NPR News: 06-28-2025 8PM EDT

Summary

NPR News: June 28, 2025, 8PM EDT – Detailed Summary

Released on June 29, 2025

---

1. Senate Pushes Forward with President Trump's Tax Bill

Host: Jeanine Herbst

In a rare Saturday session, the U.S. Senate initiated a vote to begin debate on President Trump's comprehensive tax and spending bill. Republican senators are maneuvering to secure the necessary votes to pass the legislation, engaging in negotiations to address concerns from within their party. Despite these efforts, the bill faces significant opposition from Democrats and some Republicans.

Key Points:

• Negotiations and Internal Dissent: Republicans have brokered deals with dissenting members but can only afford to lose three votes. The absence of a fiscal breakdown from congressional watchdogs adds uncertainty about the bill's full impact.
• Democratic Opposition: Democrats staunchly oppose the bill, citing potential adverse effects on healthcare and other sectors.

Notable Quotes:

• Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader (00:52): "Senators have admitted they're not happy with this bill. One said it will take away health care from working people. And yet there's still a yes on this bill. If Republican senators are not happy with this bill because they know how badly it hurts their constituency, they should vote no."

• John Thune, Senate Majority Leader (01:11): Praised the bill, emphasizing its potential to strengthen America.

• Chuck Schumer (01:13): "We have before us today a once in a generation opportunity to deliver legislation to create a safer, stronger, prosperous America."

---

2. Supreme Court Upholds Partial Block on Birthright Citizenship Order

Host: Jeanine Herbst
Reporter: Anna Isaacs

President Trump's order to end birthright citizenship faced a setback as the Supreme Court ruled that a single district court ruling cannot be universally applied. The decision leaves the order blocked for at least the next 30 days, potentially leading to varied citizenship rules across states.

Key Points:

• Supreme Court's Ruling: The Court did not address the constitutional merits of the order, merely limiting its immediate effect.
• Future Implications: States may have divergent citizenship laws, leading to potential chaos and confusion. The Supreme Court has requested lower courts to reconsider their broad rulings. The central constitutional question regarding birthright citizenship may be revisited in the next term.

Notable Quotes:

• Anna Isaacs (01:22): "That means the rules for citizenship could differ state by state, which critics warn will lead to chaos and confusion."

---

3. Dissolution of Hong Kong’s Last Major Opposition Party

Host: Jeanine Herbst
Reporter: Emily Fang

Hong Kong's last remaining significant opposition party, the League of Social Democrats, announced its dissolution ahead of the fifth anniversary of the National Security Law. This law has severely curtailed political dissent and opposition activities in the region.

Key Points:

• Impact of National Security Law: Enacted in 2020, the law has classified many opposition activities as subversive, leading to arrests and imprisonments of key party members.
• Pressure from Beijing: The league faced increasing pressure from authorities, culminating in the release of the party’s vice chair from prison and the continued imprisonment of the party chair.

Notable Quotes:

• Emily Fang (02:34): Describes the party's advocacy for direct elections and opposition to wealth inequality, highlighting the challenges faced under the National Security Law.

---

4. Surge of Authorial Support Against Generative AI in Publishing

Host: Jeanine Herbst
Reporter: Chloe Veldman

Over 1,200 authors, including renowned writers like Jodi Picoult and Paul Tremblay, have signed a petition urging publishing houses to implement stronger protections against the impacts of generative artificial intelligence (AI). The authors seek measures to safeguard their intellectual property and ensure fair compensation.

Key Points:

• Demand for Protective Measures: The petition calls for publishers to avoid releasing AI-generated books that utilize copyrighted content without consent. It also advocates for hiring human audiobook narrators instead of relying solely on AI.
• Previous Actions: Authors have previously filed lawsuits against AI companies for copyright infringements.
• Industry Response: Major publishing houses, including Simon & Schuster, have acknowledged the concerns, with spokesperson Susanna Lawrence stating they are taking the authors' worries seriously.

Notable Quotes:

• Chloe Veldman (03:17): "The petition circulated after a group of around 70 writers released an open letter on Friday morning."

• Susanna Lawrence, Simon & Schuster (03:42): "Our company is taking the authors' concerns seriously."

---

5. Stellantis Recalls Vehicles Due to Airbag Issues

Host: Jeanine Herbst

Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, announced a voluntary recall of certain 2022 to 2025 Pacifica and Voyager models. The recall aims to inspect and potentially replace side airbags that may not deploy effectively during a crash due to improperly sealed seams.

Key Points:

• Safety Concerns: The malfunctioning airbags could fail to provide adequate protection in the event of an accident.
• No Reported Incidents: Stellantis has stated that there have been no known injuries or accidents related to this issue so far.

Notable Quotes:

• Jeanine Herbst (04:24): "Some of those airbags may not hold enough pressure during deployment to protect passengers in the event of a crash because of improperly sealed seams."

---

Upcoming Developments

• Supreme Court Case on Birthright Citizenship: The constitutional question may be addressed in the upcoming term, potentially shaping the future of citizenship laws in the United States.

---

This summary encapsulates the major news topics covered in the June 28, 2025, episode of NPR News Now, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not tuned in.

Transcript

[NPR Sponsor]

Support for npr. And the following message come from Indeed. You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed. Claim your $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com NPR terms and conditions apply.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. In a rare Saturday session, a vote to begin debate on President Trump's sweeping tax and specific the impending bill is underway as Republican senators try to find enough votes to pass the legislation. They already cut a series of deals with Republicans who are unhappy with the bill, but they can only afford to lose three votes. There's still no fiscal breakdown from congressional watchdogs either, so the full cost of the bill isn't known. Democrats are against it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Many Republican.

[Chuck Schumer]

Senators have admitted they're not happy with this bill. One said it will take away health care from working people. And yet there's still a yes on this bill. If Republican senators are not happy with this bill because they know how badly it hurts their constituency, they should vote no.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised it.

[Chuck Schumer]

We have before us today a once in a generation opportunity to deliver legislation to create a safer, stronger, prosperous America.

[Jeanine Herbst]

The GOP is trying to pass it by Trump's self imposed July 4th deadline. President Trump won a victory in the Supreme Court yesterday when the court held that a single district court ruling on his order to end birthright citizenship cannot be applied to the entire country. NPR's Anna Isaacs has more.

[Anna Isaacs]

The justices did not rule on the merits of the order, which declares that children born in the US to parents without legal status or on a temporary visa are not entitled to automatic citizenship. That order is still blocked for at least the next 30. After that, the order could go into effect in the states that have not challenged it. That means the rules for citizenship could differ state by state, which critics warn will lead to chaos and confusion. The Supreme Court has asked the lower courts to reconsider their broad rulings. In the meantime, there are also class action lawsuits in the works. The case's central question, whether denying birthright citizenship is constitutional, may come before the high court as soon as next term. Anna Isaacs, NPR News, Washington.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Hong Kong's last remaining political opposition party is dissolving itself right before the fifth anniversary of a sweeping national security law. NPR's Emily Fang reports. The law has made most political dissent nearly impossible.

[Emily Fang]

The League of Social Democrats was one of the largest opposition parties that took a more radical approach to demanding rights like direct elections for Hong Kong's chief executive and protests against rising wealth inequality. They'd win seats in Hong Kong's legislature in previous elections. And after the National Security Law was imposed in 2020, much of what the party did fell into the broad categories of activities considered subversive under the law. But unlike other parties, they did not immediately disband. However, this weekend, they say they will dissolve after facing serious pressure from Beijing. The party's vice chair was just released from prison, and the party's chair remains imprisoned on charges related to their political work. Emily Fang, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

This is NPR News. More than 1200 authors, including Jodi Picoult and Paul Tremblay, have signed a petition asking publishing houses to do more to protect them against the impacts of generative artificial intelligence. NPR's Chloe Veldman reports. Until now, writers have mostly fought back against AI through lawsuits targeting AI companies.

[Chloe Veldman]

The petition circulated after a group of around 70 writers released an open letter on Friday morning. It asked publishers to refrain from publishing books created using AI tools built on copyrighted content without authors consent or compensation, and to only hire human audiobook narrators, among other requests. The appeal to publishers comes after federal judges ruled in favour of tech companies Anthropic AI and Meta in two copyright infringement cases launched by authors. NPR reached out to all five of the major American publishing houses for comment. In a statement, Simon and Schuster spokesperson Susanna Lawrence said her company is taking the author's concerns seriously. Chloe Veltman, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Chrysler's parent company Stellantis, says it's voluntarily recalling some of its 2022 to 2025 Pacifica and Voyager vehicles in order to inspect and possibly replace side airbags if needed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Some of those airbags may not hold enough pressure during deployment to protect passengers in the event of a crash because of improperly sealed seams. Stellantis says it's not aware of any injuries or accidents. I'm Jeanine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington.

[NPR Sponsor]

This message comes from Mint Mobile. Mint Mobile took what's wrong with wireless and made it right. They offer premium wireless plans for less, and all plans include high speed data, unlimited talk and text and nationwide coverage. See for [e-mail] Switch.