NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-11-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: September 11, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shays Stevens. President Trump is expressing anger and grief over the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA was gunned down during an event at Utah Valley University. Trump blames the attack on rhetoric from the political left. An assassin tried to silence him with a bullet, but he failed because together we will ensure that his voice, his message. and his legacy will live on for countless generations to come. Today, because of this heinous act, Charlie's voice has become bigger and grander than ever before.

Trump has ordered U.S. flags flown at half staff. President Trump's nominee to fill a short-term vacancy on the Federal Reserve has cleared another hurdle in the Senate. Details from NPR Scott Horsley. The Senate Banking Committee voted 1311 to confirm Trump's nomination of White House economist Stephen Myron to serve. on the Fed's governing board. If the full Senate goes along, as expected, Myron would fill out the last five months of Adriana Coogler's term as Fed governor.

Coogler stepped down last month. Myron raised eyebrows by saying he doesn't plan to give up his White House job. Instead, merely taking a leave of absence while serving on the Fed board. Committee Democrats warned Myron would effectively still be taking marching orders from the president, while the Fed's designed to be insulated from that kind of political pressure. Meanwhile, a federal judge has temporarily stymied Trump's effort. to oust another Fed board member, Lisa Cook. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington.

Russia denies intentionally sending drones into Poland's airspace. Polish and NATO forces down multiple Russian drones early Wednesday, raising concerns about a new escalation of the war in Ukraine. More from NPR's Charles Mainz in Moscow. The Kremlin spokesman said it was up to the Defense Ministry to comment on the incident with Poland, and eventually it did so. The Russian ministry issued a statement that said no objects on Polish territory, were planned for targeting and suggested falsely that Polish territory was built on the range of

its drones. The statement added the ministry was ready to hold consultations with Poland on the issue. Meanwhile, Russia's top diplomat in Warsaw, Charger de Ferandre Ordache was summoned to the Polish Foreign Ministry. Speaking to Russian media afterward, Ordas said he had been presented with groundless accusations declaring Russia was absolutely not interested in any escalation with Poland. Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow. A chartered Korean airjet remains in Georgia, poised to ferry 300 South Korean nationals home. The group was among 475 workers arrested, shackled, and chained last week, during an ice raid at a Hyundai auto plant in Folkston, Georgia. South Korean officials say the workers were helping to build a battery plant at the factory,

but the Trump administration says they're in the U.S. illegally. The arrests sparked protests outside of the U.S. embassy in Seoul and strained relations between the U.S. and South Korea. This is NPR. FBI director Cash Patel is being sued by three former employees, alleging they were fired on orders from the White House. The lawsuit seeks reinstatement, back pay, and a ruling that the firings were illegal. One plaintiff, Brian Driscoll, alleges Patel, told him

that his job stability depended on firing people involved in the prosecution of President Trump. Driscoll is a former commander of the FBI's hostage rescue team. he briefly served as acting FBI director before Patel was sworn in. The New York City Medical Examiner's Office is still trying to identify the remains of some of the people killed in the 9-11 attacks 24 years ago today. As NPR's Joe Hernandez reports, advances in technology and more reference samples are making that effort possible. Last month, the medical examiner identified the remains of three more victims of the

World Trade Center attacks. The office has been reaching out to the family members of those who died and asking if they want to submit a DNA sample that can be used to try to find a match. Chief medical examiner Dr. Jason Graham says the office is working to keep a promise made more than two decades ago. That commitment was a very solemn promise to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to get them identified. Technological advancements have also made it possible to find DNA on bone fragments that had tested negative in the past. About 40% of victims who died at the World Trade Center have never had any of their remains identified. Joe Hernandez, NPR News. U.S. futures are flat in pre-market trading on Wall Street.

This is NPR News.