NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-02-2025 9AM EDT

Episode Date: September 2, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived in the Chinese capital to attend a parade tomorrow marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports it's Kim's first appearance at a multilateral diplomatic event. Chinese state media pictures show a beaming Kim, a lighting from his armored train in Beijing, after an overnight journey from Pyongyang. Kim is likely to appear beside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the parade, which would be the first known meeting of the three countries' leaders.

And while the three may have bilateral meetings among themselves, South Korea's spy agency says a trilateral meeting is unlikely. Kim last year signed a mutual defense treaty with Putin, decreasing his reliance on North Korea's traditional ally China. analysts see the parade as a chance for Kim to reset ties with China. Anthony Kuhn, in PR News. Seoul. Search and rescue teams are combing through the rubble in Afghanistan after a powerful earthquake struck the region on Sunday night. The Taliban government says the death toll has

surpassed 1,400, more than 3,000 others were injured. The United States Geological Survey is reporting another earthquake this morning near the site of Sunday's quake. Dozens of scientists have issued a joint rebuttal to a recent report by the Department of Energy. about climate change. NPR's Julia Simon reports the group found it full of errors. 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 shouldn't act. 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, MPR News. A Texas homeowner accused of fatally shooting an 11-year-old boy after a door prank is expected to face charges. Police in Houston say neighborhood kids were ringing doorbells and then running away during a birthday party last weekend. Police Sergeant Michael Cass described a witness account. A witness said someone ran out of that house and was shooting at the kids running down the street. And unfortunately, and sadly enough,

the one of the boys who was 11 years old was shot in the back. Detectives in the case are reviewing surveillance video and asking neighbors for any additional footage. This is NPR News. TikTok has suspended its live-streaming service in Indonesia following violent protests across the country. Local media say six people were killed in demonstrations parked by public outrage over perks for lawmakers. The unrest began last week after reports that members of Indonesia's parliament were receiving housing allowances far above the country's minimum wage. New data show President Trump's immigration policies are shrinking the workforce in the U.S. NPR's Vanessa Romo breaks down the findings of a recent study.

Immigrants make up nearly 20 percent of the nation's workforce, but after more than 50 years of rapid growth, that population is now in decline, and that's affecting the labor force. A 2025 Pew Research Center analysis of preliminary Census Bureau data showed more than 1.2 million immigrants left the U.S. labor force between January and the U.S. end of July. That includes people who are here legally, as well as undocumented immigrants. Data for Mexico's central bank also shows remittances sent from the U.S. to Mexico are down by nearly 5 percent over July of last year. Vanessa Romo, NPR News. Global Food Giant, Kraft Heinz, has announced plans to split into two separate companies. One of them would continue

to carry well-known brands like Oscar Meyer, Kraft Singles, and Lunchables. The other would carry condiments and sauces, including Heinz ketchup. Many large food companies are struggling as consumers are being forced to spend less at grocery stores amid inflation. I'm Windsor Johnston, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.