NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-07-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: September 7, 2025

NPR News: 09-07-2025 2PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump is ramping up his rhetoric and threatening to send the National Guard into more U.S. cities. NPR's Mar-Aliason report, Chicago is one of the latest cities bracing for the arrival of federal troops. Over the weekend, the president posted an image of the Chicago skyline on fire. And referring to his rebranding of the Defense Department, he wrote, quote, Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of War. It's not clear if Trump has the legal authority to do this. He's already had a court ruling against him after he federalized National Guard troops and sent them to Los Angeles

over the objections of the Democratic mayor and governor. But Trump has also said that the purpose of sending the National Guard into cities run by Democrats is for politics as well as crime fighting. He says the midterm elections will be about crime and crime is an issue where Republicans have an advantage. Mara Liason, NPR News. Russia carried out its largest air attack so far in the war in Ukraine, more than 800 drones and more than a dozen missiles left at least 11 people dead and dozens of others

injured. The deadly attack came after President Trump's deadline for Ukrainian and Russian leaders to meet. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation to meet in Moscow is a tactic to delay peace talks. It's understandable that he is doing it for, again, to postpone the meeting. As part of his efforts to end the war in Ukraine, President Trump has pushed for Zelensky and Putin to schedule in-person talks, especially after meeting with both leaders in the U.S. separately last month. In an interview with ABC News on Friday, Zelensky said Russia was playing games with the U.S.

Israel's Supreme Court has ordered an end to the policy of, drastically reducing food to Palestinian prisoners. The policy has lasted since the Hamas attack in October of 2023. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. After the Hamas attack, Israel's far-right national security minister ordered prisons to reduce Palestinian inmates caloric intake of food. Israeli rights groups argued in court this amounts to starvation based on testimonies of released detainees. Israel currently detains a record high number of Palestinian inmates for alleged security offenses, according to prison figures. The court's ruling says Israeli prisons must provide inmates with adequate food to maintain

their health. The judges said it was a matter of humanity, and that Israeli food policies worsened the suffering of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Israel's national security minister criticized the ruling and said prisoners would continue to face the minimal conditions required by law. Daniel Estrin NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR News in Washington. The first saint of the millennial generation was canonized by the Catholic Church today. Carlo Acutus was 15 when he died in 2006. Growing up in the age of smartphones and social media, he's been nicknamed God's influencer.

NPR's Ruth Sherlock attended his canonization at the Vatican. This is a moment in history for Catholics and thousands of people came to attend the mass that made Carlo Acutis the first person from this modern digital age to become a saint. It's a way to bring all us young people closer to the Catholic Church. 14-year-old Laminorphorne tells me, Acutus was a computer whiz as a child. Before dying of leukemia as a teenager,

he made a website promoting Catholic miracles. It can take centuries for a person to be canonized, but for a cutus, it took less than 20 years. This is because Pope Leo's predecessor, Francis, pushed forward the case to make him a saint, hoping this will draw more young people to the Catholic Church. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, the Vatican. Hawaii remains under a state of emergency as Hurricane Kiko continues to turn offshore. Kiko is still a major category three, but the threat of damaging winds and wide. spread rain has eased. The National Hurricane Center says the storm is on a track to weaken

over the next several days. The center says swells generated by the storm are expected to reach the Big Island later today. I'm Windsor Johnston and PR News in Washington.