NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-27-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: August 27, 2025

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There's a lot of news happening. You want to understand it better, but let's be honest, you don't want it to be your entire life either. Well, that's sort of like our show, here and now anytime. Every weekday on our podcast, we talk to people all over the country about everything from political analysis to climate resilience, video games. We even talk about dumpster diving on this show. Check out Here and Now Anytime, a daily podcast from NPR and WBUR.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingley. 50% tariffs on U.S. imports from India took effect today. The levies cover more than half of India's exports to its largest overseas market, including textiles. The NAACP and a group of lawyers are suing to try to overturn the new congressional map in Texas. The lawsuit accuses Republican state lawmakers in Austin of engaging in racial gerrymandering to try to prevent black voters from electing candidates they support. The legislature approved the new map last weekend, after days of back and forth between Republicans and their Democratic colleagues who objected

to the changes. President Trump had called for the changes as a way to help Republicans maintain control of the House in next year's congressional midterm elections. SpaceX says yesterday's 10th test flight of its massive Starship rocket was a success. Starship took off from the company's Starbase in Texas after launch tries were scrubbed in the two previous days. as NPR's Nell Greenfield Boyce reports. The silver and black two-stage rocket, which stands about 400 feet tall, blasted off from the SpaceX facility in South Texas. Five, four, three, two, one.

Once the upper stage reached space, a payload bay door opened, and a device similar to a big PEZ dispenser ejected eight dummy satellites. Then the spacecraft returned to Earth and made a sky. controlled descent down into the Indian Ocean as planned. The smooth test flight had SpaceX employees cheering. The last three flights saw the upper stage explode or disintegrate, and the last time around, the payload bay door wouldn't open. Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News. Officials in Arizona say despite this summer's extreme heat,

the Phoenix area is on pace to record fewer heat-related deaths this year. Catherine Davis-Young with member station KJZZ reports. Extreme Heat is once again taking a devastating toll in the Phoenix area with 64 deaths confirmed so far this year and 413 more under investigation. But those numbers are about 18% lower than the same point last summer. Dr. Nick Stobb, Chief Medical Officer for Maricopa County, says it's too soon to draw conclusions. But the possible decrease could be thanks to city and county investments in heat relief, like more cooling centers which are open at more hours of the day across the county. Just having the extended hours that have been provided over the last couple summers.

I think that that is a useful tool and we're seeing it bear out in lower numbers. The county won't release a final report on heat-related deaths until early next year. For NPR News, I'm Catherine Davis-Young in Phoenix. This is NPR News. from Washington. Many colleges and universities in the U.S. are reporting fewer international students on campus as fall classes begin. As NPR's Alyssa Nadwurney reports, one major factor has been delays in foreign students obtaining visas. Welcome. We're so excited that you're here on campus.

At the University at Buffalo, a public research university in western New York, students are on campus for the beginning of the academic year. But Buffalo's expecting a decline of about 750 international students this fall, many in graduate programs in the STEM fields. And it's not alone. Arizona State University reported a decline for the first time since 2020. Universities in Texas, Missouri, Illinois, and Massachusetts have announced drops. Over the summer, the Trump administration temporarily paused and then revamped student visa interviews, leading to long delays and lots of anxiety for accepted students.

One organization estimates that international enrollment over. overall, could drop by about 15%. A big financial hit for universities and the U.S. economy. Alyssa Adwarning, NPR News, Buffalo, New York. The restaurant chain Cracker Barrel says it's scrapping plans to change its logo after pushback from customers and critics, including President Trump. The company says it will keep the logo of a man in overall sitting next to a barrel with the words old country store.

The company's stock rose after the announcement following days of price drops. Cracker Barrel has 600. 60 restaurants across the country. Wall Street will be watching today's earnings report from tech giant invidia. The company is scheduled to report its numbers after the closing bell. I'm Dave Mattingly.