NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-21-2025 11AM EDT

Episode Date: September 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the memorial service of conservative activist Charlie Kirk today in Glendale, Arizona. The 31-year-old was shot to death on the campus of Utah Valley University earlier this month. NPR's Elena Moore reports. Charlie Kirk was the co-founder of Turning Point USA. He was a close ally of President Trump and one of the most prominent young leaders within the MAGA movement. His assassination has reverberated across all levels of Republican politics, from the grassroots conservative space all the way to the White House.

It's a connection likely to be emphasized at his funeral, where both Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance will speak. Supporters will also hear from Kirk's widow, Erica Kirk, who on Thursday was named the new CEO of Turning Point and has vowed to keep her late husband's movement alive. Elena Moore, NPR News, Glendale, Arizona. Canada, Australia, Portugal, and the U.K. today recognize the state of Palestine. France is reportedly poised to do so when world leaders gathered at the U.N. this week. Vicki Barker has more from London. Back in July, British Prime Minister Kirstarmer said the U.K. would recognize Palestine if Israel hadn't honored a ceasefire in Gaza and agreed to a two-state solution by the next U.N. General Assembly.

Israel didn't. And so, two days before the U.N. and General Assembly, Starmer, has. I state clearly as prime minister of this great country that the United Kingdom formally recognizes the state of Palestine. Starmer insisted the move is not rewarding Hamas, which would have no role in any independent Palestinian state. For NPR news, I'm Vicky Barker in London.

Health officials in Gaza say at least 31 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City overnight. Israel says the city is the last bastion of Amos. Tropical storm Gabrielle is gaining strength and could become a hurricane by tonight. The storm has sustained winds of about 65 miles per hour and is moving towards Bermuda. NPR's Ava Poucatch reports. Gabrielle is forecast to pass east of Bermuda Sunday evening into Monday. David Roth, a forecaster of the National Weather Service, says while Bermuda is not forecast to have have a direct hit from Gabrielle, the storm could create swells and life-threatening surf conditions. It doesn't take that much wind-produce rip currents, so there's always a possibility

in addition to the swell coming out from the storm of rip currents, too. Swells could also reach the east coast of the U.S. north of North Carolina in the coming days. Gabriel is the seventh-named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends November 30th. Eva Poochatch, NPR News. This is NPR News in Washington. An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met last week on vaccines. It recommended that people consult with a medical provider before getting one. It also voted to add some theoretical risks of taking vaccines to a consumer information sheet,

even risks that have not been proven. The panel was selected by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert of Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic. Brown bears in Alaska's Catmine National Park and Preserve have been packing on the pounds this summer. This week, they'll face off in the annual Fat Bear Week competition. Alaska Public Media's Ava White reports. The name of the event, Fat Bear Week, says it all. It's a week of celebrating how chubby the bears get in preparation for months of hibernation.

And these bears get huge. Sarah Bruce is a park ranger at Catmai. She says it's stunning to watch the bears. transform as they feast on the world's largest sock-eye salmon run. It really is quite a sight to see these bears go from 5, 6, 700 pounds, and they come out of the den to over 1,000 pounds by the end of the season. 12 chunky contenders will face off in the bracket-style competition, which opens for online voting at Explore.org Tuesday and runs through September 30th.

For NPR News, I'm Ava White in Anchorage. A different sort of winner was announced early this morning in Moscow. Vietnam won the Intervision Song Contest, which Russia revived after it was banned from the Eurovision Song Contest for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The winning song was based on a folk tale about a king who repelled an enemy army. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.