NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-04-2026 2AM EDT

Episode Date: September 4, 2026

NPR News: 09-04-2026 2AM EDTSee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News, I'm Jail Snyder. Interior Secretary Doug Bergam says construction work on a huge arch near Arlington National Cemetery will begin soon, even as it faces an ongoing lawsuit, as NPR's Emily Fang reports. Three veterans and an architectural historian argue the 250-foot gilded arch would disrupt sight lines between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery and that the White House needs congressional approval for construction. Bergenreau excavation work would begin in the next two weeks anyway. The arch is among several building projects the administration has championed in the capital, including a planned golf course that would limit the public's access to a public park along the Potomac River and possibly demolishing the Kennedy Center. A massive new White House ballroom is also facing a lawsuit,

but as with the arch, the Trump administration appears intent to build it faster than the courts can reach a decision on its legality. Emily Fang and Pier News, Washington. Virginia Democratic Congressman James Walkenshaw is among a growing number of lawmakers, including Republicans, who are publicly criticizing Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth for his handling of the Iran War and for leadership changes at the Pentagon. At a time when we're engaged in a war, a shooting war, we have absolute chaos in the Army and across the department. North Carolina Republican Senator Tom Tillis blames Haxeth for creating a leadership void. His remarks on social media came after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned. Amid reports of tensions with Hegg Seth. On truth social Thursday night, President Trump named

Adam Tell is the acting Army secretary. Tell is currently the assistant secretary of the Army for civil works. He worked at the White House during Trump's first term. An ICE officer charged with making false statements about a shooting, about shooting a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis, has turned himself in and is now in federal custody, a source familiar with the matter but not authorized to speak publicly, says Christian Castro has an initial court appearance Friday, as NPR's Yemita Bastillo reports. The charges represent a rare moment in the Justice Department taking action against immigration officers for their actions and tactics while conducting arrests.

Authorities say he fired his weapon through a closed door and shot a Venezuelan immigrant in the leg. Officer Castro initially claimed under oath that he had been attacked, but surveillance footage appeared to contradict his claim. Castro also faces state-level charges in Minnesota. Federal immigration officers have been involved in more than two dozen shootings during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. Jimenez-Bustillo, NPR News, Washington. The jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial is to return Friday after again failing for a six-day to come to a verdict.

The jury in Massachusetts charged with deciding whether to hold Clancy criminally responsible for killing her three children, Her attorney says one juror refusing to follow judge's instructions. This is NPR. Nine days after deadly flash flooding in Nepal, two workers have been pulled alive from a hydro power tunnel. The two were pulled to safety Friday to cheers from emergency workers after they heard voices coming from inside the tunnel. Hundreds of others at the project remain missing, but officials say they are hopeful that more workers will be rescued. The Trump administration is making another move against. diversity programs. The Treasury Department Thursday proposed a rule that would strip private schools

in colleges of their tax-exempt status if they provide targeted help to students based on race. Proposed rule specifically says that any measure that helps students because of their race would be incompatible with the rule. After eight years traveling through space, a European Space agency's mission to the planet Mercury is nearing its destination. And as Joe Paalko reports, the facecraft completed a crucial maneuver early Thursday. The mission is called Beppe Colombo. It's actually made of two probes, one that will study Mercury's magnetic field, and another that will take close-up pictures of the planet's surface, among other things.

In order to reach Mercury, Beppe Colombo needed to fly by Earth once, Venus twice, and Mercury itself six times. During its eight-year cruise, the twin probes relied on something called the Mercury Transfer Module for propulsion. But that module had to be jettisoned before arrival. Now that's happened. The next mission milestone comes in November when the probes will be captured by Mercury's gravity and can go into orbit.

For NPR News, I'm Joe Palka. And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News.