NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-24-2025 9AM EDT

Episode Date: August 24, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Two weeks after President Trump launched a federal takeover of Washington, D.C. He is looking to deploy the military in Chicago next. That's according to reporting by the Washington Post, which cites unnamed officials, as NPR's Amy Held reports. Governor J.B. Pritzker says Trump is, quote, attempting to manufacture a crisis and Illinois didn't ask for federal help. Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C. before stepping in. Friday, he indicated, that's just the start. Chicago's a mess. You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent. And we'll straighten that one out probably next. Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke Saturday in Chicago.

What's being painted by the federal government is false. Like in D.C., violent crime is down in Chicago. Same in New York City, where Trump says a federal crackdown will likely follow. All cities led by black Democrats. Trump has a lot more. power over D.C., but presidents can federalize state guards elsewhere in an emergency, like Trump did in L.A. in June. Amy Held and Pierre News. Overseas, Ukraine is celebrating its Independence Day today for the fourth time since Russia's invasion. U.S. Special Representative Keith Kellogg is in Kiev, and so is Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. As Dan Carpenchuk reports. Carney was invited as a special guest. The visit comes as Ukraine celebrates its independence day.

He is meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss military aid and joint production of defense equipment. The two leaders also talked about security guarantees, with Carney saying that Russian president, Vladimir Putin, can never be trusted, and that peace and security will require those guarantees for Ukraine. Carney's trip to Europe included a stop in Warsaw on Saturday at the start of a European mission aimed at forming deeper economic and security ties with European allies. He will also go to Berlin and to Riga, Latvia. A senior official says Carney's top priority is to move Canada closer to Europe at a time of trade tensions with Washington.

For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpenchuk in Toronto. Now to Northern California where more than 1,200 first responders are fighting a wildfire that's been burning since Thursday from member station KQED in San Francisco on Carlos Laro reports. The picket fire has burned through a sparsely populated section of Napa County that was ravaged by the glass fire five years ago. Local officials issued new evacuated. orders as the fire spread east between Friday and Saturday. Jason Clay is a public information officer for Cal Fire's Sonoma Lake Napa unit.

One of the objectives is to work on fortifying the control lines that are around that side to keep it out of those areas. As of Saturday evening, the blaze was only 7% contained and had burned over 4,600 acres. Clay says full containment could take weeks. For NPR news, I'm Juan Carlos Lada in San Francisco. And from Washington, this is NPR News. State media in North Korea say leader Kim Jong-un has supervised a test firing of two types of new air defense missiles. The launches were carried out this weekend, coinciding with South Korean President E.J. Myeong Summit with Japan's prime minister. He is to meet with President Trump in Washington tomorrow.

National Transportation Safety Board is now involved in the investigation into Friday's deadly crash of a tour bus near Buffalo, New York. The bus was traveling back to New York City from Niagara Falls when it rolled over, killing five people, and injuring dozens of others. New York State Police say the bus driver showed no signs of impairment, and the tour bus did not have any mechanical failure. In Britain, an award that's been called the Oscar of Comedy has gone to a transgender performer for the first time. Vicki Barker reports from London. Transgender woman Sam Nicaresti won the top prize at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards for their act, Baby Dumer, which was also heard on the BBC. We're in trouble right now as trans. Oh, my God. We're told, hey, you, stay away from sports.

Me? My pleasure, mate. I honestly, I don't know what you're on about. I was of the impression that dressing like this meant I would never have to think about football again, quite frankly. The award has helped launch multiple comedy careers. joked they'd promised their fiancé last year they'd win the $14,000 prize to pay for their wedding. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. And I'm Jail Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.