NPR News Now – August 30, 2025, 8AM EDT

Host: Giles Snyder (NPR)
Episode Theme: Major national news updates in five minutes: school shooting in Minneapolis, congressional redistricting disputes, a wrongful deportation in Maryland, 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and US Open tennis highlights.

Minneapolis Church Shooting and Increased Security

[00:11 – 01:21]

• Incident Overview:
  • Police in Minneapolis are increasing patrols near schools and houses of worship after a shooting Wednesday morning at a Minneapolis Catholic church during a back-to-school Mass.
• Eyewitness Account:
  • Matthew Stolmes describes the chaos and fear as gunfire broke out:

    “We were praising the Lord and giving him all the glory listening to the readings and we didn’t know what was going on for those first few seconds that seemed like minutes.”
    (Matthew Stolmes, 00:30)

  • Stolmes, in the back pew after dropping off his children, saw the flashes of gunfire. His children were unharmed, but two of their friends are still hospitalized.
• Context:
  • No clear motive has been identified for the attack.
  • Law enforcement presence ramped up as a precaution in sensitive community locations.

Congressional Redistricting Debates in Missouri and Texas

[01:21 – 02:09]

• Missouri:
  • The Republican governor has called a special session to address congressional redistricting.
• Texas:
  • Governor Greg Abbott just signed a new congressional map into law, aiming to build GOP gains among Latino voters.
• Community Perspective:
  • Tomas Hernandez Jr., a local business owner in Seguin, Texas, on political realignment:

    “Hispanics, whether they’re my own family or non family members that supported Trump, they saw it as good for the economy. But I don’t see any, you know, any benefits.”
    (Tomas Hernandez Jr., 01:46)

  • The area’s new four-county district will be 60% Latino, but business owners like Hernandez doubt recent GOP support will persist as the economy struggles.

Maryland Wrongful Deportation and Gag Order Request

[02:09 – 03:07]

• Case Background:
  • Kilmar Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported to El Salvador, subsequently returned to the U.S., and is now at the center of a contentious legal case.
• Legal Developments:
  • Abrego Garcia faces two federal indictments for human smuggling; he has pleaded not guilty and has not been convicted of any crimes.
• Call for a Gag Order:
  • Defense attorneys seek to block government officials from making prejudicial public statements:

    "The continuous public statements made by the Trump administration prejudices Abrego Garcia’s right to a fair trial. They say he is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty."
    (Sergio Martinez Beltran, 02:25)

  • As of this update, Abrego Garcia has been released from criminal custody—pending trial—but is held in immigration detention.

20th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

[03:07 – 04:35]

• Commemorations:
  • New Orleans holds memorials—including wreath laying and a minute of silence in the Lower Ninth Ward—to honor Katrina victims, both identified and unidentified, as well as survivors.
• Long-Term Mental Health Impact:
  • Ritu Chatterjee summarizes research following Katrina survivors:
    • Prevalence of depression doubled post-storm (from 6% to 12% one year later).
    • Research by David Abramson (NYU) of over 1,000 people in LA and MS showed:

      “We found that somewhere between 40 and 50% of the people in our cohort were expressing very high levels of mental health distress, complicated grief, anxiety and depression.”
      (David Abramson, 04:07)

    • There was a significant increase in “deaths of despair”—overdose, suicide, liver disease—2-3 years after the storm, but majority of survivors saw mental health recovery after 12 years.

Sports – US Open Tennis 2025

[04:35 – 04:54]

• Highlights:
  • The third round concludes today at the US Open in Flushing Meadows.
  • Notable players scheduled:
    • Coco Gauff (2023 US Open champion)
    • Jannik Sinner (reigning Wimbledon men’s champion)

Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• Matthew Stolmes on the terror inside the church:

  “We didn’t know what was going on for those first few seconds that seemed like minutes.” (00:30)

• Tomas Hernandez Jr. on shifting Latino Republican support:

  “I don’t see any, you know, any benefits.” (01:46)

• David Abramson on mental health distress post-Katrina:

  “Somewhere between 40 and 50%... were expressing very high levels of... distress, complicated grief, anxiety and depression.” (04:07)

Purposeful Tone:
Direct, factual, with an emphasis on firsthand experiences and personal impact—balancing national and local news with human stories.