NPR News Now - NPR News: 08-31-2025 6AM EDT

Episode Date: August 31, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. The European Union is criticizing the Trump administration's decision to block Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and other Palestinian officials from attending the United Nations General Assembly's annual meeting next month. Terry Schultz reports a U.S. move is believed to be a reaction to plans by several countries, including European governments, to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. session. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Palestinian President. Mahmoud Abbas and some 80 other Palestinian representatives may not attend the annual UN meeting in New York due to actions, quote, undermining peace efforts with Israel and seeking recognition of a

Palestinian state. France, among other countries, intends to extend diplomatic recognition to a Palestinian state at the September session. EU foreign policy chief Kayakalas is calling on the State Department to change its mind. We all urge for this decision to be reconsidered, considering the international law and the way United Nations has been. Collis is referring to the 1947 agreement governing the U.S. role as host of the U.N. headquarters, which does not allow it to block foreign officials from attending meetings there. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz, in Brussels. Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen is calling on Israel to allow more food aid into Gaza,

saying the obstacles that have been thrown up are unacceptable. We've seen all the restrictions, all of the obstacles that the Netanyahu government has put in the way of getting more food to starving people. in Gaza. Van Hollen is on a trip to the Middle East with fellow Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon. He spoke this weekend on the Egyptian side of the Rafa border crossing as trucks carrying food and other humanitarian aid waited for clearance from Israeli authorities. Israel, meanwhile, is stepping up military operations around Gaza City and also announced the recovery of the bodies of two hostages taken in the Hamas-led October 6 attack.

This morning, police in Minneapolis have stepped up patrols around houses of worship after the shooting on Wednesday during Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church and school. NPR Jason DeRos reports that area clergy are working to comfort a grieving community. After inexplicable loss, Pastor Sarah Jensen of Lutheran Church of Christ Redeemer, says she often hears people say, God doesn't give us anything we can't handle. I don't believe that God gives us things one way or the other world. The world gives us things. and often the world gives us things we can't handle. But that doesn't mean, Jensen says, abandonment.

God gives us each other because we can't handle everything on our own. We weren't created for that. We were created to lean on each other. Jensen says neighbors, friends, and congregations can help to buoy each other in a world that's sometimes scary and often doesn't make sense. Jason DeRose, NPR News, Minneapolis. And from Washington, this is NPR News. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among some 20 world leaders who are in China today.

They're attending a regional security summit, the annual gathering of the China-founded Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The meeting coincides with President Trump's decision to impose steep tariffs on India because India continues to buy Russian oil. Thousands of customers were left without power this morning in southern Ukraine, will say a Russian drone attack damaged four power facilities near the city of Odessa. The regional governor says homes and administrative buildings were also damaged. The labor movement is preparing for mass Labor Day protests across the country. As NPR's Andrea Shue reports, organizers have planned events in all 50 states. The theme of many of these events is workers over billionaires.

AFL-CIO president, Lou Schuller, says, workers have stood up to billionaires before, but what we've never seen is those same CEOs and billionaires being handed full control of our government, our democracy, our lives. She highlighted four members of President Trump's cabinet who fit that category. Schuller says Trump is reversing progress on union jobs, including by stripping most federal workers of their collective bargaining rights and putting immigrant workers and their families in a state of fear. Meanwhile, in a proclamation, Trump called the American worker the beating heart of the economy and said his administration is restoring the dignity of labor.

Andrea Shoe, NPR News. And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.