NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-20-2025 7AM EDT

Episode Date: September 20, 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. Ah. Gosh. Give me a minute. Yeah, yeah. Think. Listen to the Wild Card podcast, only from NPR.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. 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. Tensions over an immigration blitz in Chicago boiled over at a federal facility near the city on Friday. Chip Mitchell from member station WBEZ reports that federal officers fired tear gas and pepperballs at protesters. The feds say Chicago area immigration arrests have totaled around 550 since the operation began less than two weeks ago. Reverend David Black leads a Southside Presbyterian congregation. He joined protesters at a suburban immigration and customs enforcement. facility. What ICE is doing in Chicago and throughout the country is utterly abhorrent. Jesus,

he came into the world to stand in the way of evil, to put his body in the way of evil. Black was among protesters hit with pepper balls and spray. At least two people were arrested during a morning protest and four more later in the day. For NPR News, I'm Chip Mitchell in Chicago. Texas A&M President Mark Welsh stepped down on Friday after more than a week of turmoil sparked by a video that went viral. It showed a student confronting an instructor over her teachings of issues related to gender identity in a children's literature class. Houston Public Media's Bianca Seward reports. Welsh, a retired general, did not offer a specific reason for stepping down.

But last week, a Republican Texas lawmaker posted video of the confrontation on social media and called the professor's actions, quote, DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination. Texas Governor Greg Abbott also called for her termination. and the instructor was later fired. Sophomore Ariana Aguilar said she's concerned about the Board of Regents' focus. I think it's really important to really re-examine what the Board of Reagents is supporting and who they're supporting, which is, you know, the entire student body, not just the perspective of some people.

Welsh is now the fourth university employee to be dismissed or demoted since the video surfaced. The instructor in the video has appealed her termination. I'm Bianca Seward in Houston. This is NPR. A cyber attack has disrupted. air travel at several major European airports. The breach targeted a service provider used for check-in and boarding systems. Brussels and Berlin airports were hit Friday night, forcing staff to process passengers manually, causing major delays. Officials at London Heathrow, Europe's

busiest airport, also reported a technical issue tied to the same provider. Lawyers for 11 West African migrants deported by the U.S. to Ghana say their clients are suing. the West African country, claiming they were held in a secret location against their will. And PR's Emmanuel Akanwatu reports. Ghana's government has denied it is holding any of the men deported from the US in a detention camp, as claimed by their lawyers. 13 are from Nigeria, and one is from Gambia, according to the Ghanaian government, which said the men had all been returned to their home countries.

But lawyers for the migrants say 11 are still in Ghana. At least four of the migrants refused to be sent back to their countries for fear of persecution, their lawyers said. And a court filing against Ghana's government said the migrants were forced to go to Ghana under, quote, the instruction or connivance of foreign and local actors, unquote, implicating the United States. Immanuel Akimoto, NPR News, Lagos. Fat Bear Week in Alaska's Catmai National Park, it's underway next week. The annual competition celebrates bulking brown bears as they pack on pounds for hibernation. Fans around the world can vote online for their favorite contestant.

This is NPR News.