemen. The State Department had said visa applicants from those countries were likely to need public assistance if they came to the U.S. NPR's Michael Copley reports. U.S. District Judge Jeanette Vargas struck down the Trump administration's visa ban in part because she said it discriminated on the basis of nationality in violation of federal immigration law. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act,

consular officers are barred from issuing visas to people who are unlikely to be able to support themselves in the U.S. But that determination has to be made on a case-by-case basis. Judge Vargas said the visa ban overrode the discretion of consular officers. The judge also set aside any visa denials that were based solely on the ban. Neither the State Department nor the White House immediately responded to a request for comment. Michael Copley, NPR News. The U.S.S. Postal Service has released a plan in response to President Trump's order to restrict mail-in voting for this fall's midterm election.

But multiple court orders are blocking the U.S.PS from carrying out that plan, at least for now, as NPR's Hansi Lo Wong reports. A key change under the finalized rule from the U.S. Postal Service would require states to turn over their absentee voter list to the mailing agency in order to have their mail-in-balance delivered. For now, though, a federal judge in Boston has blocked USPS, which is financial supporter of NPR. The judge found that President Trump's executive order for the Postal Service and other federal agencies oversteps his authority under the Constitution.

Trump himself has voted by mail in Florida, and for months his executive order to limit mail in voting has been caught up in legal fights. A dozen Republican-led states are appealing the latest nationwide ruling by the judge in Boston, and comes as the way continues for the Supreme Court to weigh in on an earlier ruling that blocks USPS from implementing Trump's order in the 23 mainly Democratic-led states plus Washington, D.C. That's sued. Hansi Luong, NPR News. More evacuations have been ordered this evening as the hawk fire in Nevada continues to grow. Fire officials say the blaze now covers more than 10,000 acres, and some 1,000 homes are being threatened by that fire. 500,000 homes in the area are without power at this hour, but it's not certain how much of that has been caused by the flames.

You're listening to NPR News. Pope Leo the 14th visited the Republic of San Marino on Saturday, speaking later in the Italian city of Ramini. He issued one of his strongest appeals yet against war and social division, and he urged Christians to foster dialogue and friendship in a fractured world. He also told young Catholics there a sign that the future is promising. The release of a favorite artist's new album can be enjoyable, but a new study shows it can also lead to distract.

acted driving with sometimes severe consequences. MPR's John Stolness explains. Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham found that on the days 10 of the most streamed albums from 2017 through 2020 were released, traffic deaths went up 15% as compared to the 10 days just before and just after the release date. An estimated 139 traffic deaths happened on release days. The author's study, Dr. Vichal Patel told CNN he initiated the study after nearly getting into an accident himself while scrolling through Spotify for songs from a new Taylor Swift album.

Younger drivers and male drivers were most affected, with larger increases in fatal crashes also among single occupants and sober drivers, as well as in clear weather conditions and cars with infotainment systems in them. John Stolness and PR News. Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz are pairing up to play mixed doubles

at the upcoming U.S. tennis open. The two were given a wildcard entry in order to compete. It will be the first time Williams has played at the open since 2022. She returned to professional tennis this summer. Alcaraas has been sidelined since April following a wrist injury. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.