NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-13-2025 9AM EDT

Episode Date: September 13, 2025

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Hey, it's Rachel Martin. I'm the host of Wildcard from NPR. For a lot of my years as a radio host, silence sort of made me nervous. That pause before an answer, because you don't know what's going on on the other side of the mic. But these days, I love it. Hmm. Oh, gosh. Give me a minute. Yeah, yeah. Think. Listen to the Wild Card podcast, only from NPR.

Live from NPR News in New York City. I'm Dwa Lisa Kautau. Erica Kirk, the wife of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, escorted the body of her husband home to Arizona from Utah last night. Later on Fox News, she spoke publicly for the first time about her husband's assassination. My husband laid down his life for me, for our nation, for our children. He showed the ultimate and true covenantal love. Addressing those responsible for her husband's death, she said,

You have no idea the fire that you've ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry. The killing of conservative activists Charlie Kirk has raised questions about the vulnerability of public figures to violence. And Perez Meg Anderson reports that officials found only six police officers were working the Utah Valley University event where Kirk was murdered. The shooter fired from a rooftop. about 150 yards away, so more police on the ground might not have made a difference. But security experts told NPR the amount of officers was not enough for the event, which drew around 3,000 people. There are ways to defend against a sniper attack, ballistic glass,

drones, counter-snipers. But Jason Russell, a former Secret Service agent, says they're expensive and they don't fix the deeper problem. You know, obviously, if you pay any attention to social media, it's extremely divisive, and now it's become almost a us versus them mentality. Ultimately, to stop violence, Russell says you have to make fewer people feel like it's the only way forward. Meg Anderson, NPR News. Missouri Republicans have passed a new congressional map that seeks to remove Democratic Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver. But as St. Louis Public Radio's adjacent Rosenbaum reports, voters there may have the final say over whether the map goes into effect. The new map would transform Cleaver's Kansas City-based district into a GOP-leaning seat.

President Trump has been pressuring Republican-led states to pass new maps before the 2026 election cycle. But Missouri redistricting opponents immediately launched an effort to put the map to voters. Missouri Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck says he thinks the map may be unpopular enough for Missourians to vote it down. I am already going to start cutting up old campaign signs to put petitions petitions on there and start going out and collecting signatures. While Governor Mike Kehoe is expected to sign the map, it can't go into effect if redistricting foes turn in enough signatures to force a vote. For NPR News, I'm Jason Rosenbaum in Jefferson City.

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the far east of Russia briefly this morning. You're listening to NPR News. Gen Z groups in Nepal helped to choose an interim prime minister after a week of violent clashes between police and young anti-government demonstrators. 73-year-old Susheila Karki, the first woman to serve as Chief Justice of the Himalayan nation, now becomes the first female to lead the nation of some 30 million people. The latest violence left at least 50 people dead and more than 1,000 others injured over a government. Social Media Bound that started last week.

New research is showing the public health effects of one of the largest methane gas leaks in U.S. history. They include increased preterm births, low birth weights, and even miscarriages. Aaron Stone of Member Station LAS reports. A Southern California gas company storage facility leaked methane for almost four months in 2015. It spewed years' worth of planet heating pollution. as well as dangerous chemicals into nearby communities. A new study from UCLA finds that the pollution made pregnant women living in the area at the time 50% more likely to have babies with low birth weights.

These large natural gas storage facilities close to major urban populations can translate into substantial health effects. That's UCLA professor Michael Jarrett, who oversaw the research. Low birth weight has been linked to increase. risk of developing autism, ADHD, and chronic diseases such as diabetes. For NPR news, I'm Aaron Stone in Los Angeles. This is NPR.