NPR News: 09-06-2025 7PM EDT

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NPR News Now 4 min 4 speakers 5 chapters transcribed 29 days ago

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What is President Trump’s proposed “Department of War” and how is it affecting Chicago?

Janine Herbst 0:01

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. President Trump is threatening Chicago with the use of what he calls the Department of War, saying on social media he loves the smell of deportations in the morning. Trump was referring to his proposal to rename the Department of Defense, which would require approval from Congress. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker responded by saying, "...this isn't a joke and this isn't normal." Trump is threatening to send National Guard troops to Chicago, as he's already done in Washington, D.C., but... Hundreds of protesters marched in the nation's capital today, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the troops and law enforcement, saying they're designed to harass and surveil black and brown residents, immigrants, youth, and unhoused people.

Janine Herbst 0:50

Tammy Bryce was among them.

Chloe Veltman 0:52

It's almost like a war state. Like, what's going on?

How are protesters responding to National Guard deployments in Washington, D.C. and Chicago?

Chloe Veltman 0:56

Why is this being allowed to happen?

Janine Herbst 1:00

D.C.' 's attorney general is suing President Trump over the deployment of the National Guard troops. Gaza health authorities released new casualty figures on the 700th day of war between Israel and Hamas, saying more than 64,000 people are dead, almost 10,000 are still missing. NPR's Jane Araf has more.

Jane Araf 1:18

Gaza authorities say the number of dead include 20,000 children. On Friday, in one of the latest attacks, Gaza's civil defense spokesman says a family of five was killed when a minibus was hit in an Israeli strike. A video taken by the emergency crew shows first responders arriving on the scene near a traffic junction in northern Gaza City. There are little kids, oh God, a rescue worker says, running toward a blackened minibus with bodies still in flames.

What are the latest casualty figures and human‑interest stories from the Gaza conflict?

Jane Araf 1:50

The crew extinguishes the fire and removes what appears to be the charred body of a young child before shots are fired at them and they retreat in an ambulance. The Israeli military would not comment on the attack. Jane Araf, NPR News, Amman.

Janine Herbst 2:05

Hill Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.' 's stance on vaccines is stirring nationwide backlash after a heated appearance on Capitol Hill this week. And Pierce Rob Stein reports.

Rob Stein 2:14

Everyone expected Democrats on the committee to go after Kennedy at the hearing, but they were joined by some Republicans, including Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming.

Unknown 2:24

I'm a doctor. Vaccines work.

Why is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stance on vaccines sparking a bipartisan hearing?

Unknown 2:26

Secretary Kennedy, in your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines. Since then, I've grown deeply concerned.

Rob Stein 2:34

Kennedy was defiant throughout the hearing. Kennedy got the director of the CDC fired because she wouldn't go along with some of his vaccine policies, and many people around the country are already having a harder time getting one of the new COVID-19 vaccines because of new federal restrictions. Rob Stein, NPR News.

Janine Herbst 2:55

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The U.S. Military Academy at West Point's Alumni Association has scrapped an official awards celebration for actor Tom Hanks. Empire's Chloe Veldman reports West Point was scheduled to host a ceremony and parade honoring the 69-year-old actor and veterans advocate later this

Chloe Veltman 3:19

month.

Why did West Point cancel Tom Hanks’s Sylvanus Thayer Award ceremony and what does it mean?

Chloe Veltman 3:19

A US official who says he's not authorised to speak publicly confirmed the news, which was first reported in the Washington Post. The official told NPR Hanks will still get the prestigious Sylvanus Thayer 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 from Mark Beeger, president and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates, in which Beeger 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 Veltman 4:02

Chloe Veltman, NPR News.

Janine Herbst 4:04

The all-star second baseman Davey Johnson, who won the World Series twice with the Baltimore Orioles as a player and managed the New York Mets to the title in 1986, has died after a long illness.