NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-18-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. President Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starrmer held a wide-ranging press conference at Starmor's country residents near London a short time ago. They stressed that the U.S. and the U.K. are working together to bring an end to conflicts. They discussed the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump said he's disappointed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not committed to peace. He's let me down. He's really let me down. was going to be Russia and Ukraine, but we'll see how that turns out. But that turned out to be, I thought it might be among the easiest of the group. But we had settled just about every conflict. And as you know, we're working very hard on Israel and Gaza. Oh, that's happening over there.

Complex, but it's going to be, it's going to get done. It'll all get done right. And likewise, Russia. In Gaza, Trump said he wants all hostages released now. Starrmer has said his government will recognize a Palestinian state sometime this month unless Israel commits to peace. Trump says he disagrees with this approach. He's wrapping up a two-day state visit to the U.K. The Justice Department is escalating demands for election data from states. DOJ is suing two Democratic-led states seeking to force them to hand over their full registration lists. NPR's Miles Parks has more.

The Department of Justice has asked for sensitive election. data for many states, but Maine and Oregon are the first states to be sued over the matter. The department says it needs the data to determine if the two states are following federal election laws when it comes to keeping accurate registration lists. But states have constitutional authority to run their own elections, and voting officials on both sides of the aisle have fought previous efforts to acquire the data DOJ is asking for, which includes partial social security numbers. One reason is security risks. Another is that the Trump administration has not been clear

on what it plans to do with the data. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington. A vigil will be held in Colorado tonight for conservative activist Charlie Kirk. His supporters will gather at Colorado State University. Kirk founded Turning Point USA, a group that rallies young conservatives. Kirk was scheduled to speak at Colorado State Tonight as part of his American comeback tour, where he planned to visit college campuses across the country. Kirk was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University last week.

University President Astrid Tumines addressed students yesterday. is a very difficult time. And I really want you to understand that the feelings of hurt are real. Kirk's widow announced the American comeback tour will continue. An immigration judge in Louisiana is ordering Mahmoud Khalil to be deported to Syria or Algeria. The judge says the activist, a former Columbia University grad student, misrepresented information on his green card application. Khalil spent months in jail this year after being detained by immigration authorities in March. This is NPR News. A California-based aid group is testing safer ways to airdrop food to Gaza, where people have been killed by falling pallets.

NPR's Jane Arraf has more now. Famine has now reached Gaza, and Israel has significant restrictions on aid entering the territory. California-based rebuilding alliance has operated in Gaza. for years, it believes it can airdrop lightweight small meals as part of the solution. An inventor is designed a box that opens automatically in the air,

releasing hundreds of packages of flat bread with hummus and energy bars. Simple one. Ready? Okay. The group has been dropping them off tall buildings in Jordan to test them. It hopes to get approval from Jordan and Israel for the safer airdrops.

Jane Arraf and Pyrnews. The Taliban has cut internet service across Afghanistan. The group says the internet was being used for immoral purposes. Service has been restored in some places, but slowed down. This is a major disruption for Afghan women and girls who've relied on online education since a ban was imposed on them attending classes after grade six. Tech giant meta has unveiled its newest smart glasses powered by artificial intelligence. The meta rayband display glasses have a tiny screen that can display apps and share images with social media.

The glasses can be controlled by a wristband with what CEO Mark Zuckerberg describes as barely perceptible movements. The AI glasses come out in a couple of weeks. The price tag is about $800. I'm Kristen Wright, and this is NPR News from Washington.