NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-30-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: August 30, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. Yemen's Houthi rebels say an Israeli airstrike this week killed their prime minister and other government officials. NPR's Jaina Raff has details. Yemen's official Houthi-run media said Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rouhi and several ministers were killed in an Israeli attack on a cabinet meeting while others were seriously injured. Israel on Thursday said it targeted what it called a Houthi military site,

in the Yemeni capital, but did not announce the deaths. Yemen's Houthi-controlled government said the killings were in retaliation for Yemeni strikes on Israel in support of Palestinians since the war in Gaza began. It said it is even more committed now to that path. The Houthis have also targeted Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea. Jane Arath and Pure News, Amman. The White House is using a rare maneuver called a pocket rescission to try to cut almost $5 billion that lawmakers already had approved for foreign aid.

This comes so late in the fiscal year that Congress doesn't have enough time to have the final say. NPR's Gabriella Emmanuel has more. The money was appropriated for things like UN peacekeepers and development assistance. Mitchell Warren heads AVAC, an HIV group that sued the administration earlier this year to release appropriated funds. He says this move is not just about cutting foreign assistance. This is fundamentally about who controls the federal budget. Constitutionally, it's clear that Congress holds the power of the purse, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office says pocket recisions are illegal.

But the Trump administration says it's prepared to defend the use of this tactic in court. Gabriela Emmanuel and PR News. Louisiana is appealing a redistricting case to the Supreme Court with an argument that could undermine the federal voting. Rights Act. NPR's Hansi Luwong has more in the story. For decades, Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination have been mainly enforced through lawsuits filed by private individuals and groups. They include a group of black Mississippians who challenge legislative maps drawn by the state's Republican-controlled legislature. Those Mississippians argued the maps

dilute the collective voting power of black voters. A three-judge court agreed. But in a Supreme Court filing, GOP stay officials in Mississippi claim those Mississippians do not have a right to sue and only the U.S. Attorney General does. Republican officials are making this novel argument in multiple redistricting lawsuits, including one out of North Dakota that the Supreme Court may decide to hear after a Louisiana case about whether Voting Rights Act protections of redistricting are constitutional. Hansi Luong and PR News. A federal appeals court yesterday ruled that most of President Trump's tariffs are illegal, that he exceeded his authority. But the court is leaving the tariffs in effect until October 14th to allow Trump time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

This is NPR News in Washington. The Republican Governor of Missouri is calling a special session next week to redraw the state's congressional map. Governor Mike Kehoe made the announcement yesterday hours after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a new map designed to help Republicans there pick up five more U.S. House seats in next year's midterm elections. In California, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is asking voters to

approve a new map that would benefit Democrats. Spirit Airlines is seeking bankruptcy protection for the second time in a year. NPR's Joel Rose reports the low-cost carrier has filed for Chapter 11 protection. It's been less than six months since Spirit Airlines emerged from bankruptcy, but that reorganization failed to solve its problems, and the low-cost carrier, known for its bright yellow jets, was forced to file for Chapter 11 protection again. When Spirit filed for bankruptcy last November, it was the first major U.S. airline to do so in over a decade. The company hasn't posted a full-year profit since 2019. It tried to merge with JetBlue Airways, but a federal judge blocked the deal. Spirit, which is based in Florida, as flights, ticket sales, reservations, and

operations will continue as normal. Joel Rose and PR News. Officials in Minneapolis say police and other agencies are increasing their presence around schools, churches, and other religious institutions after the mass shooting this week at a Catholic church. Two children were killed and at least 18 people were wounded. Most of them were children. Some of the injured are still in the hospital. The shooter died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.