NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-09-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: August 9, 2025

NPR News: 08-09-2025 3AM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. Israel says it will expand its war in the Gaza Strip to take control of the region's major city. NPR's Ayatrawi has more. The plan calls for the military to take control of all of Gaza City. This is where much of Gaza's 2 million people are sheltering after being pushed out of other areas. The UN says already 90% of Gaza is either under some kind of displacement order or held by Israeli troops. This decision also states that Israel will have full security over all. of Gaza, where it already controls all the borders. And also the prime minister's office says

Israel will allow aid to civilians outside of combat zones during the coming offensive, but that is unclear. Again, just a sliver of Gaza's territories, not under Israeli occupation. That's Ampera's Ayibatrawi. The plan has come under immediate criticism with renewed international calls for an end to the fighting. Israel's air and ground war in Gaza has already killed more than 61,000 people and pushed the territory toward famine. Atlanta police say one officer has died after a shooting Friday near the Centers for Disease Control Campus. From member station WABE in Atlanta, Christopher Alston reports that law enforcement has confirmed the shooter is also dead. Police arriving on the scene found one officer struck by gunfire who was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The officer later died. The suspect was found in a nearby drug store with a fatal gunshot wound. It's unclear if it was self-inflicted or from officers. Identity of the suspect has not been released, but at a press conference, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens alluded to possible motivation. He's a white male. He is a known person that may have some interest in certain things that I can't reiterate right now with any confidence. Police confirm rounds made contact with multiple CDC buildings. No additional injuries have been reported. For NPR News, I'm Christopher Alston in Atlanta.

President Trump signed a presidential memorandum this week requiring colleges and universities. to turn over extensive admissions data to the U.S. Department of Education. As NPR's Corey Turner reports, the move is meant to reveal if schools are still including race in admissions, even after the Supreme Court banned affirmative action. The memo requires colleges to report to the Education Department the race, grades, and test scores, not just of the students they admit, but of all applicants, the idea being so the government can see whom elite schools are turning away. In a statement, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said, quote,

we will not allow institutions to blight the dreams of students by presuming that their skin color matters more than their hard work. Critics of the move tell NPR the data will be hard to collect, murky at best, and won't reflect the fact that colleges don't just consider academics, but also teacher recommendations, personal essays, sports, and extracurricular activities. Corey Turner, NPR News. Wilman and you're listening to NPR News. Canada's economy lost tens of thousands of jobs in July that sent the share of people employed in the country to an eight-month low. The Bank of Canada says U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, and autos hit the manufacturing sector hard, and that accounts for much of the losses. The economy lost 40,800 jobs. analysts predicted a slight increase in jobs.

Major League Baseball has never in its 150-year history had a woman called balls and strikes during a regular season game. But as Georgia Public Broadcasting's Peter Beello reports, that will change on Saturday. 48-year-old Jen Powell worked more than 1,200 minor league games before getting the call to the big leagues. Now she's scheduled to work the base paths during a double-header between the Miami Marlins and the Braves at Truest Park in Atlanta. She'll serve behind home plate in the following game. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says she has earned this opportunity, and he's proud of the example she sets for women and young girls who aspire to roles on the field. Baseball is late among professional sports to break this barrier.

The NBA's first female ref stepped on to the court in 1997, and the NFL had its first female official in 2012. For NPR News, I'm Peter Bielo in Atlanta. Tommy Fleetwood continues his push for his first win on the PGA tour. He shot a 64 on Friday at the PGA event in Memphis for the lead, and for the second day in a row, he had four straight birdies. The round, however, was interrupted by storms, so several players will finish Saturday morning. Fleetwood has won a number of big tournaments in Europe, but has still not managed a PGA win. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.