NPR News: 09-27-2025 11PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now – September 27, 2025, 11PM EDT

Main Theme:
This five-minute episode delivers concise updates on significant national and international news, including domestic protests and federal actions, key developments in U.S.-Colombia relations, a milestone anniversary for railways, cultural honors, and college football highlights.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Federal Troops Deployed to Portland, Oregon

[00:20 – 01:16]

• President Trump announces a deployment of federal troops to protect ICE facilities in Portland, describing protesters as “domestic terrorists.”

• Protests at the Portland ICE facility have decreased since June, but renewed government presence has stirred concern.

• Circulating videos online show federal vehicles in the city.

• Portland Mayor Keith Wilson urges demonstrators to maintain peace, dismissing the troop presence as "a big show."

  “We have no tolerance for anyone in Portland who uses this difficult moment to hurt others or our home.”
  – Mayor Keith Wilson ([00:56])

• Details about troop numbers and involved agencies remain unclear; a protest is planned for Sunday near the ICE facility.

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2. FBI Agents Fired Over 2020 Protest Actions

[01:16 – 02:08]

• Over a dozen FBI agents fired, including agents photographed kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest post-George Floyd’s killing.

• FBI Agents Association claims the firings lack due process.

• 2020 DOJ review notes agents felt untrained and unequipped for civil unrest situations. No initial discipline was recommended by then-Director Chris Wray.

  "The FBI Agents Association condemns the firings and what they call a lack of due process."
  – Hua Jingnan ([02:00])

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3. Deterioration in US-Colombia Relations

[02:08 – 03:14]

• US State Department revokes visa of Colombian President Gustavo Petro after he urged U.S. troops to disobey President Trump during a New York rally.
• President Petro publicly scorns both the visa cancellation and Trump's pro-Israel policies amid ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
• Petro’s social media to Trump:

  “Do not surround yourself with the perpetrators of genocide.”
  ([02:56])

• US-Colombia relations, once strong, have been strained recently over tariffs and U.S. actions against alleged drug smuggling.

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4. 200th Anniversary of First Steam Train Journey

[03:14 – 04:14]

• Britain celebrates 200 years since the world’s first public railway steam train journey via a replica of Locomotion No. 1 on the Stockton and Darlington line.

• This event is considered a watershed for global trade, travel, and even temporal awareness.

• Railway historian Simon Garfield compares the advent of railroads to the emergence of the Internet:

  “People knew it was going to be something extraordinary, but they didn’t quite know how extraordinary.”
  – Simon Garfield ([03:52])

• The phrase “letting off steam” originates from this railway heritage.

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5. Tribute to Tina Turner and College Football Updates

[04:14 – 04:58]

• Brownsville, Tennessee, unveils a ten-foot statue honoring Tina Turner, commemorating her local roots and global impact; Turner died last year at 83.
• College Football Highlights:
  • #1 Ohio State rallies in the second half to defeat Washington 24–6, maintaining a strong defensive record.
  • #13 Ole Miss upsets #4 LSU, 24–19.
  • David Alano's last-second field goal secures #23 Illinois a 34–32 win over #21 Southern Cal.
  • Dayton wins over Stetson 48–14.

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Notable Quotes

• Mayor Keith Wilson:

  "We have no tolerance for anyone in Portland who uses this difficult moment to hurt others or our home."
  ([00:56])

• Colombian President Gustavo Petro, on social media:

  “Do not surround yourself with the perpetrators of genocide.”
  ([02:56])

• Simon Garfield, Railway Historian:

  “I always think of it a little bit like the birth of the Internet. People knew it was going to be something extraordinary, but they didn’t quite know how extraordinary.”
  ([03:52])

• Hua Jingnan (on agent firings):

  "The FBI Agents Association condemns the firings and what they call a lack of due process."
  ([02:00])

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Federal Troops to Portland: [00:20 – 01:16]
• FBI Agents Fired Over Protest: [01:16 – 02:08]
• US-Colombia Diplomatic Rift: [02:08 – 03:14]
• Railway Anniversary in Britain: [03:14 – 04:14]
• Tina Turner Statue & Football: [04:14 – 04:58]

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This episode provides a brisk yet informative overview of urgent domestic and international issues, major social movements, cultural milestones, and sports, retaining the matter-of-fact, succinct tone characteristic of NPR’s news bulletins.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

News, I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump says he's sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, to protect ICE facilities from protesters. From member station OPB in Portland, Joanie Odden lan has our reports.

[C]

Trump said federal troops would be deployed to handle, quote, domestic terrorists in the city. He has frequently discussed ongoing protests outside the Portland ICE facility, which were most active back in June. Videos of federal vehicles in Portland had already been circulating online. Friday, at a press conference, Mayor Keith Wilson urged demonstrators to protest peacefully. He called the deployment of federal troops, quote, a big show.

[D]

We have no tolerance for anyone in Portland who uses this difficult moment to hurt others or our home.

[C]

It's unclear how many troops will be deployed or from which agency. At least one protest is planned Sunday outside the Portland ICE facility. For NPR News, I'm Joni Odenland in Portland, Oregon.

[B]

More than a dozen FBI agents were fired Friday, including some who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in June 2020 that followed the police killing of George Floyd. That's according to the FBI Agents Association. NPR's Hu Jingnan has more.

[E]

Photos show multiple agents taking a knee in front of a stone building, all wearing sunglasses. Most wear masks, wearing vests that read FBI. The images prompted criticism and an investigation, but the FBI, under then director Chris Wray did not find grounds to discipline. According to a 2024 DOJ review of the department's handling of the protests, the agents said they were not trained and not equipped to respond to civil unrest. The FBI Agents association condemns the firings and what they call a lack of due process. Hua Jin Nan, NPR News.

[B]

Relations between the US And Colombia, which was once the top American ally in Latin America, appear to be deteriorating. On Friday, the State Department said it was revoking the visa of Colombia's president, who then responded by lashing out at President Trump. John Otis has more from Bogota.

[F]

The decision to cancel President Gustavo Petro's visa came after he addressed a pro Palestinian rally in New York, where he called on American troops to disobey President Trump. Back in Colombia Saturday, Petro scoffed at his visa cancellation and heaped even more scorn on Trump for his strong support for Israel in its war against Hamas. On social media, Petro told Trump, do not surround yourself with the perpetrators of genocide. Although the US And Colombia have a long history of cooperation. Trump and Petro have repeatedly clashed over everything from tariffs to recent U.S. airstrikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea. For NPR News, I'm John Otis in Bogota, Colombia.

[B]

And you're listening to NPR News. Two hundred years after the world's first steam powered train journey on a public railway, that historic trip is being rerun in Britain this weekend. Vicki Barker reports from London.

[G]

A replica of locomotion number one, recreating that first ever 26 mile journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway line in Northeast England. That train and that track became the template for railways around the world, transforming trade, travel, even our sense of time. As railway historian Simon Garfield told the.

[H]

BBC, I always think of it a little bit like the birth of the Internet. People knew it was going to be something extraordinary, but they didn't quite know how extraordinary.

[G]

The coming of the railroad brought something new to the English language, too. The next time you're letting off steam, think of locomotion number one. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London.

[B]

A ten foot statue of rock and roll queen Tina Turner was unveiled in Brownsville, Tennessee, Saturday. Turner grew up in Brownsville before becoming a singer and standout stage performer. Turner died last year at the age of 83 years old. In college football, number one Ohio State struggled for the first half, but The Buckeyes scored 17 points in the second, beat Washington 24 6. The Bucks have given up just 22 points in four games this season. Number 13, Ole Miss upset number four, LSU 24 19. David Alano, meanwhile, hit a 41 yard field goal. His time expired to give number 23 Illinois a 3432 win over number 21, Southern Cal. And the Dayton beat Stessen 48 to 14. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

[I]

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