NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-08-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: September 8, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The U.S. Supreme Court's siding with President Trump in ruling that federal immigration raids in the Los Angeles area can resume. A lower court judge had found that the operations amounted to racial profiling, but the administration said the lower court's order impeded its immigration enforcement efforts. The high court's conservative majority issued its ruling in favor of Trump without exonerated. explanation. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was one of the three liberal justices who dissented and explained why. She writes, quote, we should not have to live in a country where the government can seize anyone who looks Latino, speak Spanish, and appears to work a low-wage job. Sotomayor goes on to write, quote, rather than stand idly by while our constitutional freedoms are

lost, I dissent, end quote. The nation's high court has paved the way for the Federal Trade Commission to once again remember. move it's sold Democratic Commissioner for now. NPR's Andrea Shue reports a decision is yet another win for President Trump as he seeks to expand his presidential powers. The order temporarily blocks the ruling from a lower court judge that reinstated FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter. Trump fired Slaughter along with another Democratic commissioner back in March, despite federal law that holds that commissioners can only be fired for cause. The president provided no such reason. Instead, in their cases and others, the Trump administration is arguing that the Constitution

gives the president authority to remove anyone who wields executive power, that the president must be able to supervise those tasked with carrying out the agenda he promised to the American people. This decision is temporary. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on this topic of presidential power soon. Andrea Shue in PR News. Pfizer and Biontech have released new data that the companies say show their latest COVID-19 vaccine remains safe and effective for protecting people against the latest variants. NPR's Rob Stein has that story. The companies say a study involving 100 people shows the Pfizer-Biontac vaccine triggers a strong immune response to the variant targeted by the reformulated vaccine. That variant is among the closely related strains that

are currently dominant in the U.S. Pfizer and Moderna have been releasing additional information about their vaccines since President Trump called for more data about the shots and comes as many people are having a harder time getting vaccinated because of new federal restrictions on who's eligible. Rob Stein, NPR News. U.S. stocks are trading higher this hour. The NASDAQ composite is up 138 points or more than half a percent at 21,838, and the Dow has risen slightly from Washington. This is NPR News. President Trump delivered remarks today to the White House Religious Liberty Commission. The president said he created the Department of Justice Task Force to, quote, eradicate anti-Christian bias.

Speaking at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, Trump said he will defend the nation's Judeo-Christian principles with vigor. When faith gets weaker, our country seems to get weaker. When faith gets stronger as it is right now, we're having a very good period of time. after some rough years, good things happen for our country. More parents and educators in the U.S. are expressing a growing frustration with the challenge of getting children to and from school every day. NPR's Amy Held reports one problem is fewer bus drivers. Schools are navigating a multi-prong problem. More kids need free school-provided transportation, shrinking budgets, and a long-running obstacle.

I don't care if you're in rural, urban, suburban. There's a bus driver shortage. That's Ohio Education Association. Association President Jeff Wensing, where districts are required to transport voucher students. The expansion of charter schools means more kids attend outside their neighborhoods. Pressure is shifting to parents. New AP polling finds a majority are stressed. A third have missed work.

11% lost their job, just getting their kids to and from school. Some are reinventing the wheel. In Chicago, a dad created a kid carpooling ride chair service and Philadelphia's paying parents to drive their kids. Amy held, NPR News. The Dow is up five. The S&P's risen 15 and the NASDAQ has gained 138 points. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.