President Trump Visits Texas, Immigration Raids Ruling, New Antidepressants Study

Summary

NPR's Up First: July 12, 2025

Hosts: Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin, A Martinez, Ayesha Rascoe, and Scott Simon
Episode Title: President Trump Visits Texas, Immigration Raids Ruling, New Antidepressants Study

---

1. President Trump Visits Texas Amid Devastating Floods

In the wake of catastrophic floods that struck Texas just over a week ago, President Donald Trump made a visit to Kerrville, Texas, to assess the damage and meet with affected communities. The floods have resulted in at least 120 fatalities, with more than 170 individuals still missing.

Scott Simon opens the segment by sharing his firsthand observations:

"I've seen a lot of bad ones. I've gone to a lot of hurricanes, a lot of tornadoes. I've never seen anything like this."
(00:02)

During his four-hour visit, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump toured the devastated areas both on the ground and from the air via Marine One. They met with grieving families and addressed the public, emphasizing national solidarity:

"Our nation is grieving with you."
(03:09)

However, the President's empathetic remarks were momentarily overshadowed when he responded defensively to a reporter's question regarding the timeliness of flood warnings:

"Only a bad person would ask a question like that."
(03:27)

Despite the immense tragedy, Trump acknowledged the need for improved disaster response systems, indicating a slight softening of his previous critiques of FEMA:

"We have some good people running FEMA."
(04:12)

The search for the missing continues without much progress, as reported by Adrian Florido from Kerrville:

"The search area has an enormous footprint covering miles and miles, and the numbers have not moved much in the past few days."
(04:29)

Community resilience is evident as residents come together to support one another, with multiple funerals held for young victims of the floods, including 8-year-old Hadley Hannah from Camp Mystic.

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2. Federal Judge Halts Trump Administration's Immigration Raids in Los Angeles

The Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies have come under legal scrutiny following a significant ruling by a federal judge in Los Angeles. A court order has temporarily stopped immigration raids in Los Angeles and surrounding areas, citing evidence of racial profiling.

Ayesha Rascoe reports on the development:

"A California judge orders a temporary halt to immigration sweeps in Los Angeles and beyond."
(00:32)

Joining the discussion, Will Stone from NPR elaborates on the lawsuit filed by the ACLU, Public Counsel, and other advocacy groups:

"ICE and Border Patrol agents patrolling the streets have been detaining and arresting people here in Southern California based on the color of their skin, their accents, or just because they're doing work that immigrants commonly do."
(06:14)

The ruling was grounded in substantial evidence, including bystander videos showing agents conducting stop-and-arrest operations in Latino-populated areas such as car washes and street vendor locations. Mohammad Tajzar of the ACLU emphasized the systemic nature of these actions during a press conference:

"What's happening out here in these streets is if you're brown and you happen to come into contact with these ICE agents and these Border Patrol agents, they will come for you."
(07:55)

Judge Mame Ewusi Mensah Frimpong's decision included two temporary restraining orders:

1. Suspension of Suspicionless Arrests:

   "No more racial profiling. No more using the color of an individual's skin as a basis to take them in."
   (09:57)

2. Access to Legal Representation:

   "The government must provide arrested individuals access to lawyers."
   (10:02)

Steve Futterman highlights the Department of Homeland Security's response, dismissing the ruling as undermining public will:

"The judge is undermining the will of the American people."
(09:55)

The immediate impact of the ruling remains to be seen, with communities and immigration enforcement agencies closely monitoring the implementation of these temporary measures.

---

3. New Study on Antidepressants Reveals Insights into Withdrawal Symptoms

A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry has reignited the debate over the withdrawal effects associated with antidepressants, particularly SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). This study analyzed data from approximately 50 clinical trials involving over 17,000 patients.

Ayesha Rascoe introduces the topic:

"A new study on antidepressants sheds new light on the severity of withdrawal when people come off those medications."
(00:38)

Steve Futterman provides an overview of the research led by Dr. Samir Johar from Imperial College London:

"A person who goes off these medications experiences, on average, one more symptom compared to those who stop a placebo or continue with the treatment within the first week."
(11:07)

These symptoms include nausea, vertigo, and dizziness, aligning with the pharmacological basis of SSRIs. However, the study concluded that these effects are below the threshold for clinical significance.

Contrastingly, previous analyses, such as the 2019 review by John Reed, a clinical psychologist, found that approximately 50% of patients experienced withdrawal symptoms, many of which were severe. Will Stone relays Reed's criticism of the new study:

"They [the study's authors] are saying it is not a clinically significant phenomenon, and that's not something you can compromise on, that is completely inaccurate."
(13:12)

Avais Aftab, a psychiatrist at Case Western Reserve University, acknowledges the study's methodological strengths but expresses concern that it may downplay the real-world impact of withdrawal symptoms:

"The danger there is that the profession and the public can take the wrong message from looking at this paper and say, oh, withdrawal is not a big issue. It's not a big deal."
(13:36)

The debate underscores a significant gap in high-quality research specifically targeting long-term withdrawal effects, as most existing data pertains to short-term use. The polarized responses from the psychiatric community highlight the urgent need for further studies to fully understand and address the challenges faced by patients discontinuing antidepressants.

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Conclusion

This episode of NPR's Up First delves into critical and diverse issues shaping the national discourse:

• Disaster Response and Leadership: President Trump's handling of the Texas floods underscores the complexities of disaster management and political accountability.

• Immigration Policies and Civil Rights: The halting of immigration raids in Los Angeles marks a pivotal moment in addressing racial profiling and enforcing constitutional rights.

• Mental Health and Pharmaceutical Practices: The ongoing debate over antidepressant withdrawal symptoms highlights the intricate balance between medication efficacy and patient well-being.

By providing in-depth reporting and expert insights, Up First equips listeners with the essential information to navigate and understand these pivotal events.

---

For more detailed coverage and continued updates, subscribe to NPR's Up First and support your local NPR station at donate.npr.org.

Transcript

[Scott Simon]

President Trump in Texas a week after devastating floods in the state. I've seen a lot of bad ones. I've gone to a lot of hurricanes, a lot of tornadoes. I've never seen anything like this. I'm Scott Simon.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

I'm Ayesha Rascoe. And this is up first from NPR News. Questions are now being raised about whether cuts to FEMA hampered its response. Will have the latest.

[Scott Simon]

Also, the Trump administration faces yet another legal challenge to its immigration policies.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

A California judge orders a temporary halt to immigration sweeps in Los Angeles and beyond.

[Scott Simon]

And a new study on antidepressants sheds new light on the severity of withdrawal when people come off those medications.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Stay with us. We'll have the news you need to start your weekend.

[Steve Futterman]

This message comes from Carvana. Selling your car shouldn't take all day with Carvana. It doesn't get a great offer in no time, then choose to drop off or pick up and get paid on the spot. Sell your car today on Carvana.com pickup fees may apply.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Shopify. No idea where to sell? Shopify puts you in control of every sales channel. It is the commerce platform revolutionizing millions of businesses worldwide. Whether you're a garage entrepreneur or IPO ready, Shopify is the only tool you need to start, run and grow your business without the struggle. Once you've reached your audience, Shopify has the Internet's best converting checkout to help you turn them from browsers to buyers. Go to Shopify.com NPR to take your business to the next level.

[Steve Futterman]

Today, the House of Representatives has approved.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

A White House request to claw back two years of previously approved funding for public media. The rescissions package now moves on to the Senate. This move poses a serious threat to.

[Steve Futterman]

Local stations and public media as we know it.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Please take a stand for public media [e-mail] thank you.

[Scott Simon]

It's been just over a week since devastating floods struck Texas.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

At least 120 people were killed in the disaster, and more than 170 are still missing.

[Scott Simon]

President Trump visited Kerrville yesterday to see the aftermath. Steve Futterman is in the city and joins us now. Steve, thanks for being with us.

[Adrian Florido]

Good morning, Scott.

[Scott Simon]

What did the president see yesterday?

[Adrian Florido]

Well, the president yesterday spent around four hours here. He and first Lady Melania Trump saw some of the damage and destruction, both on the ground and from the air as they helicoptered into Kerrville on Marine One. They also met with people who are grieving. Afterwards, there were some heartfelt words from Trump.

[Scott Simon]

Dozens and dozens of precious children taken from us with such.

[Adrian Florido]

I looked at the pictures of almost.

[Scott Simon]

All of them and it's terrible.

[Adrian Florido]

And the first lady spoke as well to the community, to everybody who lost a loved one.

[Scott Simon]

We are grieving with you.

[Adrian Florido]

Our nation is grieving with you. Now, at the end of the day, Trump got a bit irritated by a question from a reporter who said that she had spoken with some families who were upset that flood warnings had not gone out earlier and felt that if they had, some people might have been saved. The president clearly did not like that question. Only a bad person would ask a question like that.

[Scott Simon]

To be honest with you, I don't know who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that.

[Adrian Florido]

I think this has been heroism.

[Scott Simon]

This has been incredible, really, the job you've all done. It's easy to sit back and say, oh, what could have happened here or there? You know, maybe we could have done something differently. This was a, a thing that has never happened before.

[Adrian Florido]

Now, throughout this week, we have seen officials defensive, a bit thin skinned when asked questions about what may have gone wrong. And while this was a once in a century event, over the years, safety concerns have been raised at various times. But a bit later, the President actually did say there does need to be a better system in place. And remember how Trump has been so critical in the past of FEMA even suggesting that it might be dismantled? Well, now that criticism may be softening a bit. Yesterday he said, we have some good people running fema.

[Scott Simon]

Steve, how many people do we know to be still missing and how's the search going?

[Adrian Florido]

Well, there are more than 170 people missing, Scott. The search is going on with no immediate end in sight. The search area has an enormous footprint covering miles and miles, and the numbers have not moved much in the past few days. The crews simply are not finding many additional bodies. It is possible that some of those missing may never be found. I think that reality is beginning to set in here. Last night, a vigil took place at a makeshift memorial that's been set up. I spoke with Kerrville resident Cage Greer. How's this area dealing with it? I mean, no one deals with stuff like this well.

[Scott Simon]

It's, it's just a silent, it's silent around town for the last week. It's just, you go into the store and there's just no, you just lost, lost the words, you know, you just don't know what to say.

[Adrian Florido]

I mean.

[Scott Simon]

But we're dealing with the good. We're coming as a community and we're coming together and we're being as strong as we can, helping each other out. And Steve, for those who have lost loved ones, the funerals are beginning to take place, aren't they?

[Adrian Florido]

Yeah. This ordeal is not probably ever going to be over for them. Yesterday there was one funeral in the Dallas area for 8 year old Hadley Hannah. She attended Camp Mystic. Today, several additional funerals are taking place, including one here in Kerrville for another Camp mystic camper who was just nine years old.

[Scott Simon]

Steve Futterman in Kerrville. Steve, thank you so very much.

[Adrian Florido]

Thank you, Scott.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

For more than a month, federal immigration agents have been roaming around Southern California, rounding up thousands of people as part.

[Scott Simon]

Of President Trump's mass deportation campaign.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

But yesterday a federal judge in Los Angeles said there was a mountain of evidence that people are being targeted solely based on their race.

[Scott Simon]

She ordered a temporary stop to those immigration raids. We're joined now by NPR's Adrian Florido in Los Angeles. Adrian, thanks for being with us.

[Will Stone]

Good morning, Scott. Thank you.

[Scott Simon]

Give us more detail, please, about this ruling and the lawsuit that led to it.

[Will Stone]

Well, the lawsuit was filed by the aclu, public counsel and other legal advocacy groups, and they alleged that ICE and Border Patrol agents patrolling the streets have been detaining and arresting people here in Southern California based on the color of their skin, their accents, or just because they're doing work that immigrants commonly do. And what this federal judge, Mame Ewusi Mensah Frimpong, said in her order last night was that the evidence the lawyers submitted to support this claim of widespread racial profiling is very strong. And she ruled that agents are arresting people illegally, likely violating constitutional rights, and she ordered them to stop.

[Scott Simon]

The the evidence that you mentioned, what does it show immigration agents have been doing in Los Angeles?

[Will Stone]

Well, a lot of it comes from bystander videos and news reports. Agents, often armed, wearing plain clothes and masks, are showing up at places where Latino workers are known to gather, places like car washes, Home Depot parking lots, corners where street vendors sell food. And they're just rounding people up. Mohammad Tajzar of the ACLU spoke outside the federal courthouse in LA on Thursday after a hearing. In this case.

[Steve Futterman]

What's happening out here in these streets is if you're brown and you happen to come into contact with these ICE agents and these Border Patrol agents, they.

[Adrian Florido]

Will come for you.

[Scott Simon]

Adrian, what does US Law say about when immigration agents can stop or arrest someone they just happen to come across in public?

[Will Stone]

Well, they can arrest someone without a warrant in public, but they have to have what's called reasonable suspicion that they're in the country illegally. And a person's appearance on its own is not enough. In this case, lawyers submitted sworn declarations from five plaintiffs Latino men who were suddenly approached for no apparent reason and detained or arrested. Three were waiting at a bus stop. One was working at a car wash. Another was fixing his car at a private tow yard. Two of these men are US Citizens, and all five said that they think agents stop them just because they look Latino.

[Scott Simon]

I do not imagine that's something that the government would admit to.

[Will Stone]

No. The government says that its immigration agents don't pick people up based on race. In court this week, a Justice Department lawyer said that agents are trained to consider a different factors when deciding whether to detain or arrest someone who might be an immigrant without legal status. For example, if a person gets nervous or tries to flee when they see an agent, an agent might consider that suspicious. The government lawyer told the judge in this case that immigration agents follow the law. And after the judge's ruling last night, a Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said in a statement that the judge is, quote, undermining the will of the American people.

[Scott Simon]

Adrian, what does the ruling mean for the government?

[Will Stone]

Well, the judge issued two temporary restraining orders that apply only in LA and nearby counties. One of these TROs requires the government to stop conducting suspicionless arrests, and the other requires it to give people arrested access to lawyers. Mark Rosenbaum is with Public Counsel. He's one of the lawyers in this case.

[Scott Simon]

They're going to have to completely change.

[Will Stone]

The sort of tactics that they're using. No more racial profiling. No more using the color of an.

[Scott Simon]

Individual'S skin as a basis to take them in. No more denying them access to lawyers.

[Will Stone]

If they're going to bring proceedings against.

[Steve Futterman]

Them, it really means a 180 degree switch.

[Will Stone]

A big question is how quickly, if at all, we will notice a change in the government's immigration enforcement operations out in the streets here in Southern California. It's something that a lot of people are going to be paying attention to.

[Scott Simon]

NPR's Adrian Florido in Los Angeles. Adrian, thanks so much for being with us.

[Will Stone]

Thank you, Scott.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

There's a good chance you'll know someone taking antidepressants. Around 11% of adults in the US take the medication.

[Scott Simon]

And in recent years, more patients have come forward to talk about how they have struggled with symptoms of withdrawal after they stopped taking the medication.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

A new study released last week renewed debate about the scale of the problem. NPR's Will Stone has been covering the issue and joins me now. Hi, Will.

[Steve Futterman]

Hey there.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Let's start with this new research. Why did the study get a lot of attention?

[Steve Futterman]

Well, it's wading into a very controversial topic in psychiatry, especially in the uk. There's increasing concern about how often people struggle with symptoms when they stop antidepressants, most commonly prescribed being SSRIs. So this study was just published in a top medical journal, JAMA Psychiatry. It analyzed existing data from about 50 clinical trials that amounts to more than 17,000 patients, and found a person who goes off these medications experiences, on average, one more symptom compared to those who stop a placebo or continue with the treatment within the first week. Basically, the authors conclude it's below the threshold for what's considered clinically significant. Dr. Samir Johar led the study and is a psychiatrist at Imperial College London.

[Will Stone]

It's finding that there are clinical symptoms.

[Steve Futterman]

Of withdrawal that you don't see with placebo, namely nausea, vertigo, dizziness.

[Will Stone]

That maps onto the pharmacological basis for the drugs, and that these exist, they're just not very common.

[Steve Futterman]

One thing to note is this work was not really designed to quantify overall just how often these symptoms happen.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

So do we have an answer to that question? How often do people have withdrawal symptoms?

[Steve Futterman]

Well, the short answer is not really. There's not good data here. There was another analysis of the existing evidence last year that found 15% of patients had withdrawal symptoms when you factored in placebo, and most of these were not severe. Now, the fundamental problem here is there really aren't high quality trials that have specifically focused on measuring withdrawal symptoms. And the data out there tends to be from people who are on the drugs for a short period of time.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

And what's the matter with focusing on people on it for a short period of time?

[Steve Futterman]

Well, the main critique from researchers and patients is that the biggest problems come in when people are on these drugs for years. One prominent voice in this debate is John Reed. He's a clinical psychologist at the University of East London. He's very critical of this new study and its conclusions. They're saying it is not a clinically significant phenomenon, and that's not something you can compromise on, that is completely inaccurate.

[Will Stone]

Outrageous and misleading to the public.

[Steve Futterman]

Now, the backstory here is Reid worked on another review study back in 2019. They found about half of people have withdrawal symptoms and that many were severe. They did not just include high quality randomized controlled trials, though. They factored in patient surveys and the pushback there from Dr. Johar and others is this led to an overinflated and alarmist picture.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

It really sounds like there's a lot of uncertainty here. How are others in psychiatry reacting?

[Steve Futterman]

Yeah, without some new trials, this isn't going to be resolved in any definitive way. I spoke to Avais Aftab about this. He's a psychiatrist at Case Western Reserve University who was not involved in any of these studies. He thinks the methodology in the JAMA study was solid, but he worries the authors underplayed the extent of the problem. The danger there is that the profession and the public can take the wrong message from looking at this paper and say, oh, withdrawal is not a big issue. It's not a big deal. That would absolutely be the wrong conclusion. The study opens more questions than it answers. Aftab says this has become incredibly polarized. On the one hand, psychiatrists are legitimately worried this could discourage people from taking antidepressants, which can be life saving. But on the other, and NPR just reported on this, there is a movement of patients who describe debilitating symptoms after stopping these medications.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

That's NPR's Will Stone. Thank you so much for talking with us today.

[Steve Futterman]

Thank you.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

And that's up first for the 12th of July, 2025. I'm Ayesha Rascoe.

[Scott Simon]

And I'm Scott Simon. Today's podcast was produced by Elena Turek with help from Gabe o' Connor and Gabriel Donatoff.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Our editors are Dee Parvez, Martha Ann Overland, Diane Weber, Jacob Finston and Martin Patience.

[Scott Simon]

David Greenberg is our technical director with engineering support from Zoe Van Genhoven and Nisha Hynes.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Our director is Michael Radcliffe.

[Scott Simon]

Shannon Rhodes is our acting senior supervising editor. Our executive producer is Evie Stone. Jim Cain is our deputy managing editor.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

Tomorrow on the Sunday story, President Trump wants to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. but what happens when one multinational firm tries to set up shop in small town, usa? We'll bring you the story of how a battery factory triggered a political firestorm in a local community.

[Scott Simon]

And for more news, interviews, analysis, sometimes just plain fun, tune into WEEKEND EDITION on your radio. You can go to adstations.npr.org to find your local station. Do it now.

[Steve Futterman]

This message comes from Capital One with the Capital One Saver card.

[Adrian Florido]

Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment.

[Steve Futterman]

Capital One, what's in your wallet? Terms apply [e-mail] this is Eric Glass.

[Scott Simon]

On this American Life. Sometimes we just show up somewhere, turn.

[Steve Futterman]

On our tape recorders and see what happens.

[Scott Simon]

If you can't get seven cars in.

[Ayesha Rascoe]

12 days, you gotta look yourself in.

[Scott Simon]

The mirror and say, holy.

[Steve Futterman]

What?

[Scott Simon]

Are you kidding me?

[Steve Futterman]

This car dealership trying to sell its.

[Scott Simon]

Monthly quota of cars and it is not going well.

[Steve Futterman]

I just don't want one balloon to a car. Balloon the whole freaking place so it.

[Scott Simon]

Looks like a circus.

[Steve Futterman]

Real Life Stories Every week this summer on Planet Money Summer School, we're learning about political economy.

[Adrian Florido]

We're getting into the nitty gritty of.

[Steve Futterman]

What government does with things like trade, taxes, immigration, and health care. So politics and economics, which are taught.

[Scott Simon]

Separately, they shouldn't be separated at all.

[Steve Futterman]

I think you have to understand and.

[Scott Simon]

One to really appreciate the other.

[Adrian Florido]

So what is the right amount of.

[Steve Futterman]

Government in our lives? Tune into Planet Money Summer School from npr, wherever you get your podcasts.