NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-02-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: September 2, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Luis Skiavone. President Trump is officially moving space command from Colorado to Huntsville, Alabama. Pat Duggins of Alabama Public Radio has more. Republicans in Colorado, like Lauren Bobard and Jeff Crank, say moving space command could harm national security. And moving space command to Alabama's so-called Rocket City could mean jobs at Colorado's expense. Alabama Republicans, like Senator Tommy Tuberville and House member Robert Adderholt, joined Trump in the Oval Office to support the move. Space Command is in charge of the nation's space-related assets.

That's different from Space Force, which is an arm of the U.S. military. Huntsville is home to NASA's Marshal Space Flight Center, which has tested spacecraft engines going back to the Apollo moon landings. For NPR News, I'm Pat Duggins in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says he has no plans to ask President Trump to send National Guard troops to Chicago, despite the President's declaration that the Labor Day weekend's gun violence demonstrate. that Chicago is, quote, a hellhole.

Trump told reporters that he wouldn't say when, but in his words, we're going in. A new count finds little change in Washington, D.C.,'s homeless population since the president vowed to banish it three weeks ago. NPR's Jennifer Lutton reports that hundreds of federal agents have been deployed to help city police clear people out of tents. When he federalized D.C.'s police force to crack down on crime, Trump also decried the city's, quote, tense, squalor, and filth. He said people living outside would be sent far from the Capitol. The White House says 50 encampments have been cleared, but the city did an emergency

count to see where people in those tents went so it could better help them. It found 764 people still living outside. That's just 28 fewer than were counted in the regular annual tally in January. Homeless advocates say forcing people to move quickly and scatter is disruptive. and can make it take longer to eventually get them into housing. Jennifer Lutton and Peer News, Washington. Dozens of scientists are rebutting a recent Department of Energy report about climate change, and PR's Julia Simon has details. One example of the misrepresentations the climate scientists identified in the DOE report.

The report says carbon dioxide benefits agriculture, but doesn't account for how heat and droughts actually harm crops. John Cook, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, says it's full of misinformation. The DOE report is basically arguing climate change is no big deal, therefore we should not. The DOE report was cited by the Environmental Protection Agency in its recent proposal to rollback regulation of planet heating climate pollution, like pollutants from cars, coal power plants, and the oil and gas industry. A DOE spokesperson tells NPR the report was reviewed internally. Julia Simon, NPR News.

Wall Street, the Dow lost 249 points. This is NPR News in Washington. Brazil's Supreme Court has begun the trial of its former far-right president on charges that he attempted a coup to stay in power. The trial unprecedented in Brazil's modern democracy is also being closely watched by President Trump, who is rallied to the defense of the ex-leader, a political ally. NPR's Kerry Khan reports. Jayir Bolsonaro faces five charges, including leading an armed criminal organization to stay in power after his 2020 election loss. Trump has demanded the case be dropped. He slapped Brazil with 50 percent tariffs. The U.S. sanctioned the lead justice in the trial and revoked his visa. Opening the trial that Justice Alessandra de Morais referred to, quote,

enemies of national sovereignty without mentioning the U.S. or President Trump, National sovereignty will never be vilified, negotiated, or extorted, he stated before reading the trial summary. Seven other defendants are on trial with Bolsonaro, if convicted Bolsonaro, who is 70, could face more than 40 years in prison. Kerry Kahn, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro. At the U.S. Open in New York, second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz defeated Yiji Le Hechka 6464, advancing to the semifinals. the 22-year-old Spaniard next plays on Friday night when he'll face either American Taylor Fritz or four-time U.S. Open champion Novak Djokovic

on the women's side American Jessica Pagula is headed to the semifinals. Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has resumed erupting it's the 32nd time since December. I'm Louise Kivoni and PR News.