NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-28-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: August 28, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Nine patients, five of them children are still hospitalized at Hennepin County Medical Center, 24 hours after the shooting at a back-to-school church service for Annunciation Catholic school students in Minneapolis. In an update a short time ago, doctors confirmed one child is in critical condition. Another child and an adult are listed as serious. Six people are in satisfactory condition. The attack, though, claimed the lie. of two children. Today, the public's hearing numerous stories of bravery and compassion in the face of deep loss. Trauma surgeon Dr. John Gakin recalls a child in a CT scanning room scared,

he says, a nurse manager stepped in the room to hold her hand. Putting herself basically in the harm's way of radiation, which normally evacuate the room. She put a little lead on and stayed there and held her hand and held her hair while she went through the scanner so she didn't have to go through it alone. We heard this morning from Mayor Jacob Fry. He's urging lawmakers to approve stronger gun control measures. There are certainly other countries around the world where a horrific act takes place and then they make the change to ensure that out of love for their kids, out of love for their children, it doesn't happen again.

Mayor Fry on NPR's Morning Edition. Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is suing President Trump over his attempt to remove her. NPR's Frank Ordonez reports. President Trump announced earlier this week that he was firing Cook over allegations that she committed mortgage fraud related to two residential properties that she owns, which she described as potentially criminal. But Cook has not been charged criminally. In her lawsuit, Cook is asking the court to declare Trump's removal order unlawful and void. If Trump replaces Cook, his appointees would make up a majority of the Fed board. The case is likely headed to the Supreme Court,

and the outcome will have major implications on the independence of the Federal Reserve, as well as the power of the presidency. Franco Ordonez. NPR news. Russian airstrikes hit Ukraine's capital today for the first time in weeks, killing at least 18 people. Buildings were damaged, including offices housing, the European Union's mission to Ukraine and the British Council. Here's NPR's Lauren Freire.

The EU and Britain have summoned their Russian envoys in response to these drone and missile attacks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Russia of targeting the EU. The British Council in Kiev says it's office is severely damaged. Last week, Russia also struck a U.S.-owned electronics plant in Western Ukraine. Russia says its latest strikes targeted military sites, that it also came under attack from Ukraine and that it is still interested in pursuing peace talks. But British Prime

Minister Kirstarmer accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of, quote, sabotaging hopes for peace by killing children and civilians. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. This is NPR. Amtrak is launching a faster fleet of Acella Trains today. NPR's Joel Rose reports the first new trains will begin running today along the Northeast Corridor. Amtrak says the next-gen Acella trains can reach top speeds of up to 160 miles per hour, 10 miles per hour faster than the current fleet. They're also lighter and larger, with 27% more seats. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke at an event in Washington before the train's inaugural run to New York and Boston.

They're beautiful. They're going to be faster, but most importantly, a better experience for the traveling public. Amtrak is celebrating record ridership last year, but the unveiling comes at a challenging moment for high-speed rail in the U.S. As the Trump administration tries to pull billions of dollars in federal funding from a troubled project in California, Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Florida's Everglades National Park has a Burmese python problem. Some researchers studying the invasive species habits have videotape putting trackers on some of the snakes

and releasing them in marshland waters. But today, there may be hundreds of thousands more untracked Burmese python responsible for decimating native species in the Everglades. The Associated Press reports officials are now enlisting the help of robotic rabbits designed to look, move, even smell like the real thing to lure the snakes out of their hiding spot. It is too early to tell if the experiment will be a success, but officials say they're optimistic.

The Dow is down slightly, five points, S&Ps up three, NASX up 50 points. This is NPR News.