NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-06-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: September 6, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump is ramping up his rhetoric about increasing federal presence in Chicago. In a post on social media, Trump said the city is, quote, about to find out why it's called the Department of War. The president was referring to his proposal to rename the Department of Defense, which would require congressional approval. NPR's Odette Youssef reports. Trump's post comes as Chicago officials and community groups are on alert for a possible surge of immigration enforcement agents and national guardsmen. In the city's Pilsen neighborhood, a parade to mark Mexican Independence Day is moving forward, but crowds are thin compared with years past. Lillianna Scales says she felt it was important for her to come out on behalf of others who are scared to leave their homes now. We're here. We're not going away. No matter what generation, no matter what threat, no matter what president is in office, we're not going away. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said on social media, quote, the president of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city.

This is not a joke. This is not normal. Odette Yusuf and PR News. The Trump administration has imposed financial sanctions on three prominent Palestinian rights groups. NPR's A. Betrayi report, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, says they've been sanctioned for working with the international criminal court to arrest and prosecute Israelis. The ICC issued arrest warrants last year for Israel's prime minister and former defense minister over the war in Gaza. The court had also named Top Hamas leaders for arrest, who were later killed by Israel.

Rubio says the ICC's work threatens U.S. national interests. The Palestinian groups newly sanctioned by Treasury Department are Al-Hak, Al-Mizhen, Center for Human Rights, and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. They said in a joint statement only states that disregard international law take such measures against human rights groups working to end a, quote, genocide. A. Abatrawi, NPR News, Dubai. The job market is showing signs of weakness, but as NPR's, Scott Horsley reports, some investors on Wall Street are looking forward to a likely cut in interest rates.

All the major stock indexes lost ground on Friday after the Labor Department delivered a disappointing jobs report. U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs in August and revised figures for June showed a net loss of jobs for the first time in more than four and a half years. The gloomy jobs report left investors even more confident the Federal Reserve will lower its benchmark interest rate when policymakers meet later this month. A quarter point rate cut seems all but certain, and some investors think the central bank could go further and order a supersized cut of half a point. For the week that Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by a third of a percent, the S&P 500

index rose by a third of a percent, and the NASDAQ jumped more than 1.1 percent. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. More than two years into Sudan's civil war, the United Nations says a paramilitary group has committed abuses that amount to crimes against humanity and both sides are perpetrating war crimes. Michael Koloki reports that Sudan civilians are paying the highest price.

The UN says the rapid support forces, or RSF, have committed murder, torture, forced displacement and persecution on ethnic grounds, acts that constitute crimes against humanity, and that the RSF and its allies have used starvation as a method of warfare. The RSF and the Sudanese armed forces remain locked in a deadly power struggle. The UN notes both sides have perpetrated war crimes and human rights violations, targeting civilians for their perceived affiliation with the opposing group. In all, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced.

For NPR News, I'm Michael Koloki in Nairobi. The president of South Korea is calling for an investigation after U.S. authorities carried out a large-scale immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia. Nearly 500 workers were detained, many of them South Korean nationals. An official with the Homeland Security Investigations for the state of Georgia says the investigation took place over, several months. No criminal charges have been announced, but investigators say they're still working to verify employment details for those arrested. Hyundai says it will conduct an investigation to ensure all suppliers and their subcontractors comply with the law. This is NPR News.