NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-05-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: September 5, 2025

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On this week's wildcard podcast, author Ocean Vong says we need to reframe how we think about trauma. The trauma comes on one side of a coin that also has strength on it. Find that wildcard conversation on the NPR app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Skiyvone. President Trump this week declared he would be deploying National Guard troops to Chicago but would not say when. In Washington, D.C., where troops have been on the ground for a while, the city's Attorney General is suing to end the deployment. That is in stark contrast to Mayor Muriel Bowser's pledge to cooperate. D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwablo says that the use of the National Guard in Washington is an illegal deployment.

We get details from reporter Alex Koma of member station WAMU in Washington. Trump, of course, said that the city's crime-free now, but we know that's not true. The D.C. Police Department has found that crime overall has decreased, but I'd still add that the troop themselves, you know, they're not authorized to make arrests. They can merely notify police if they see a crime or, in some instances, simply call 911. So it's kind of difficult to draw any, you know, direct correlation here when a lot of times they're doing things like spreading mulch and cleaning up parks. reporter Alex Koma in Washington, D.C. Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening to target any Western forces deployed to Ukraine, that as several European nations say they could potentially send peacekeepers to Ukraine.

NPR's Charles Mainz reports that is if and when a ceasefire is reached. Speaking in Russia's Far East, Putin said any Western forces deployed as peacekeepers would be legitimate targets for the Russian military. Putin argued the West-growing military involvement. in Ukraine had been the root cause of the war. Putin added Russia would abide by any eventual peace deal reached, making the presence of outside forces unnecessary. A coalition of more than two dozen countries led by France and Britain say they're prepared to send a reinsurance force to Ukraine once active fighting stops. The Trump administration has signaled it may provide air support but ruled out American boots on the ground. Ukraine insists foreign troops are essential to keep Russia

from launching new attacks. Charles Maines, NPR News, Moscow. Massachusetts is the latest state to announce policies to protect vaccine access. As NPR's Ping Wong reports, it's in response to confusion and instability on the federal level. Last week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the new head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Food and Drug Administration put limits on the fall COVID shot. In response, states like Massachusetts are sidestepping the federal government with their own vaccine policies. Here's Governor Mara Healy. People have been calling pharmacies and not able to get appointments because of changes made by the Trump administration. On the West Coast, Washington, Oregon, and California have formed

a health alliance. New Mexico was changing regulations so people can get COVID shots at pharmacies this fall. Florida is going the other way. The Republican leadership there is working to end all vaccine requirements in the state. Ping Huang, NPR. News. The Dow is down 250 points. This is NPR. The South Korean government is expressing concern about an immigration enforcement raid at the site of a Hyundai electric car battery factory in the state of Georgia. 475 people were detained in the federal action. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Li Jai Wang says a large number of South Korean nationals were among them. Aftershocks in Afghanistan have killed nine people, according to the aid group, the International Rescue Committee.

This comes after a devastating earthquake Sunday killed more than 2,200. NPR's Dia Hadid reports. The aftershocks terrorized people in the eastern Kuna province, the worst impacted by Sunday's earthquake. One resident, Sharifal-La Sharafat, told NPR that the latest aftershocks destroyed homes still standing after the first earthquake. That destroyed nearly 7,000 homes, according to the Taliban's disaster management authority. Another resident told NPR that most people were sleeping out in the open, afraid of even more aftershocks. It comes as the UN and major charities appeal to people and governments

to contribute more aid. The United Nations humanitarian response in Afghanistan was poorly funded following the Trump administration's decision to curtail aid because it says the Taliban was siphoning off funds. Dear Hidid, NPR News, Mumbai. WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark is out of commission for the rest of the season. The Indiana fever player said an injury to her right groin hasn't been resolved. Disappointed, she says, has not been a big enough word to describe her feelings.

I'm Louise Skiyvone and PR News. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR NewsNow Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.