NPR News Now: July 5, 2025, 10 PM EDT Summary
Released July 6, 2025
Texas Flash Flooding Fatalities Rise
Jeanine Herbst opens the episode with a report on the devastating flash floods affecting Texas:
"[...] the number of fatalities from the upper Guadalupe river flash flooding continues to climb. The number is changing, with at least 43 people dead in Kerr County and deaths reported in other counties as well." (00:01)
David Martin Davies of Texas Public Radio provides further insights into the search and rescue challenges:
"The problem for officials leading the search and rescue effort in Kerr County is there's no way to know how many people were in for the Fourth of July celebration." (00:25)
Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice elaborates on the uncertainty surrounding the number of missing individuals:
"There's a number that we just don't know yet, and we don't know what we don't know. So as things are starting to develop, we're not going to put a cap on this." (00:45)
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has mandated that all missing persons be considered alive, emphasizing the ongoing uncertainty and effort to account for everyone.
Escalation in Ukraine-Russia Conflict
Jeanine Herbst transitions to international affairs, highlighting recent military actions:
"Ukraine attacked airfields in Russia where fighter planes used to bomb Ukrainian cities are stored." (01:01)
Joanna Kakisis reports on Ukraine's strategic strikes against Russian military infrastructure:
"In a statement, the Ukrainian Air Force said it used drones and guided bombs to strike the military airfield and damaged training and combat aircraft." (01:18)
Amid escalating tensions, the Pentagon has halted a shipment of air defense munitions to Ukraine, citing low US supplies. Security Analyst Hanna Schellist comments on the implications:
"There is absolutely no guarantees that US will stand with partners when it is the crisis, and then that US would have sufficient amount of munitions to help or to fight." (01:47)
Kakisis adds that this move may embolden Russia:
"And this, she says, only encourages Russia." (01:58)
EU-US Trade Deal Stalemate Nears Tariff Deadline
The podcast shifts focus to economic developments between the European Union and the United States:
Jeanine Herbst summarizes the current impasse:
"European Union and US Negotiators still haven't reached a trade deal just four days before President Trump's next round of tariffs is due to go into effect." (02:03)
Terry Schultz provides detailed coverage, including statements from EU Trade Commissioner Mauro Sefkovich and European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen:
"EU Trade Commissioner Mauro Sefkovich issued a statement on social media Friday saying he'd had a productive week of work in Washington meeting with U.S. officials, but that the work continues ahead of Trump's July 9 deadline." (02:16)
Von der Leyen expresses skepticism about a timely agreement:
"Shefkovich said the EU's goal remains to have a good and ambitious transatlantic trade deal, but his boss, European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen, said Thursday she doesn't think a comprehensive agreement can be reached in time." (02:16)
The EU warns of retaliatory measures if tariffs proceed:
"If the US goes ahead with a massive tariff hike, she warned, all instruments will be on the table. The EU has its own list of US products on which duties may be imposed." (02:16)
Deportation of Migrants to South Sudan
Jeanine Herbst reports on a controversial deportation:
"After weeks of legal wrangling, the Trump administration sent eight migrants to South Sudan, this after the Supreme Court allowed the administration to deport the men." (02:55)
These migrants, whose home countries are not South Sudan, face an uncertain and potentially dangerous future in a nation plagued by violence:
"They had been held for weeks at a US Military base in Djibouti while the Supreme Court considered the case. The men's fate in that violence-plagued country isn't clear." (02:55)
The State Department issues a travel warning advising against visiting South Sudan due to risks of crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict.
Tropical Storm Chantal Approaches the Carolinas
The episode concludes with a weather update on Tropical Storm Chantal:
Jeanine Herbst alerts listeners to the impending storm:
"Tropical Storm Chantal is expected to make landfall in South Carolina by tomorrow morning." (02:55)
Pierce Eva Pukac reports current storm conditions:
"The storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 miles an hour." (03:42)
John Congelosi from the National Hurricane Center provides detailed forecasts:
"There are tropical storm warnings for portions of the Carolinas, specifically north of the Charleston area and then extending through the Wilmington, North Carolina, area. So that northeast corner of South Carolina, in that southeast corner of North Carolina, we are expecting tropical storm force winds in that zone." (03:51)
Pagac adds that the most severe conditions will lie east of the landfall point:
"Most of the strong winds and significant effects of the storm will be east of the landfall spot. Heavy rain is forecast for the region through Monday, with the possibility of flash flooding." (04:03)
Chantal marks the third named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. Its outer bands are already impacting the Carolinas with rough seas and rip currents:
"And the storm's outer bands are already hitting the Carolinas, causing rough seas and rip currents." (04:26)
Jeanine Herbst wraps up the news segment:
"I'm Jeanine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington." (04:26)
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the critical updates provided in the July 5, 2025, episode of "NPR News Now," covering significant events from natural disasters and international conflicts to economic negotiations and weather forecasts.