NPR News: 09-07-2025 9PM EDT
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What happened in the South Korean‑run Hyundai EV battery plant raid in Georgia?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. South Korean officials say they've reached a deal for the release of more than three hundred people who were detained in an ice raid at a Georgia Hyundai electric vehicle battery plant last week. As Molly Samuel from Member Station WABE reports, the facility is one of many major Korean investments in the state.
The plant is a joint venture between Korean companies Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution. It's under construction near a Hyundai EV and hybrid car factory that began production last year. Georgia has long running business ties to South Korea, and the state maintains an office in Seoul. four hundred seventy five people were detained in the raid, most of them South Korean nationals. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the months long investigation is the biggest in agency history. A South Korean official said they plan to push to review visa policies, then the country is chartering a plane to bring the Korean workers home.
Why are U.S. employers reporting a historic surge in worker absences due to National Guard deployments?
For N PR News, I'm Molly Samuel in Atlanta.
The number of Americans missing work for National Guard deployments or other civil service is at a nearly twenty year high. And Pierce Windsor Johnston reports, economists say it's putting added strain on the laboration.
Employers in the US reported more than ninety thousand weeklong absences from January to August. That's more than double the number this time last year. The Labor Department says it's the highest since 2006 when National Guard troops were deployed to Iraq. The spike comes amid President Trump's ordering of thousands of troops to major US cities and as he considers new deployments. Economists say it's training both workers and employers.
Pierce Windsor Johnston reporting.
How are Independence Day celebrations in Brazil linked to protests over Jair Bolsonaro’s trial?
Independence Day celebrations in Brazil are being marked by nationwide protests. Julia Carneiro reports tensions are high as a former far-right president favored by President
Trump faces trial. Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro gathered in dozens of cities under the motto React Brazil, condemning the former president's trial in the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro faces five charges, including plotting a coup after his defeat to current president Luisinaso Lula da Silva. In Brazilia, official Independence Day celebrations were held under the motto Sovereign Brazil. This in reaction to President Trump's support for Bolsonaro and the 50% tariffs he imposed on Brazilian exports. Trump has called the trial against Bolsonaro a witch hunt. In an Independence Day speech, President Lula said Brazil was nobody's colony and would not accept orders from anyone. For NPR News, I'm Julia Carneiro in São Paulo.
What new training program is the DOT launching to improve railroad bridge safety inspections?
Asian markets are trading higher at this hour than Nikkei, the main market in Japan, is up about one point six percent. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Department of Transportation says it will train more than one hundred and sixty new railroad bridge inspectors. That to expand state and federal oversight of the country's more than seventy thousand railroad bridges. Imperial Lex Doig has more.
The announcement follows an associated press report produced by the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University that found the Federal Railroad Administration had just six employees overseeing railroad bridge safety. This allowed companies to largely inspect themselves, with little oversight. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said his agency will now train existing federal and state track inspectors to also inspect railroad bridges. Those workers will be able to recommend civil penalties for companies when defects are found.
How have Trump‑era tariff changes impacted international postal traffic to the United States?
The rail union Smart T D said on its website the development is a clear step forward in addressing rail workers' safety concerns, saying though quote, there is more work to be done. For NPR News, I'm Lex Stoig.
The United Nations Postal Agency says postal traffic to the U.S. sank 80% after President Trump ended the de minimis exemption to tariffs on goods less than $800. The Universal Postal Union says 88 postal operators say they've suspended some or all postal services to the U.S.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What happened in the South Korean‑run Hyundai EV battery plant raid in Georgia?
0:00–0:58
2
Why are U.S. employers reporting a historic surge in worker absences due to National Guard deployments?
0:58–1:48
3
How are Independence Day celebrations in Brazil linked to protests over Jair Bolsonaro’s trial?
1:48–2:48
4
What new training program is the DOT launching to improve railroad bridge safety inspections?
2:48–3:48
5
How have Trump‑era tariff changes impacted international postal traffic to the United States?
3:48–4:38