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

Episode Date: September 20, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. Russia is denying charges. It again violated NATO airspace. Several fighter jets are accused of flying over the skies of NATO member state, Estonia. NPR's Charles Means has more from Moscow. Russia's defense ministries said three-mig fighter jets were on a scheduled flight from northwest Russia to the exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea and never deviated from their dedicated flight path. NATO tells a different story. It says Alliance fighter jets scramble to intercept the Russian planes after they entered Estonia's airspace for a full 12 minutes and what Estonian authorities called an unprecedentedly brazen incursion. The incident comes just a week after NATO fighter jets fired on more than 20 Russian drones spotted over the skies of member state Poland.

Russia denied intentionally targeting that NATO member. The Western governments suggest Russia was likely out to probe NATO's eastern defenses. Charles Mainz MPR News, Moscow. The Trump administration is threatening to withhold federal funding from transit agencies in Boston and Chicago over concerns about crime and safety. Jeremy Siegel of member station GBAH reports the warning came in a pair of letters sent by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. In his letters to the heads of Chicago's CTA and the MBTA in Boston, Duffy urged both agencies to, quote, take actions that enhance safety and reduce crime. crime or risk a loss of federal support. Jim Aloisi is the former head of Massachusetts State

Transportation Department. He says it's a mostly empty threat. The day-to-day operations of the T or CTA are not funded at all by the federal government. So the threat of pulling that money is not existing because it doesn't exist. Still, Duffy is asking both agencies to turn over documents related to plans to reduce crime. The move comes amid a broader federal effort. to exert more control over transit hubs around the country. For NPR News, I'm Jeremy Siegel in Boston. Stocks posted another record-setting week, with the Dow Jones rising nearly 500 points. As NPR's Wafi-Lanam reports, investors were comforted by the Federal Reserve's first interest rate cut this year.

The Fed cut rates by a quarter percentage point, signing concerns about the weakening labor market. Investors liked the decision, sending stocks higher. but many remain concerned about the external tensions surrounding the central bank. That's because this week's policy meeting was the first to include new Fed Governor Stephen Myron, who is temporarily joining the central bank after taking a leave of absence as a White House advisor. His appointment is being seen as another way President Trump is threatening the central bank's independence. Rafael NPR News. This is NPR News from Washington.

As a possible federal shutdown looms at the end of the month, the Democratic leaders of Congress are demanding a meeting with President Trump to negotiate. Senator Chuck Schumer and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries say Republicans at Trump's insistence have refused to enter talks. The leaders want a meeting with Trump to prevent what they call, quote, your decision to shut down federal offices, if no action is taken by September 3rd, In a letter, the two Democrats say they want to talk about the Republicans, quote, desire to continue to gut the health care of the American people. Columbia has topped a list of environmental activists killed or disappeared for the third year in a row. And here's Jeff Radio reports the group, Global Witness, says Latin America remains the deadliest region for such attacks.

Global Witness has documented deaths and disappearances of environmental activists globally since 2012. Over a dozen years, it says at least 2,253 activists were killed or disappeared. In 2024, Colombia was first with 48 people, followed by Guatemala, Mexico, and Brazil. Indigenous people make up a disproportionately large share of the victims. Deaths and disappearances in some countries with authoritarian leaders, such as China, may be underreported. Report authors say the number of killings and disappearances last year was lower than in 2023, but Global Witness has documented a growth in criminalizing activism in some countries, including the U.S., United Kingdom, and Australia.

Jeff Brady, NPR News. And I'm Janine Hurst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.