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I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump held a Cabinet meeting Tuesday that was publicly live streamed. Very little official business was actually done, even though the meeting lasted for more than three hours. Much of the time was spent by Trump saying how well he's doing and Cabinet heads also saying how well Trump is doing. At one point, Trump spoke about crime in U.S. cities and criticized Illinois Governor J.B. pritzker for pushing back on a Trump plan to send troops to Chicago.
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So the line is that I'm a dictator, but I stop crime. So a lot of people say, you know, if that's the case, I'd rather have a dictator, but I'm not a dictator. I just know how to stop crime.
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And.
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You would think that Illinois, where they have such a problem with crime, such a bad governor, he should be calling me and he should be saying, could you send over the troops, please? It's out of control.
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Violent crime in Chicago, meanwhile, has dropped to pre pandemic levels. A federal judge has dismissed an unusual lawsuit filed by the Justice Department against the entire federal court bench in Maryland. NPR's Ryan Lucas has our reports.
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In its lawsuit, the Trump administration says the District of Maryland federal court exceeded its authority and violated the law when it put in place a temporary freeze on deportations of any migrant who filed a petition challenging their detention. The administration said the pause amounted to judicial interference in executive branch prerogatives because all 15 federal district court judges in Maryland were named as defendants in the civil lawsuit. A federal judge in Virginia, Trump appointee Thomas Cullen, was tapped to oversee the case. Now Cullen has dismissed the administration's lawsuit. He says to do otherwise would break with overwhelming legal precedent and constitutional tradition, as well as offend the rule of law. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.
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The Israeli military says it's completed its initial inquiry into its military strikes on a hospital in Gaza on Monday. Palestinian medical officials say at least 22 people were killed in those attacks, including five journalists from Tel Aviv. NPR's Daniel Estrin has more.
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Monday morning's pair of attacks was one of the deadliest on journalists working for international media in the Gaza war. The second attack came as first responders were handling victims. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a tragic mishap. AP and Reuters demanded a transparent Israeli investigation. The military says Its initial inquiry found that infantry soldiers targeted what they believed was a Hamas camera at a hospital observing troops. The military would not provide a photo or evidence. It said soldiers reached that conclusion because Hamas had based itself at the hospital. It says six others killed were militants, but did not say they were the target. The military says it's examining who authorized the strikes, the timing and the ammunition. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
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And you're listening to NPR News. A new survey finds that life satisfaction for the Gen Z population, which includes those from 13 to 28 years old, has fallen to its lowest level in three years. As NPR's Janet Ujung Lee reports, this was primarily driven by Gen Z adults rather than current students.
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According to the recently released Gallup Walton Family foundation poll, less than half of Gen Z believe their lives are, quote, thriving. That means they feel positive about their lives right now and believe it'll stay that way for the next five years. The survey shows this response from Gen Z adults is driven by the lasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which they say caused social anxieties for some, as well as current economic uncertainties of the job market and rising living costs. Janet Wujiang Lee, NPR News.
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The California Senate Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution to review and eventually end that state's imports of crude oil from the Amazon rainforest. The measure comes as businesses in Ecuador and Peru plan to expand their drilling operations. Environmentalists point out that the imports increase deforestation in the region and damage indigenous rights. Firefighters are trying to slow a fast growing blaze in central California at this hour. The Garnet fire began on Sunday and has burned 14 square miles of grass and timber in the Sierra National Forest east of Fresno In Oregon, meanwhile, rain and cooler temperatures are helping crews to make progress against the Flat fire, which is now 7% contained. Stocks closed up on Wall Street Tuesday. The dow was up 135 points. The NASDAQ closed up 94 points. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.
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Host: Dale Willman
Duration: 5 Minutes
This episode of "NPR News Now" offers a concise update on the most pressing national and international news as of August 27, 2025. Key topics include President Trump’s livestreamed Cabinet meeting, a judicial decision concerning immigration enforcement, the aftermath of Israeli military strikes on a Gaza hospital, a survey on Gen Z life satisfaction, and developments in California environmental policy and wildfire management.
[00:19 – 01:09]
President Trump conducted a rare, publicly livestreamed Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The meeting, although lasting over three hours, reportedly involved little official business.
Trump and Cabinet members predominantly praised the president’s performance.
Trump criticized Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for resisting plans to deploy federal troops to address crime in Chicago.
Quote [00:44] (President Trump):
“So the line is that I'm a dictator, but I stop crime. So a lot of people say, you know, if that's the case, I'd rather have a dictator, but I'm not a dictator. I just know how to stop crime.”
He further implied the governor should seek federal assistance:
Quote [00:57] (Trump):
“You would think that Illinois, where they have such a problem with crime, such a bad governor, he should be calling me and he should be saying, could you send over the troops, please? It's out of control.”
NPR notes that violent crime in Chicago has dropped to pre-pandemic levels, providing a factual counterpoint to Trump’s claims.
[01:09 – 02:07]
“He says to do otherwise would break with overwhelming legal precedent and constitutional tradition, as well as offend the rule of law.”
[02:07 – 03:13]
“The military says its initial inquiry found that infantry soldiers targeted what they believed was a Hamas camera at a hospital observing troops. The military would not provide a photo or evidence.”
[03:13 – 04:04]
“The survey shows this response from Gen Z adults is driven by the lasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which they say caused social anxieties for some, as well as current economic uncertainties of the job market and rising living costs.”
[04:04 – 04:34]
[04:34 – 04:47]
[04:47 – 04:54]
“So the line is that I'm a dictator, but I stop crime … I'm not a dictator. I just know how to stop crime.”
— President Trump [00:44]
“He says to do otherwise would break with overwhelming legal precedent and constitutional tradition, as well as offend the rule of law.”
— Ryan Lucas, NPR [01:56]
“The military says its initial inquiry found that infantry soldiers targeted what they believed was a Hamas camera at a hospital observing troops. The military would not provide a photo or evidence.”
— Daniel Estrin, NPR [02:38]
“The survey shows this response from Gen Z adults is driven by the lasting impact of the coronavirus pandemic ... as well as current economic uncertainties of the job market and rising living costs.”
— Janet Ujung Lee, NPR [03:39]
This episode delivers a brisk but comprehensive snapshot of evolving domestic and global stories, highlighting political drama, judicial decisions, conflict journalism, generational anxieties, environmental policy, and breaking emergency news.