NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-05-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: September 5, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Hurst. Federal immigration officials say agents detained hundreds of South Koreans during a sweeping raid at a Hyundai electric vehicle plant near Savannah. Sam Greenglass of Member Station WABE reports, the raid is putting some top Georgia Republicans in an awkward spot. Republican Governor Brian Kemp has pledged to make Georgia the electric mobility capital of the world, helping woo manufacturers of EVs and batteries with generous state incentives. The Hyundai plant is the largest economic development project in state history,

with the South Korean company investing billions. A spokesperson for the governor said the Georgia Department of Public Safety provided support to ICE, and, quote, all companies operating within the state must follow the laws of Georgia and our nation. The chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia called the arrest of some 475 people, quote, political grandstanding at the cost of Georgia. families, businesses, and livelihoods. For NPR News, I'm Sam Greenglass in Atlanta. Some employees at the Labor Department are trying to reassure the public that the jobs numbers, published by the government, can be trusted. If you're as Andrew Hsu reports,

their statement comes as the latest employment report shows job growth slowed significantly over the summer. The statement was written by a group of current employees at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in response to recent attacks on the integrity of the Bureau's work. NPR agreed not to name the employees because they fear reprisal for speaking out. Their statement comes a month after President Trump fired the BLS Commissioner after the July Jop's report revealed a weakening labor market. Trump claimed without evidence that the numbers were rigged to make him and Republicans look bad. The employees say commissioners don't cook the numbers.

In fact, they don't even see the numbers until after the estimates are complete. With methods that are public, vetted, and transparent, they write, the public doesn't have to guess whether the numbers are real. Andrea Shue and PR News. The Trump administration says it will drop a Biden-era rule intended to compensate air travelers when flight disruptions are caused by the airlines. MPR's Joel Rose explains. The proposal from the Department of Transportation under then-President Biden

would have required airlines to pay between $200 and $775, along with free meals, lodging, and re-bookings. It would have applied when domestic flights are disrupted by circumstances under the airline's control, including mechanical problems and system outages. The airline industry sharply criticized the proposal, arguing it would drive up operating costs. An industry trade group welcomed the Trump administration's move to drop it. Similar protections for airline passengers have long been in place in Europe and elsewhere. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Wall Street lower by the closing bell, the Dow down 220 points. Nasdaq down 7.

S&P 500 down 20. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The World Health Organization says M-Pox, which was previously known as Monkey Pox, is no longer an international public health emergency. This, as the number of cases fall in the hardest-hit countries in Africa, but a continental emergency over M-Pox still remains in Africa. In Canada, Etsy sellers and other small online retailers, are scrambling to adjust to new U.S. import rules that took effect last week. And here's Bill Chappell has more.

Like many international Etsy sellers, Cindy Baldasi relies on U.S. customers. She sells jewelry she makes in Calgary, Alberta. The United States has been one of the easiest places to sell to. Until recently, the U.S. had low tariffs, and under the U.S. de minimis rule, lower-value imports were duty-free. Then President Trump raised tariffs and ended de minimis for all imports, saying the rules were being abused. As the result, Baldasi says, is going to mean some businesses will end and some who think

that they're going to be fine may not be as fine as they hope. She says Etsy sellers outside the U.S. are trying to adjust to the new rules and costs, but it will take time. Bill Chappell in PR News. Mortgage rates fell today to their lowest level in more than a year. Mortgage buyer Freddie Macs says the average rate on a 30-year fixed rate note is now 6.29 percent, a drop of 16 basis points. This, as the monthly August jobs reports showed fewer jobs than expected, were created. And Wall Street was lower by the closing bell. I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.