NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-20-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: September 20, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump has announced a new $100,000 fee for visas for high-skilled foreign workers. The president says his executive order, overhauling the H-1B visa program, will raise billions of dollars while protecting American workers. NPR's Adrian Florido reports. The new fee will make it much more expensive for American companies that want to hire foreign workers. In the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump said that will incentivize companies to pursue foreign workers only if they truly cannot find Americans to do the job. The H-1B visa program is for high-skilled workers like software engineers. Most of them come to the U.S. to work for large tech firms, but some conservatives have alleged the program incentivizes companies to bring in foreign workers who accept lower salaries than Americans do.

The visas currently cost companies that can get them a few hundred dollars each. Trump said the new $100,000 fee per worker per year will raise billions for the U.S. Treasury. Adrian Fledito, NPR News. Confusion and controversy continued at the CDC on Friday over childhood vaccines. NPR's Rob Stein reports a panel of advisors reverse course on a key vote after acknowledging it sent mixed messages about a combined shot for kids under the age of four. First, the committee was forced to redo a confusing decision. yesterday. The advisors had recommended against a single shot for kids under age four that protects them against chicken pox along with measles, bumps, and rebella. But the panel let the federal vaccines for children program keep paying for the combination shot. Today, the committee acknowledged that was contradictory and reversed itself on the coverage part. So now the federal program won't pay for the combined shot for the younger kids. That's NPR's Rob Stein reporting. The vaccine committee also voted to tie in

access to COVID-19 shots for adults, 65 and older. The Pentagon is implementing new guidelines that will require journalists to agree to report only approved and officially released information. NPR's Quill Lawrence has more on the memo issued by the department on Friday. Two U.S. officials who are not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to NPR that the Pentagon will drastically change how journalists have covered the largest department in the U.S. government for decades. Going forward, journalists must sign a pledge not to gather any information, including unclassified reports, that hasn't been authorized for release. The Pentagon says those who fail to obey the new policy will lose their press credentials. On social media, defense secretary

Pete Higsef posted that, quote, the press does not run the Pentagon, the people do. He wrote, the press is no longer allowed to roam the halls of a secure facility, wear a badge and follow the rules, or go home. Quill Lawrence and PR News. This is NPR News in Washington. The White House is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to enforce a new passport policy for transgender and non-binary Americans. The rules would require applicants to use the sex listed on their birth certificate, either male or female, with no other options. Attorneys for the plaintiffs say the policy is discriminatory. Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James has died at the age of

57. Authorities in North Carolina say James was among three people killed when their small plane crash yesterday. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento has more on his music legacy. Brett James worked with some of the biggest names in country music, including Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Carrie Underwood. James won a Grammy Award in 2007 as part of the team that penned Jesus take the wheel. He also wrote songs for pop artists like Jessica Simpson, the Backstreet Boys, and Taylor Swift. Brett James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.

The songwriters' hall posted in his honor following news of his death. Isabella Gomez-Armiento, NPR News. The governor of California has signed a measure that extends a program aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions through 2045. The program known as cap-and-trade sets declining limits on fossil fuel emissions from major polluters in the state. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.