NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-03-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: September 3, 2025

NPR News: 09-03-2025 7PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Maybe you're wondering, how do I escape quicksand or how do I break up with my dentists? Well, season two of NPR's How to Do Everything podcast is launching this fall and we will attempt to answer your questions. Sometimes we'll actually succeed. Send us your questions at how to at npr.org. That's how to at npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump is, is challenging a federal court ruling that found his use of the National Guard and Marines in the Los Angeles area was illegal. Laura Fitzgerald of Cap Radio reports the troops were sent to protect federal property amid protests over immigration rates. California Governor Gavin Newsom had sued the Trump administration for deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles this summer.

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer heard the case over a three-day bench trial in August and ruled on Tuesday that the deployment was illegal. He said the troops broke the law, prohibiting the military from engaging in domestic law enforcement by setting security perimeters and traffic blockades. The ruling was stayed until September 12th, allowing the Trump administration time to appeal. Now that it has, the case heads to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. For NPR News, I'm Laura Fitzgerald in Sacramento. A bipartisan bill that would require the Justice Department to release files related to convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, is gaining traction in the House, but still needs more support. MPRs Claudia Grasales reports more than two dozen women connected to the case, spoke at

the U.S. Capitol today, urging lawmakers to pass the measure. More than a dozen survivors told hundreds of rallygoers. The U.S. House needs to approve a bill led by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massey and California Democrat Rokana to release the Epstein files. Marina Lacerda identified. in Epstein's 2019 indictment as minor victim one spoke publicly for the first time. We are here. We want this bill to pass. It is very important. Okay. And we need transparency. We are tired of looking at the news and seeing Jeffrey Epstein's name and saying that this is a hoax. We are tired of it. House Republicans will vote to support an oversight committee probe into the Epstein case. But survivors and lawmakers who want a comprehensive records release say that falls short.

Claude Rieselis, NPR News, the Capitol. President Trump is turning up the pressure on Pfizer to make public more evidence about the safety and effectiveness of the company's vaccine for COVID-19. NPR's Rob Stein reports. Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Borla released a statement defending the evidence supporting the COVID vaccines. The statement comes amid controversy over new federal restrictions on the vaccines and a call by President Trump to make more information about the vaccines public. Borla says Pfizer's data has appeared in more than 600 published studies, and the company has provided detailed data to regulators in 130 countries, including the FDA.

Borla says the company plans to release more data soon. Rob Stein and PR News. At the close on Wall Street today, the Dow was down 24 points. This is NPR. Officials in Central California are reporting more than 10,000 lightning strikes within the last 24 hours. Manola Sakira from Cap Radio reports, many of them have sparked fires, including one that's burned more than 11,000 acres. These fires have mostly broken out in California's Central Valley. Cal Fire officials say they're particularly focused on the TCU September Lightning Complex, which refers to a group of fires caused by lightning strikes.

The complex is mostly affecting rural communities in Calaveras in Stanislaus counties. Officials say the fires triggered multiple evacuation warnings and orders. Cal Fire's Battalion Chief of Communications, Jesse Torres, says the state often sees devastating wildfires this time of year. We're coming into the fall months where we haven't seen precipitation for months, sometimes almost six to seven months. He says forecasts say wildfire threats from these storms should decrease later in the week. For NPR News, I'm Anolis at Guy. in Sacramento. Harvard University has won a big legal victory in its clash with the Trump administration. A federal judge ruled the government broke the law when it froze billions of

dollars in research funds in the name of stamping out anti-Semitism. Harvard's case centered on its research funding. The university argued that the White House violated its first amendment and due process rights when it stripped the funding. President Trump has repeatedly vowed to appeal any decision that goes against him. Recapping stocks on Wall Street, the Dowdown 24 points at the close, the NASDAQ up 218. This is NPR News.