NPR News: 07-09-2025 2AM EDT

Summary

NPR News: July 9, 2025 | 2AM EDT

Host: Shea Stevens
Source: NPR News Now
Release Date: July 9, 2025

---

1. Texas Hill Country Flood Recovery Efforts

Location: Kerrville, Texas
Timestamp: [00:21] - [01:23]

Kerrville in the Texas Hill Country convened its first City Council meeting since the catastrophic flooding in July. The community is grappling with the aftermath, focusing on clean-up and recovery initiatives.

Key Points:

• Disaster Declaration Renewal: The city has renewed its disaster declaration, ensuring continued support and resources for recovery.
• Debris Management: Assistant City Manager Michael Hornes outlined plans to utilize 28 acres of soccer fields for piling up millions of cubic yards of tree and other debris. He emphasized the immense scale of the task, stating, “We need a massive amount of space. I'm not sure exactly the numbers of debris, but it's in the millions of cubic yards and it's kind of an unimaginable concept” ([00:48]).
• Infrastructure Repairs: Efforts are underway to repair critical infrastructure, including the water plant, bridges, and sidewalks.
• Search Operations: The search for missing individuals continues into the sixth day following the flood. Mayor Joe Herring Jr. expressed his anguish, saying, “I wish to God there was a way we could have warned them” ([01:10]).

Reporter: Dan Katz, Texas Public Radio

---

2. Federal Immigration Tactics Challenged in Los Angeles

Location: Los Angeles, California
Timestamp: [01:23] - [02:22]

Los Angeles is actively opposing recent federal immigration enforcement actions by joining a lawsuit that alleges racial profiling and excessive use of force.

Key Points:

• Lawsuit Details: The lawsuit accuses federal agents of employing unconstitutional tactics, including sudden raids without proper identification. City Attorney Heidi Feldstein Soto labeled these actions as unlawful ([01:34]).
• Mayor Karen Bass's Criticism: Mayor Bass criticized the methods, highlighting the lack of identification and posing concerns over public safety. She questioned, “How do we know the difference between this and a kidnapping?” ([01:48]).
• Homeland Security Statistics: While nearly 2,800 arrests have been made in the LA area since the previous month, Homeland Security has not specifically commented on the operations at MacArthur Park ([02:00]).
• Public Statement: Terry Schultz emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “These unconstitutional roundups and raids cannot be allowed to continue. They cannot become the new normal” ([02:00]).

Reporter: Steve Futterman

---

3. IRS Policy Change on Religious Endorsements of Political Candidates

Location: Washington, D.C.
Timestamp: [02:22] - [03:15]

In a significant policy shift, the IRS has relaxed long-standing restrictions preventing religious organizations from endorsing political candidates.

Key Points:

• Policy Shift: Historically, since 1954, the IRS’s Johnson Amendment barred houses of worship from endorsing candidates to maintain their tax-exempt status. This week, the IRS permitted two Texas churches and an association of Christian Broadcasters to endorse candidates, likening it to “a family discussion concerning candidates” ([02:31]).
• Political Reactions: President Donald Trump has advocated for rescinding the Johnson Amendment, aligning with the IRS’s recent stance. However, polls indicate that major religious groups, including white evangelicals, oppose allowing faith leaders to make endorsements from the pulpit.
• Public Sentiment: The Religious News Service, represented by Jack Jenkins, highlighted the discrepancy between the IRS’s new policy and the preferences of religious communities.

Reporter: Jack Jenkins, Religious News Service

---

4. Macron Urges Closer UK-EU Relations Post-Brexit

Location: London, United Kingdom
Timestamp: [03:15] - [04:06]

French President Emmanuel Macron is advocating for strengthened ties between the United Kingdom and the European Union despite the UK's departure from the bloc.

Key Points:

• State Visit: Macron addressed both houses of the British Parliament during his first state visit to the UK as an EU head of state since Brexit.
• Upcoming Summit: Leaders from France and the UK are scheduled to hold a summit to discuss the post-ceasefire plan for Ukraine and strategies to prevent migrant crossings via the English Channel using small boats.
• Diplomatic Focus: The discussions aim to foster cooperation on security and humanitarian issues critical to both nations.

Reporter: Shea Stevens

---

5. International Criminal Court Issues Warrants Against Taliban Leaders

Location: Asia-Pacific Region
Timestamp: [04:06] - [04:52]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for two high-ranking Taliban officials on charges related to the persecution of women and girls.

Key Points:

• Warrants Issued: The ICC has targeted the Taliban’s supreme leader, H.E. Taliban Akhenzada, and the head of the Supreme Court, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity.
• Allegations: The officials are accused of severely depriving women and girls of rights to education, privacy, family life, and freedoms of movement, expression, thought, and religion. Afghan women face bans on speaking or showing their faces publicly, and girls' education is restricted to sixth grade ([04:30]).
• ICC’s Statement: Terry Schultz emphasized that the warrants reaffirm the value of women’s and girls’ rights, asserting that their “plight and voices matter” ([04:38]).
• Impact on Afghanistan: These actions highlight the severe human rights violations under the Taliban’s rule since their return to power in 2021.

Reporter: Terry Schultz

---

6. Market Overview

Timestamp: [03:15] - [04:52]

• U.S. Futures: Trading remains flat in after-hours markets.
• Hong Kong Shares: The Hong Kong stock market is experiencing a slight decline, with shares down nearly 1%.

Reporter: Shea Stevens

---

Note: This summary excludes sponsorship messages, introductions, and outros to focus solely on the news content presented in the episode.

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.

[Shea Stevens]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. In the Texas Hill Country, Kerrville held its first City Council meeting since the devastating flooding on July. Texas Public Radio's Dan Katz reports that the city renewed its disaster declaration and began discussing how the cleanup will work.

[Michael Hornes]

The city of Kerrville plans to use 28 acres of soccer fields to pile up tree debris. Here's Assistant City Manager Michael Hornes.

[Shea Stevens]

We need a massive amount of space. I'm not sure exactly the numbers of debris, but it's in the millions of cubic yards and it's kind of an unimaginable concept.

[Michael Hornes]

The city will also need to figure out what to do with other debris, like metal down. Chain link fences are scattered everywhere. The city has a water plant to repair, as well as repairs to bridges and sidewalks. But first, the search operation continues into a sixth day to find all who went missing when a historic flood changed this community forever. Mayor Joe Herring Jr. Said, quote, I wish to God there was a way we could have warned them. For NPR News, I'm Dan Katz.

[Shea Stevens]

A day after a heavily armed immigration agent swept into a Los Angeles park, the city is joining a federal lawsuit challenging the tactics used. Steve Futterman has details.

[Karen Bass]

The lawsuit accuses the federal government of using racial profiling and excessive use of force. Mayor Karen Bass, for a second straight day, criticized the agent's tactics, including what she says is a lack of identification. Men will jump out completely, mask, pull guns and take them away. How do we know the difference between this and a kidnapping? City Attorney Heidi Feldstein Soto calls the actions unlawful.

[Terry Schultz]

These unconstitutional roundups and raids cannot be allowed to continue. They cannot become the new normal.

[Karen Bass]

Homeland security says nearly 2,800 have been arrested in the LA area since last month, but the agency hasn't commented specifically on the MacArthur park operation. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.

[Shea Stevens]

In the departure from decades of precedent, the IRS says religious groups may endorse political candidates. Jack Jenkins of Religious News Service has more.

[Jack Jenkins]

Since 1954, a provision of the federal tax code has barred houses of worship from endorsing candidates. Any that did so risk losing their tax exempt status. But this week, the IRS told two Texas churches and an association of Christian Broadcasters that endorsements delivered to a congregation are just fine. The agency likened it to, quote, a family discussion concerning candidates. President Trump has long said he wants to rescind the policy known as the, quote, Johnson Amendment. Polls have found that no major religious group approves of letting faith leaders endorse from the pulpit, including white evangelicals. For NPR News, I'm Jack Jenkins in Washington.

[Shea Stevens]

U.S. futures are flat in after hours trading. This is NPR. French President Emmanuel Macron is urging Britain to remain close to its neighbors despite leaving the European Union. Macron addressed members of both houses of Parliament Tuesday during the first state visit to Britain by an EU head of state since Brexit. The leaders of France and Britain plan to hold a summit on Wednesday to discuss the post ceasefire plan for Ukraine. They also plan to discuss ways to stop migrants from crossing the English Channel using small boats. Two top Afghan leaders are wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of persecuting women and girls after the Taliban's return to power in 2021. As Terry Schultz, the court says the restriction of rights may constitute war crimes.

[Terry Schultz]

The ICC issued international arrest warrants for the Taliban's supreme leader, H.E. batula Akhenzada, and the head of the Supreme Court, Abdul Hakim Haqqani. The ICC prosecutor's office says they're suspected of committing the crime against humanity, of persecution against girls and women and their allies for, quote, severely depriving through decrees and edicts girls and women of the rights to education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought consc? And religion. Afghan women are banned from speaking or showing their faces outside their homes, and girls education ends at sixth grade. The prosecutor says the warrants affirm that the rights of girls and women are valuable and that their plight and voices matter. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz on Asia Pacific Markets.

[Shea Stevens]

Shares are mixed, down nearly 1% in Hong Kong. This is NPR News.

[NPR Sponsor]

This message comes from Warby Parker. What makes a great pair of glasses at Warby Parker? It's all the invisible extras without the extra cost, like free adjustments for life. Find your [e-mail] or visit one of their hundreds of stores around the country.