NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-07-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: September 7, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. President Trump is dialing back his threats to Chicago after posting on social media that the city is, quote, about to find out why it's called the Department of War, referring to his executive order Friday to rebrand the Department of Defense. But as NPR's Kat-Lonstorf reports, Trump says he still plans to take federal action on the city. Trump has said he will deploy troops to Chicago. He just hasn't said when. But when asked if he was, threatening war with Chicago, he said this. We're going to clean up our city. We're going to clean them up so they don't kill five people every weekend. That's not war.

That's common sense. Trump maintains that the National Guard would be sent in to fight crime in the city, even though data shows violent crime is down in recent years. Large crowds took to the streets in downtown Chicago to protest Trump's plans, and local lawmakers strongly opposed them as well. Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker posted on social media that Trump's plan was one repeated by, quote, dictators across history.

inciting the local population before sending in disruptors. He said Illinois won't fall for it. Kat Lonsdorf, MPRNNU.R. News, Chicago. Ukraine says Russia launched more than 800 drones overnight on Ukrainian cities, making it the largest attack since Russia started the war more than three years ago, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens of others. MPIR's Joanna KISSIS reports. This is the sound of a shot-head attack drone flying over Kiev.

Ukraine says Russia used 800. 1010 such drones, as well as 13 missiles, in attacks across the country. Among those killed was a mother and her newborn child in Kiev. The attacks damaged the government district in the capital, an area that is heavily guarded by air defense. Kiev Mayor Vitalik Lichko said in a social media post that a government building near President Volodymer Zelensky's office caught fire because of burning debris from a shot-down drone. The strikes also damaged a part apartment buildings and the power grid causing electricity outages. Joanna Kekisis and PR News Pave.

Investors on Wall Street are bracing for the latest inflation report due out this week, and Pierre's Rafael Nam reports. A disappointing jobs report last week has reinforced expectations that the Fed will cut interest rates for the first time this year when policymakers get together later this month. Yes, inflation is still running a little high, but right now boosting the labor rate, market could become the Fed's bigger priority. Still, a rate cut this month is not guaranteed. A lot will depend on the inflation report out on Thursday. A number that's still a bit high, but manageable, will likely cement expectations for a rate cut. But a big surge in inflation

could make the Fed's decision a lot more difficult. Rafael NAMM in PR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The first saint of the millennial generation was canonized by the Catholic Church today. Carlos Akutis was 15 when he died in 2006. Growing up in the age of smartphones and social media, he's been nicknamed God's influencer. And peers 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 Carlisle.

Alucitus, 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 Akutis 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. At the weekend box office, the horror film The Conjuring Last Rights debuted in the top spot with an estimated $83 million in ticket sales. That makes it the third highest domestic opening for a horror movie. The horror genre has now generated over $1 billion for this year's domestic box office, with the help of other Warner Brothers' hits like weapons, final destination bloodlines, and sinners. I'm Janine Hurst, NPR News in Washington.