NPR News: 09-08-2025 4AM EDT

Summary

---

NPR News Now: September 8, 2025, 4AM EDT

Host: Dwahilisai Kowtow | Duration: ~5 minutes
Theme: The episode delivers a concise roundup of the latest national and international news, highlighting political developments, economic trends, public health concerns, and cultural events.

---

Main News Highlights

1. President Trump and Chicago: Federal Force & Public Outcry

[00:20 — 01:33]

• Executive Order & Military Threats:
  President Trump has softened his language about Chicago but stands by his intent to deploy federal troops, citing a new executive order to rebrand the Department of Defense as the "Department of War."

  • “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.”
    — President Donald Trump [00:52]

• Details:

  • Trump hasn’t specified when troops would be deployed.
  • He claims the National Guard will combat crime, although reports show violent crime is decreasing.
  • Trump has also threatened increased deportations via federal immigration officials.

• Public Response:

  • Large-scale protests erupted in downtown Chicago.
  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker condemned Trump’s approach, likening it to tactics used by dictators:
    • “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.” — Gov. J.B. Pritzker (reported by Kat Lonsdorf) [01:21]

---

2. National Guard Deployments Impacting U.S. Workforce

[01:33 — 02:16]

• Record Absenteeism:
  The number of Americans out of work for National Guard or civil service deployments is at a near-20-year high.

  • Over 90,000 week-long absences were logged from January to August 2025 — more than double last year’s numbers.

• Economic Impact:

  • Cited as the highest absenteeism since 2006 (Iraq War-era levels), linking directly to President Trump’s military deployments.
  • Economists observe increasing stress on both the labor market and individual employers.

---

3. FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Faces Extradition

[02:16 — 03:14]

• High-Profile Case:
  Daniel Andrea Sandiego – first American-born individual on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List – will appear in a London court for extradition hearings.

  • Wanted for masterminding 2003 Bay Area bombings connected to animal rights extremist groups.
  • Incidents included a double-explosion targeting first responders and a nail bomb at separate companies; no casualties reported, attributed to “luck” by authorities.

• International Focus:

  • Sandiego vanished shortly after the attacks and was found in Wales in 2024.
  • The extradition hearing is set for five days in London.

---

4. Alarming Rise in Preteen Self-Harm and Suicide Attempts

[03:14 — 04:32]

• Harsh Statistics:
  A new Pediatrics study reports a ninefold increase in self-harm and suicide attempts with substances among 11- and 12-year-olds between 2000 and 2023.

• Further Findings:

  • Data from 1.5 million poison center calls for 6–12-year-olds was analyzed.

  • Accidental exposures (especially among younger children) rose by 50%.

  • Intentional substance use for self-harm/suicide constituted less than 5% of incidents but spiked sharply from 2008–2021, declining only in the last two years.

  • Most troubling was the surge among preteen girls.

  • “Most of this rise was among preteens, especially girls.”
    — Ritu Chatterjee [04:22]

---

5. 2025 MTV Video Music Awards — Headline Winners

[04:32 — 04:58]

• Award Recipients:

  • Video of the Year: Ariana Grande, "Brighter Days Ahead"
  • Artist of the Year: Lady Gaga
  • Album of the Year: Sabrina Carpenter, "Short and Sweet"
  • Latin Icon Award (inaugural): Ricky Martin

• Memorable Mention:

  • “And in case you missed watching the 41st VMAs, go back and look for Labubu.”
    — NPR Host [04:56]

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• President Trump:
  “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.” [00:52]

• Governor J.B. Pritzker (via Kat Lonsdorf):
  “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.” [01:21]

• Ritu Chatterjee on self-harm findings:
  “Most of this rise was among preteens, especially girls.” [04:22]

---

Key Takeaways

• The episode blends breaking national security news, significant labor trends, a terrorism update, urgent public health warnings, and popular culture highlights into a rapid, information-dense format.
• Tension remains high between federal and local leaders concerning crime policy and civil rights.
• Societal stressors connect across politics, economics, and health, with both macro (labor market) and micro (preteen mental health) implications in sharp focus.

---

Transcript

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

Support for npr. And the following message come from indeed. You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed. Claim your $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com NPR terms and conditions apply.

[NPR Host]

Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwahilisai Kowtow. President Trump is dialing back his threats to Chicago after posting on social media that the city, quote, about to find out why it's called the Department of War, referring to his executive order signed Friday to rebrand the Department of Defense. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports Trump still plans to take federal action on the city.

[NPR Reporter Kat Lonsdorf]

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.

[President Donald Trump]

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.

[NPR Reporter Kat Lonsdorf]

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, he's also threatened to send in federal immigration officials to increase deportations. Large crowds took to the streets in downtown Chicago to protest Trump's plans, and local lawmakers strongly oppose 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, NPR News, Chicago.

[NPR Host]

The number of Americans missing work for National Guard deployments or other civil service is at a nearly 20 year high. Economists say it's putting added strain on the labor market. As NPR's Windsor Johnston reports, employers in.

[NPR Reporter Windsor Johnston]

The U.S. reported more than 90,000 week long 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 straining both workers and employers.

[NPR Host]

A fugitive who is the first born and raised American to be on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist list will appear in a London courtroom Monday. Vicki Barker has more.

[NPR Reporter Vicki Barker]

Daniel Andrea Sandiego is the FBI's prime suspect in a series of bombings in the San Francisco bay area in 2003 for which two animal rights extremist groups claimed responsibility. No one was injured in the attacks, but investigators believe that was down to luck. A double explosion at a biotech company near Oakland was apparently timed to target any first responders. And the second attack at a Nutritional Products Company 30 miles east, involved a nail bomb. San Diego vanished soon after and was finally found in a cottage in Wales last year. A five day extradition hearing will determine whether he can be returned to the US to face charges. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.

[NPR Host]

And you are listening to NPR News from New York City. Self harm and suicide attempts with substances increased by more than nine folds among 11 and 12 year olds from January 2000 to December 2023. That's according to a new study in Pediatrics. NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports. Researchers looked at data on more than 1.5 million calls to poison centers across the country.

[NPR Reporter Ritu Chatterjee]

They looked specifically at data on 6 to 12 year old children being exposed to substances like pain medications, antihistamines, vitamins, stimulants and street drugs. The overall number of exposures grew by more than 50% during this time, and the vast majority involved accidental expos mostly among the youngest children. But the number of intentional exposures, including for suspected self harm and suicide, also grew over time. Overall, a little less than 5% of the exposures were linked to self harm and suicide, but they went up dramatically between 2008 and 2021 before decreasing in 2022 and 2023. Most of this rise was among preteens, especially girls. Ritu Chatterjee and PR News the 2025.

[NPR Host]

MTV Video Music Awards took place last night and Video of the Year went to Ariana Grande for her song Brighter Days Ahead. Other winners included Lady Gaga for Artist of the Year, Sabrina Carpenter for Album of the Year with Short and Sweet. And Ricky Martin won the first ever Latin Icon award. And in case you missed watching the 41st VMAs, go back and look for Labubu.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

This is NPR support for NPR. And the following message come from bowl and Branch Turn your bed into a sanctuary this fall with their buttery, breathable bedding. Enjoy 15% off your first set of sheets@bol and branch.com with code. NPR exclusions apply.