NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-21-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

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Support for NPR and the following message come from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, whose bequest serves as an enduring investment in the future of public radio and seeks to help NPR produce programming that meets the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression. Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Hurst. Tens of thousands gathered in Arizona today to remember Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist who was assassinated earlier this month. As M. Pierce Tamara Keith reports, President Trump was among the speakers. The event in a packed NFL stadium was part memorial, part Christian revival, and part political rally, complete with pyrotechnics that showered sparks as speakers took the stage. Trump said Kirk was murdered by a radicalized, cold-blooded monster.

And so on that terrible day, September 10th, 2025, our greatest evangelist for American liberty became immortal. He's a martyr now for American freedom. Many of the speakers describe Kirk as a martyr whose death would give rise to an even stronger conservative movement. In emotional remarks, Kirk's widow, Erica, said she forgives the man who killed him. Tamara Keith, NPR News, traveling with the president. Canada, the UK, and Australia have formally recognized Palestine as a state despite opposition from the U.S. and Israel. MPi Shandalee's Duster has more. Prime Minister Kier Starrmer says the country will recognize Palestine as a state to move toward peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Today, we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also. A pledge to the Palestinian and Israeli people that there can be a better future. President Trump previously said he disagree with plans to recognize Palestine as a state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video on Sunday, quote, there will be no Palestinian state west of the Jordan. The leaders of Portugal and France say their countries will also recognize Palestine as a state. Shandalee's Duster, NPR News. The Department of Agriculture will end a food insecurity survey that's been published every year since the Clinton administration.

And Pierce Jordan Marie Smith has more. Data from the annual household food security report helps nutrition and food policy experts work to end hunger in the U.S. The Trump administration says it's ending the survey because, quote, redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous studies do nothing more than fearmonger. Some experts say that without that information, abating or ending hunger in the U.S. will become increasingly more difficult. Here's Crystal Fitzsimons, president of the Food Research and Access Center. The National Food Insecurity Survey is a critical, reliable data source that shows how many families in America, struggle to put food on the table.

The last report will be published by the Trump administration in October, using data from 2024, according to the Associated Press. Jordan Marie Smith, NPR News. Asia markets are trading a mixed territory at this hour. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Topical magnesium is a popular health trend. Many social media influencers claim it improves sleep, but there's little evidence to support the fat.

And Pierce, Katie O'Riddle has more. Magnesium supplements have long been thought to be helpful for sleep, though there isn't much science to support this claim. There's even less evidence that magnesium lotion would promote sleep, despite what many TikTokers would have people believe. John Winkleman is a sleep specialist at Harvard. He says he has never recommended any kind of magnesium for sleep. I'm a great believer in scientific evidence, and if somebody making a claim that something

works. I'm going to say prove it. That says, says Winkleman, if magnesium lotion is working for you, there's probably very little harm in using it. Katie Riddle in PR News. At the weekend box office, Demon Slayer, Infinity Castle took the top spot once again, adding $17 million in ticket sales. That makes it the highest grossing anime film ever in North America. In second place, Universal Pictures Him, a football horror produced by Jordan Peel, debut. with $13 million. Despite its promising premise, the film received four reviews. In third place, another horror, The Conjuring Last Rights, with $13 million in its third weekend, with a global total nearing $400 million, it's now the biggest film in the conjuring universe.

In fourth place, a tie with the Long Walk and Downton Abbey, the grand finale, both taking in $6 million. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington. comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit wise.com. T's and Cs apply.