NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-31-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: September 1, 2025

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This message comes from Snap Judgment. Their new series, A Tiny Plot, follows a group of homeless people in Oakland as they fight to create their own encampment run by their own rules. It's a bold experiment in freedom and community. Listen to Snap Judgment wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. Congress returns from its August recess this week and a major task awaiting lawmakers is avoiding a government shutdown. The fiscal year end September 30th in Congress has not yet approved legislation needed to keep the government in business. MPR's Claudia Grosalas has more.

When lawmakers get back, they'll have less than a month to approve regular appropriations bills. That's a process that can take months, and they're already very much behind. Many say it's a fantasy they'll get there. For example, many House Republicans just want to approve another stopgap measure that will keep funding level static. Then underlying all of this, we have seen this Republican-led Congress seed their power of the purse to the president again and again. That's NPR's Claudia Grasolos reporting. Just days after Danish media reported that several Americans had been conducting an influence operation in Greenland, the French foreign minister visited the island and called the alleged activities unacceptable.

Terry Schultz reports that France intends to open a diplomatic mission on the semi-autonomous Danish island. It's been alleged in Danish media that the Americans reportedly trying to drum up secessionist sentiment in Greenland were linked to the Trump administration. President Trump has repeatedly made clear he expects Greenland to become part of the U.S., in his words, one way or the other. Visiting the island's capital Nuk, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barreux reiterated the Danish government's insistence that Greenland is not for sale and urged the U.S. not to try to stoke division between Greenland and Denmark. You will not make a nation greater again by imposing yourself on your neighbors and allies. You will make your nation greater again by contributing to the freedom of the world. Barreau says a French consulate will open in Greenland early next year.

For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz. Members of the music community are rallying in support, a professional violinist John Shin, following his arrest and detention by U.S. immigration and customs enforcement, which is also known as ICE, earlier this month. NPR's Chloe Velpin reports that the 37-year-old musician came to the U.S. from South Korea as a child. Musicians have been staging performances in protest at the Utah State Capitol since John Shin was detained by ICE. Shin's lawyer, Adam Crake, said Shin was abruptly arrested at her hotel parking lot while he was traveling in Colorado. He is being held at a detention facility in Aurora.

In a statement to NPR, the Department of Homeland Security, security confirmed the arrest and cited Shin's 2019 DUI conviction as the reason. Shin's attorney told NBC News his client had been a recipient of the deferred action for childhood arrivals or DACA program, but Shin's protected status was revoked owing to the misdemeanor. A hearing has been set for September 2nd. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. Wall Street is closed for the Labor Day holiday and you're listening to NPR News. Just a handful of patients worldwide have been cured of HIV.

Now, for the first time, three of those patients have joined a scientific study to define how their cure happened and to try to scale that process up. Amelia Templeton, a member station Oregon Public Broadcasting, has our reports. Scientists have known for a while that stem cell transplants, a risky treatment for cancer, can sometimes cure patients of HIV, too. But no one has been able to turn that insight into a safe and reliable cure. Now, researchers at Oregon Health and Science University and while Cornell in New York, think they're close to solving the puzzle. They'll study the immune systems of three patients who've been off of antiretroviral drugs and HIV-free, says OHSU's Jonah Sasha.

And this is an opportunity for these very unique individuals to, one, share their story and two, to participate in this in the hopes of sharing their cure with others. The National Institutes of Health has given the team a rare merit award that provides up to 10 years of funding for their work towards a cure. For NPR News, I'm Amelia Temple. Templeton in Portland, Oregon. The powerball jackpot is soared to an estimated $1.1 billion after there was no winner in Saturday's drawing.

Monday's Labor Day drawing will be the fifth largest prize in the game's history and the 40th since the jackpot was last one on May 31st in California. The Multistate Lottery Association says the odds of winning the grand prize are 1 in 292 million. If one person gets all the correct numbers, they can choose between a $1.1 billion annuity or a one-time cash payment of nearly $500 million before taxes. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees.

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