NPR News: 08-30-2025 8AM EDT

Summary

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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)

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

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Transcript

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[Giles Snyder]

[e-mail] Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Police in Minneapolis are stepping up patrols near schools and houses of worship following the shooting Wednesday morning at a Minneapolis Catholic church during a Mass celebrating the start of the school year.

[Matthew Stolmes]

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.

[Giles Snyder]

Matthew Stolmes was sitting in a back pew after walking his 12 year old daughter and 8 year old son into the church when he says he saw flashes of gunfire. He says his kids were not injured, but that two of their friends remained hospitalized Friday. The investigation has not yet revealed a clear motive for the attack. The fight over congressional redistricting is moving to Missouri. The Republican governor has called a special legislative session for Wednesday. He made the announcement on the same day that Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a new congressional map into law that Republicans say will win them new inroads with latino voters. Here's NPR's Claudi Gonzalez reporting.

[Tomas Hernandez Jr.]

Local business owner Tomas Hernandez, Jr. Says the political environment in south Central Texas is more heated than ever with plans to move his community into a new district. Hernandez, a Democrat who runs a frozen drink stop in the town of Seguin, doubts many of last year's Latino GOP voters, including relatives, will stay loyal as a result of a struggling economy.

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.

The community will be part of a shift to a new four county area that includes Seguin and will be 60% Latino. Claudia Rizales, NPR News, Seguin, Texas.

[Giles Snyder]

Lawyers for the Maryland man wrongfully deported to El Salvador and later returned to the US Are asking a judge to issue a gag order blocking government officials from making statements about their client and Paris area. Martinez Beltran has more on the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

[Sergio Martinez Beltran]

The Trump administration has accused Abrego Garcia of committing heinous crimes, but it has not provided any evidence. Abrego Garcia has not been convicted of any crimes, but has been indicted on two federal charges related to human smuggling. He pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys say 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. Abrego Garcia was released last week from criminal detention in Tennessee pending that trial, but he was taken into immigration custody earlier this week. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News.

[Giles Snyder]

And from Washington, you're listening to NPR News. New Orleans marked 20 years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall with memorial services and musical performances to honor those who were killed. And the survivors who helped rebuild. The city held a wreath laying ceremony for dozens of unidentified Katrina victims. And a minute of silence was held in the Lower Ninth Ward where the federal levee system was breached. Scientists who studied the long term impacts of Katrina say it took a huge toll on mental health. But NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports a majority of survivors recovered from their symptoms after a dozen years.

[Ritu Chatterjee]

Several teams of researchers have followed Katrina survivors, collecting data on their physical and mental health. One group found that prevalence of depression doubled from 6% before the storm to 12% one year later. Another team, led by David Abramson at New York University, followed over 1,000 people living in Louisiana and Mississippi.

[Matthew Stolmes]

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.

[Ritu Chatterjee]

Two to three years after Katrina, Abramson and his colleagues documented a spike in deaths of despair in this cohort. Those are deaths from over overdose, suicide and liver disease. Ritu Chatterjee, NPR News.

[Giles Snyder]

Now to Flushing Meadows, New York, where the third round at the US Open wraps up today. Among those scheduled to play the 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff and Jannik center, this year's Wimbledon men's champion. I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News.

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