NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-18-2025 8AM EDT

Episode Date: September 18, 2025

NPR News: 09-18-2025 8AM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. Advisors to the CDC are opening a two-day meeting in Atlanta to consider controversial changes in recommendations for two childhood vaccines and COVID-19 shots. NPR's Rob Stein has more. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is meeting to make three important recommendations. The committee will consider whether newborn babies should continue getting vaccinated against hepatitis. B, whether children should be able to get vaccinated against chicken box with the same shot that protects against measles, mumps, and German measles, or whether they have to get

separate shots and whether to further narrow who should be eligible for the updated COVID vaccines. Most of the recommendations go to the CDC's acting director for final approval. Rob Stein and PR News. ABC has indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live, after remarks. the late-night host made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. President Trump and others are applauding the decision, as NPR's Mandalay Del Barco reports. Host Jimmy Kimmel had called Charlie Kirk's murder senseless. During his monologue on Monday,

he said this. We hit some new lows over the weekend with the Maga Gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. That sparked a backlash by Kirk supporters, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission and ABC affiliates from Nextar and Sinclair, who demanded Kimmel, apologize to the Kirk family and donate to his group Turning Point USA. President Trump congratulated the network for pulling Kimmel's show just two months after he had celebrated CBS for canceling the late show with Stephen Colbert. Many have denounced Kimmel's suspension as censorship. Mandalay Del Barco, NPR News.

Next Star recently announced it's acquiring a broadcast rival. The multi-billion dollar deal needs FCC approval. Making remarks in Michigan, Vice President Vance said the administration would be happy to deploy the National Guard to Detroit. He was speaking at a gathering of Republicans at a metal stamping plant. Alex McClennan from member station WDET reports Vance also defended policy. Speaking from the podium, Vance talked up Republican tax breaks, as well as the White House's efforts to, quote, take back American streets.

The Vice President defended the use of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. and Memphis, calling it one of Trump's proudest achievements in office. We deserve to be safe in our communities again, and that's what the president is making happen. Fans told the crowd he would be happy to see the National Guard deployed in Detroit. That's despite crime rates in the city trending down in recent years. For NPR News, I'm Alex McClellan. in Detroit. This is NPR News in Washington. Flags in Pennsylvania are being flown at half-staff

to honor three officers who were killed in the line of duty in York County yesterday. Police were responding to a domestic incident. The suspect was killed by police. A new study suggests changes in the brains of athletes who play contact sports are visible before CTE develops. CTE is a disease caused by repeated blows to the head and is diagnosed after death. Amy Sokolow with Member Station WBUR reports. The researchers looked at the brains of younger male athletes, both with and without confirmed cases of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

They found that the brain tissue from both groups showed inflammation, blood vessel changes, and the loss of brain cells involved with memory and decision-making. Jonathan Cherry is an assistant professor at the BU School of Medicine, a CTE Center director, and one of the study's authors. This is not just about developing CTE in your 80s, right? This is something that affects young individuals. So it's something that people really take seriously on how to best help these kids and help mitigate this long-term disease. He says people may consider minimizing risk by reducing the number of years playing contact sports.

For NPR News, I'm Amy Sackalo. This morning, Wall Street's major indices are in positive territory in pre-market trading. The Federal Reserve cut. its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point yesterday. It is the first time the central bank has lowered the interest rate this year. The move comes as policymakers face mounting pressure from the White House. I'm Kristen Wright, and this is NPR. Support for NPR.