NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-15-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. The U.S. military has carried out another deadly airstrike on a small boat from Venezuela. NPR's Quill Lawrence reports on the second time this month. U.S. has killed alleged drug traffickers. President Trump posted a video of an airstrike on social media saying the U.S. had confirmed the three people on a small boat in international waters were carrying drugs on board. Two U.S. officials who requested anonymity because they're not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that Congress had been notified of the strike. The previous strike on a Venezuelan boat killed 11 people who appeared to be heading back to shore. President Trump has moved ships and troops into the waters off Venezuela and says the U.S. is hunting what he called narco-terrorists. Venezuela is considered a minor player in smuggling of cocaine to the U.S.

The far deadlier drug, fentanyl, is made and smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico. Quill Lawrence NPR News. President Trump has signed a proclamation making Memphis the latest Democratic-led city to face a federal crackdown on crime. He announced the deployment of National Guard and other federal law enforcement officers in the Oval Office today. To Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio embraced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and publicly expressed U.S. support for Israel's intensifying war in Gaza. But in Qatar, regional leaders gathered to condemn the war and last week's Israeli attack in the Gulf state. Here's impairs Aya Patrawi.

Qatar's ruling Amir opened the summit by saying it is impossible to negotiate with Israel after its, quote, cowardly attack on Hamas negotiators in his country just days ago. Qatar has been a mediator between Israel and Hamas throughout the war in Gaza and hosts Hamas's political leadership. It convened the high-level summit of leaders from, Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, and beyond, with the aim of presenting a united front against the bombing, which killed at least six people, none of them, senior Hamas officials. The summit concluded with a lengthy statement condemning Israel, but did not call for specific action

to be taken. Egypt's president, however, warned at the summit that Israeli actions obstruct prospects for new peace deals with Israel and undermine existing ones. Ayyip al-Trawi and Pierre News, Dubai. President Trump says he wants companies to report their earnings less for. frequently, he thinks that would allow them to plan for the long term, as MPR's Raphael NOM reports. Right now, companies listed in stock exchanges have to report their earnings every three months. It's a process executives hate. They think it's cumbersome and expensive, and they say the process forces companies to prioritize short-term objectives.

The president agrees. In a social media post, he called for companies to only report every six month. But some finance experts are alarmed. They say that such a long gap would lead to less transparency. Any changes won't come soon, however. Regulators would need a long process to change the current rules. Rafael NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. China is accusing chipmaker NVIDIA of violating the country's anti-monopoly law. China's market regulator issued a statement today about what it called a preliminary investigation into invidia's business practices. The announcement comes after China said over the weekend that it has opened an anti-dumping investigation into the U.S. semiconductor sector. China and the U.S. appear to be getting

closer to an agreement that would see the popular social media app TikTok come under U.S. controlled ownership. After those trade talks today in Madrid, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, said President Trump and China's leader, Xi Jinping are to speak Friday to potentially finalize the deal. Chinese media calling it a basic framework. According to new data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, three states saw their driest August on record. NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports.

Very little rain fell in the Ohio Valley region in August, according to the new data. It was the driest August on record, going back more than 130 years. And it was the second driest August ever recorded. for the northeast. Ohio, Kentucky, and Vermont all broke records for the least rainfall ever in August, a month that's usually quite rainy in the eastern U.S. Much of the country is now experiencing drought conditions. The most severe drought is in the western U.S., particularly Arizona, New Mexico, and the Rocky Mountain states. Climate change makes extreme droughts more likely around the world. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News. And I'm Jail Snyder. You're listening to NPR News

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