NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-30-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: August 30, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. In Minneapolis, law enforcement is stepping up patrols across the city, especially near schools and houses of worship. A mass shooting at a Catholic church this week killed two children and wounded at least 18 people. NPR's Vanessa Romo reports. Assistant Police Chief Christopher Gator addressed the community trying to assuage their fears. During a press conference, he tried to reassure the public in light of the city's public schools, starting next week. The Minneapolis Police Department has implemented round the clock,

extra patrols. Chief O'Hara has made it well understood that we and our officers will be patrolling those areas more frequently than we have in the past. He added that MPD officers, along with county and state law enforcement, will be highly visible, making certain that they're being seen and that people are kept safe. Vanessa Romo, NPR News, Minneapolis. A federal appeals court has ruled that most of President Trump's tariffs are illegal, that he unlawfully invoked emergency powers to justify taxes imposed on America's trading partners. But the court left the tariffs in place pending an appeal by the Trump administration to the Supreme Court. Dan Rayfield, the Attorney General for the state of Oregon, was among those who brought the case he spoke to

the BBC. It is a 7-4 ruling. I mean, effectively concurs with the opinion from the lower court and actually, frankly, at other federal courts. So you have effectively 12 judges in the United States saying that the president has now overstepped his authority to implement tariffs by using an emergency power. And you've got to remember here in America, this is an emergency power that no other president has ever used to try and implement tariffs. President Trump said if the appeals court ruling stands, it would destroy America. Senator Roger Wicker is in Taipei, where he said he thinks in the future, the U.S. and Taiwan may jointly produce weapons. Jan Khamen-Broomby has more in the story.

Wicker called Taiwan a reliable partner in the Indo-Pacific region. He is leading a U.S. delegation to Taipei that includes meetings with Taiwanese president, William Lai. Wicker says U.S.-Taiwan joint weapons production is possible. The Republicans' visit has drawn Aya from Beijing, which said it undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. China claims Taiwan as its own and has never renounced. announced the use of force to unify it with the mainland. The U.S. is Taiwan's biggest

armed supplier. White House officials have said President Trump remains committed to Asia-Pacific security matters as he pursues his trade agenda with China. For NPR news, I'm Yang Kams and Brumby in Taipei. The Israeli government is not welcome at the defense trade show in London next month. British officials say Israel is banned because of its war against Hamas and Gaza that has brought about a humanitarian crisis. Private defense contractors from Israel. will be allowed to attend. This is NPR News. The fast food chain Taco Bell is getting backlash

for using an AI chatbot to take drive-through orders. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports. Taco Bell has AI ordering installed in hundreds of locations around the country. Social media videos show frustrated customers trying to interact with the chatbot. I have a mobile order under Aaron. Could you say the name again, please? Aaron.

People are also posting videos of their successful attempts to bypass the bot. Can I get 18,000 watercups, please? And get a real human on the line. What can I get for you? Taco Bell did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment, but a company executive told the Wall Street Journal it is re-evaluating how best to deploy the technology. Chloe Valtman, NPR News.

This Labor Day weekend is shaping up to be a busy one. Airports and planes may be more crowded than ever. NPR's Joel Rose reports. Transportation Security Administration is bracing for the busiest Labor Day weekend on record, with nearly 17.4 million people expected to pass through TSA checkpoints at U.S. airports. It's already been another record-setting summer for the U.S. air travel system. Eight of the ten busiest air travel days in the history of the TSA have happened this year, with a single-day record of nearly 3.1 million travelers and crew set in June.

American and United Airlines both say they're expecting to serve record numbers of passengers this weekend. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Wall Street will be closed Monday for Labor Day. Stocks ended the week mostly lower after both the Dow and the S&P 500 had hit record highs on Thursday. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News, in Washington.