NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-28-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: August 28, 2025

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This is Eric Glass. On This American Life, we like stories that surprise you. For instance, imagine finding a new hobby and realizing... To do this hobby right, according to the ways of the masters, there's a pretty good chance that you're going to have to bend the law to get the materials that you need. If not, break it. Yeah.

To break international laws. Your life stories, really good ones. This American Life. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. Police in Minneapolis are seeking a motive for the deadly mass shooting on a Catholic church yesterday. A 23-year-old gunman fired shots through a window killing two students and injuring 17 other people. Christy Marone of Minnesota Public Radio has more. Students at Assumption Catholic Church and school were attending Mass when the attack began.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walls says the first few days of school should have been a happy time for students. Instead of that joy and that curiosity and that learning, they were met with evil and horror. and death. And we often come to these and say these unspeakable tragedies or there's no words for this. There shouldn't be words for these types of incidents because they should not happen. Authorities have identified the suspected shooter as 23-year-old Robin Westman, who had no criminal history. Minneapolis police chief Brian O'Hara says the weapons used in the attack were purchased legally. For NPR News, I'm Kirstie Morone in St. Paul. President Trump is pushing to send National Guard troops to more U.S.

cities. As NPR's Windsor-Johnston reports, the effort is already facing both legal and political pushback. Trump's federal crackdown on crime is entering its third week in Washington, D.C., where the law gives him broader authority. But outside the nation's capital, it's a different story. Georgetown professor, Steve Vladick, says deploying troops elsewhere gets legally tricky. In other states, in California, in Illinois, in New York, the only way President Trump could directly command the National Guard would be to formally federalize it. Trump is now turning his attention to Chicago, which he's called a killing field. Illinois governor, J.B. Pritzker, and other top Democrats are pushing back, calling the effort

a political stunt. Windsor Johnston, NPR News. The White House hosts at a meeting with Israeli officials Wednesday on post-war Gaza. The talks are being held amid increasing outrage over the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory. Meanwhile, Pope Leo is calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, calling this Israeli military campaign the collective punishment and forced displacement of Palestinians. NPR's Ruth Sherlock has more. Pope Leo was interrupted twice by applause from the audience

as he again appealed for an end to the 22-month Israeli offensive in Gaza at his weekly general audience. Pope Leo called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza as civilians starve from the food shortages and famine has been documented in parts of the enclave. Leo also called for the release of hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel in 2023. He asked for an end to the cycle of violence.

Ruth Sherlock NPR News. You're listening to NPR. Some lawmakers in Indiana have met with President Trump to discuss their concerns over redistricting. The effort comes after Trump convinced lawmakers in Texas to redraw that state's congressional map to generate five more Republican U.S. House seats. Meanwhile, Trump is criticizing a judge in Utah for ordering that state to redraw its congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms, calling the ruling unconstitutional. Human rights groups are challenging a decision by the state.

Southeast African nation of Eswatini to take in migrants deported from the U.S. Kate Bartlett reports from Johannesburg. In July, the U.S. sent five third country nationals to the small southern African kingdom. They were all convicted felons from Laos, Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba and Yemen. Eswetini has been holding them in solitary confinement. It has not disclosed the terms of the agreement with the U.S. and has said the detainees will be repatriated back to their countries eventually. The rights groups bringing the court case say the agreement with the U.S. is illegal because it was not approved by Parliament.

They also say no one has had access to the detainees to see the conditions in which they're being held. The case is due before the High Court on September 25th. For NPR News, I'm Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg. A new lawsuit claims the massive American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is violating Bergen County's blue laws. Officials in neighboring Paramus say the laws prohibit sales of certain items on Sundays. Mall operators say that the statute does not apply because the mall is owned by the state of New Jersey. This is NPR News. Military commanders, intelligence officials, diplomatic power players, they know things you may

not about where the world is headed, and we will pull back the curtain on what they're thinking on sources and methods. NPR's new national security podcast. Our team will help you understand America's shifting role in the world. Listen to sources and methods from NPR.