NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-06-2025 1PM EDT

Episode Date: September 6, 2025

NPR News: 09-06-2025 1PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

I'm Peter Sagle. NPR is very serious, mostly. It treats newsmakers with all due respect, almost all the time. It brings you the most important information about the issues that really matter, usually. And it never asks famous people about things they don't know anything about, except once in a while. Join us for the great exception. Listen to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the news quiz from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump is openly threatening Chicago. In a post on social media today, Trump said the city is about to find out why it's called the Department of War. The president was referring to his recent proposal to rename the Department of Defense, which would require congressional approval. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more from Chicago, where state and local officials are pushing back against the administration's plan to deploy National Guard troops to the city. Trump has said the deployment is imminent, but won't say when, putting many in the city on edge. A U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed to NPR that the federal government requested additional assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in the Chicago area. ICE and the National Guard are very different, but in D.C., for example, Trump's deployment of the Guard came with a larger presence from ICE, too.

Trump has said he would send troops to crack down on crime, but the Guard can't make arrests or be used for policing. In a statement, Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker said, quote, none of this is about fighting crime or making Chicago safer. Kat Lonsdorf, Empire News, Chicago. The governor of Illinois has responded to the president's recent comments on social media. In his own post, Governor J.B. Pritzker accused the president of threatening to go to war with an American city, calling it, quote, no joke and not normal. An immigration raid that resulted in the arrest of nearly 500 mostly South Korean nationals at a Hyundai factory in Georgia is. creating tensions between the U.S. and a key ally. The BBC's Joe Inwood reports they're asking

for their citizens' rights to be respected. South Korea's foreign minister has said he may visit Washington to discuss the arrests. Cho Hyun said he felt a heavy responsibility for the detention of around 300 of his countrymen. It's understood that most of those detained were working for contractors rather than Hyundai. That's the BBC's Joe Inwood reporting. The Israeli military continues to attack Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands have taken shelter from nearly two years of war. NPR's Jane Araf reports Palestinians are being told to move south, where the Army says it will deliver aid. Hundreds of thousands of civilians who have already been displaced multiple times are still in Gaza's biggest city, where Israel has been increasing attacks ahead of seizing it.

The UN says so far, only about 40,000 people have moved south. with money unable to afford transport or too sick or injured to move. Israel said it would work with the UN to provide aid in South Gaza, but the UN's humanitarian office says the Israeli military is rejecting many of its requests for aid movements. Jane Arraf, NPR News, Amman. This is NPR News in Washington. President Trump held his first event in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden last night, NPR's Tamri Keith reports the grass in the iconic garden has been replaced with paving stones.

Trump hosted Republican members of Congress whose votes he says he knows he can count on. You know, you're the first ones on this great place. We call it the Rose Garden Club. The new limestone patio has tables with yellow and white umbrellas that bear a striking resemblance to the area of Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort known as the Beach Club. We never touched a rose. The roses are in full bloom, and they will be in full bloom during certain seasons, but we never touched. I'd tell you what we did. The grass was not usable. No grass, but Trump has a speaker system set up so he can play his favorite tunes using an iPad. Tamara Keith, NPR News. The U.S. Open women's singles final gets underway in Flushing Meadows, New York, this afternoon. Arena Sabelanka of Belarus will be defending her

title against American Amanda Anisamova. The men's championship will be held tomorrow. Long time, Major League Baseball manager Davy Johnson has died. Johnson led the New York Mets to the World Series title in 1986. After playing in the majors between 1965 and 1978, he became the first manager in the league's history to win 90 or more games in each of his first five seasons. Davy Johnson was 82 years old. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees.

Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply.