NPR News: 07-14-2025 12PM EDT

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NPR News Now 4 min 4 speakers 6 chapters transcribed 23 days ago

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What did President Trump announce about sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine?

Lakshmi Singh 0:01

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump says the US is sending Patriot missiles to Ukraine to help the country defend itself against Russia's ongoing missile and drone attacks. Following his meeting at the White House a short time ago with visiting NATO Secretary General Mark Ruta, Trump said allies will pay for it. We've made a deal

Unknown 0:19

today where we are going to be sending them weapons and they're gonna be paying for them.

Lakshmi Singh 0:25

Trump is also threatening to impose one hundred percent secondary tariffs on Russia. If President Vladimir Putin does not reach a ceasefire deal with Ukraine in fifty days. Trump is threatening higher tariffs on imports from some of the country's biggest trading partners. PR Scott Horsley reports investors so far don't appear to be too rattled.

How are Trump's proposed tariffs on Mexico and the EU affecting markets?

Scott Horsley 0:46

Over the weekend, President Trump said he planned to impose tariffs of thirty percent on goods coming into the US from both Mexico and the European Union.

Scott Horsley 1:01

The muted reaction in the stock market so far suggests that investors are doubtful the president will actually follow through on his tariff threats. On Friday, the Treasury Department said the government collected twenty seven billion dollars in tariff revenue in the month of June. That's four times the import taxes the government took in during the same month last year. Asian stocks were mixed overnight up in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Seoul, but down in Tokyo. Scott Horsley, M Pair News, Washington.

Lakshmi Singh 1:27

An investigation is underway into the cause of a fire at an assisted living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, last night. Local authorities say at least nine people at the Gabriel House facility died and dozens more were injured.

What caused the fire at the Gabriel House assisted‑living facility in Fall River?

Lakshmi Singh 1:40

You say firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames at the front of the building and multiple people hanging out of windows hoping to be rescued. The center's website says it is temporarily closed. With more rain falling in central Texas, there is concern about more flooding. More than one hundred sixty people remain missing following the fourth of July flooding and at least One hundred thirty two individuals were killed. And Pierre's Frank Morris has more from Kirk County.

Frank Morris 2:06

Heavy rains, Sunday pushed up river levels and temporarily shut down the search for victims of the Independence Day flooding in Texas. The focus switched back to saving lives as first responders rescued at least two dozen people near Lampasas, Texas.

How is the ongoing Texas flooding impacting rescue efforts and missing persons?

Frank Morris 2:21

Search crews are back out today trying to work down a long list of missing people. The list officials admit is imprecise. Progress finding bodies is slowed to a crawl. Volunteers who numbered More than twelve thousand last week are starting to ebb away, and victims still out on the river are well hidden. The raging flood mangled large trucks and buried some completely in gravel and debris. Deep water in a reservoir on the river and behind smaller dams is likely concealing more debris and bodies. Frank Morris, NPR News, Kerr County, Texas.

What challenges is the new Kansas electric‑vehicle battery plant facing?

Frank Morris 2:55

From Washington,

Lakshmi Singh 2:56

this is NPR News. One of the world's largest electric vehicle battery plants is scheduled to open today in Kansas. Zayn Irwin with Kansas News Service reports the opening comes at a time when the EV industry is facing economic challenges.

Zane Irwin 3:16

Just days before the ribbon cutting ceremony, international outlet Nikkei Asia. reported the factory has postponed its target to be at full capacity by spring twenty twenty seven. A spokesperson for Panasonic did not confirm or deny the report. The news comes as economic headwinds continue to buffet the EV industry. Tesla sales are down, auto tariffs are in flux, and as part of President Trump's tax and spending bill, electric vehicle tax credits will end in September.

Why were live tarantulas found in chocolate sponge cake shipments from Vietnam?

Zane Irwin 3:47

Nevertheless, Panasonic says battery production is already underway in Kansas, and that it is optimistic in the long term. For NPR News, I'm Zane Irwin in DeSoto, Kansas.

Lakshmi Singh 4:01

German customs officials have released photos today of a seizure earlier this month that one official says left airport staff speechless. Personnel in Western Germany found about fifteen hundred young tarantulas hidden inside chocolate sponge cake boxes sent from Vietnam.