NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-07-2025 7AM EDT

Episode Date: September 7, 2025

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Hey, it's Rachel Martin. I'm the host of Wildcard from NPR. For a lot of my years as a radio host, silence sort of made me nervous. That pause before an answer, because you don't know what's going on on the other side of the mic. But these days, I love it. Hmm. Ah. Gosh. Give me a minute. Yeah, yeah. Think. Listen to the Wild Card podcast, only from NPR.

Live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Jail Snyder. President Trump is openly threatening Chicago on social media this weekend. He said the city is about to find out why it's called the Department of War. Trump was referring to his recent proposal to rename the Department of Defense, which would require approval from Congress. NPR's Kat-Lonsdorf reports that state and local officials are blasting 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. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Chicago. Thousands of demonstrators march past Chicago's Trump Tower last night, and earlier in the day, the city moved forward with a parade celebrating Mexico's Independence Day. Voter and civil rights organizations are seeking to block efforts by Texas Governor Greg Abbott and State Attorney General Ken Paxton to expel 13 Democratic State representatives from office for their role in this summer's quorum break. Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider reports. Abbott and Paxton have asked the Supreme Court of Texas to rule that the 13 Democratic lawmakers abandoned their offices by leaving the state during a special session.

Sky Perryman heads the non-profit democracy forward, which filed a friend of the court brief on behalf of the civil rights groups. The actions that Governor Abbott has taken, the actions that Paxton has taken, they have no basis in the Texas Constitution. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers fled Texas in July to try to prevent the passage of a Republican congressional redistricting plan. After Democrats returned, Republicans passed a map even more heavily tilted towards the GOP than first proposed. I'm Andrew Schneider in Houston. Overseas, a Russian missile strike on Kiev overnight has struck and damaged the main government building for the first time during the war. The Ukrainian Air Force reported more than 800 missiles and drones launched a record number. Officials say at least two people were killed, nearly 20 injured in the capital.

The BBC's Sarah Rainford reports from Kyiv. The fact that a government building was hit, you know, we don't believe there were any casualties, at least not so far as we know yet. But it is symbolic. You know, an attack, a strike right on the heart of government in Kiev does matter because it shows that Russia can get through, it can make it through the air defenses, and it shows that they're still trying, they're still going for the heart of power here in Ukraine. So when Vladimir Putin says that he is ready for peace,

that is what he is doing every single day in actual reality. And you're listening to NPR News. South Korea says it has reached a deal with the Trump administration on the release of those South Korean workers who were detained at a Hyundai plant in Georgia. The president's office said today that once administrative procedures are complete, the workers will return home on a chartered plane.

Immigration agents raided the plant on Thursday and detained more than 450 workers, including around 300 South Korean nationals. Hawaii remains under a state of emergency because of Hurricane Kiko. The National Weather Service says Kiko is a major Category 3 hurricane, but that the threat of strong winds and widespread rain has diminished, and forecasters say the storm will gradually weaken over the next several days. U.S. Military Academy at West Point's Alumni Association has scrapped an official award celebration for Tom Hanks. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports. A U.S. official who says he's not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the news, which was first reported in the Washington Post. The official told NPR Hanks will still get the prestigious Silvanus Thea Award and did not state why the formalities had been abandoned.

However, the Washington Post attributed the decision to an internal email it had obtained for from Mark Beeger, President and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates, in which Bega stated the Army needed to focus on its core mission of, quote, preparing cadets to lead, fight and win. A statement from the Alumni Association announced the award in June, praising Hanks for his support of veterans, such as his role as a national spokesperson for the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Chloe Valtman, NPR News.

And I'm Jail Snyder. This is NPR News.