NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-21-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: September 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. A memorial service is underway in a packed stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Tens of thousands of people are honoring the life and work of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated September 10th during a campus appearance in Utah. Republican Congresswoman Anna Polina Luna of Florida said she watched him mature over the years. I saw Charlie grow from a young man with conferences of a few hundred people to one of the most powerful men in the world, walking alongside presidents and titans. I saw him grow a beautiful family, all the while remaining a humble leader who quietly raised up others to forward the movement.

Kirk founded Turning Point USA, a group that President Trump credits with helping him win the 2024 election. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance are scheduled to speak shortly. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced his government will officially recognize a Palestinian Palestinian state. This comes ahead of the United Nations General Assembly, which is grappling with the ongoing unrest in the Middle East. Dan Carpenshuk reports. Carney says the recognition is firmly aligned with the principles of self-determination and fundamental human rights reflected in the UN Charter and is consistent with Canadian policy. Major international allies, such as Britain and Australia, have taken a similar decision.

Others are expected to do so this week in New York at the UN's General Assembly. But Carney says because of the pervasive threat of Hamas to Israel and the spread of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the possibility of peace talks has been gravely eroded. The move has already been condemned by Jewish organizations in Canada and will likely further anger the Trump administration in Washington. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpenchuk in Toronto. The Trump administration is threatening to withhold federal transit money from Boston and Chicago. NPR's Joel Rose reports, they're the latest thing. cities to face criticism from the Transportation Department over safety on public transit. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been blunt in his criticism of mass transit.

Public transportation has become an epidemic of violence and homelessness across the country. That's Duffy on Fox News last week. The Transportation Department has sent letters urging transit systems in New York, Los Angeles, and other cities to do more to keep riders and transit workers safe and threatening to withhold federal funding if they don't. Transit experts say that trains and buses are still overwhelmingly safe, though there has been a pronounced shift in the kinds of crime happening in transit systems with violent assaults replacing robbery and theft as top concerns in New York and elsewhere. Joel Rose, NPR News. The National Hurricane Center is tracking Tropical Storm Gabrielle as it turns in the Atlantic with the maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour. It's expected to pass east of Bermuda tomorrow and could strengthen into a hurricane by tonight.

This is NPR News in Washington. Several major European airports are trying to restore normal operations after a cyber attack. It began Friday and was directed at check-in and boarding systems, forcing airlines to resort to manual operations. Flight cancellations and delays continue today. The Brussels airport is asking airlines to cancel half their departures tomorrow due to persistent problems. People with rheumatoid arthritis now have a new treatment option. NPR's John Hamilton reports on a device that reduces inflammation by stimulating a nerve in the neck. The surgically implanted device made by Set Point Medical was approved this summer by the Food and Drug Administration.

It uses pulses of electricity delivered to the vagus nerve to activate the body's own system for reducing inflammation. Lynn Milam was a patient in the clinical trial that led to the device's approval. Three weeks in, my elbow. pain was completely gone. My hands didn't hurt anymore. The swelling started going away. The device is placed through a small incision in the neck and delivers electrical pulses for about a minute each day. It is approved for people with rheumatoid arthritis that hasn't responded to drug treatment. John Hamilton and PR News. Fat Bear Week begins Tuesday. It's an annual competition for brown bears at the Catn Mine National Park in Alaska. Fats a good quality for them

because it makes it more likely they'll survive the winter hibernation. Voting for the fattest bear begins Tuesday at explore.org and then September 30th. Last year, more than a million votes were cast from 100 countries. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.