NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-27-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: August 27, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump is trying to shake up the Federal Reserve, but as NPR's Maria Aspen reports, so far his actions have had little effect on Wall Street. President Trump is escalating his attacks on the Federal Reserve with an extraordinary attempt to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Trump says he's dismissing Cook in response to allegations that she had made false statements on a mortgage application,

but she says he has no authority to do so, and that she won't resign. It's the latest effort by Trump to exert more control over the Fed, which is designed to be independent. But the President wants the central bank to lower interest rates and has been publicly pressuring the Fed and its leaders to do so. Yet investors are mostly shrugging off the latest threats to the Fed's independence. Maria Aspen, NPR News.

The Transportation Department is threatening to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding from three Western states. NPR's Joel Rose report. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says California, Washington, and New Mexico could lose tens of millions of dollars in federal funding unless they adopt and enforce English language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers. DOT accuses those states of failing to disqualify drivers if they can't demonstrate English proficiency. The move comes after a deadly crash in Florida earlier this month, involving a driver who made an illegal U-turn on a highway. Federal officials say the driver who was born in India was in the U.S. illegally, though California officials say he had a work permit. Duffy says California, Washington, and New Mexico have 30 days to comply.

Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. The Israeli military says it's completed its initial inquiry into its military strikes in a hospital in Gaza on Monday. Palestinian medical officials say at least 22 people were killed in the attacks, including five journalists. From Tel Aviv, NPR's Daniel Estrin has more. Monday morning's pair of attacks was one of the deadliest on journalists working for international media in the Gaza War. The second attack came as first responders were handling victims. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a tragic mishap. AP and Reuters demanded a transparent Israeli investigation.

The military says its initial inquiry found that infantry soldiers targeted what they believed was a Hamas camera at a hospital observing troops. The military would not provide a photo or evidence. It said soldiers reached that conclusion because Hamas had based itself at the hospital. It says six others killed were militants but did not say they were the target. The military says it's examining who authorized the strikes, the timing, and the ammunition. Daniel Esther in NPR News, Tel Aviv. Fire crews are trying to contain the garnet fire burning right now in Central California's Sierra National Forest. The blaze has destroyed 14 square miles of timber and grasses.

Forecasters are warning that dry conditions in the state also must. mean lightning strikes could start new fires. This is NPR News. The National Endowment of the Arts has canceled its creative writing fellowship for decades. That program has supported writers who would go on to become big names in literature. MPR's Andrew Limbaugh reports. Alice Walker, Michael Cunningham, Louise Urdrick, these are just a few names of authors who won an N.E.A. Creative Writing Fellowship.

The program began in 1966 to support America's literary creativity in, In 2026, the program would have awarded 35 writers up to $50,000 each. That is until last week, when authors began posting on social media and email. They got from the NEA stating that the fellowship has been canceled. Under the Trump administration, millions of dollars in grant funding towards literary endeavors have been canceled ostensibly in favor of projects celebrating America's upcoming 250th anniversary. The president has also proposed getting rid of the NEA entirely. Andrew Limbong and Pierre News.

A federal judge Tuesday threw out a lawsuit by the Trump administration that was filed against the entire federal bench in Maryland. At issue is an order by the chief judge that stopped the immediate deportation of immigrants challenging their removals. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Cullen called the lawsuit potentially calamitous. Cullen was appointed to the federal bench by President Trump. SpaceX successfully launched its starship rocket Tuesday. It was the third attempt for the ship to get off the ground. Its initial launch on Sunday was scrub because of what the company called ground issues. The rocket carried a payload of eight dummy satellites.

Both the crass booster and the spaceship itself were successfully recovered. I'm Dale Wilman and PR News. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit Wise. T's and Cs apply.