NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-21-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: September 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Thousands of people will attend the memorial service of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Arizona today. The 31-year-old was shot to death while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University earlier this month. NPR's Elena Moore reports from Glendale. 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. California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation that bans most law enforcement from wearing facial coverings while on duty. Herardo Zavala of Cap Radio reports is the first bill of its kind in the nation. The law comes in response to increased immigration enforcement in California, including the raids that sparked a massive protest in Los Angeles this summer. During a press conference in Los Angeles, Newsom recalled a recent ICE detention. These masked men did not provide any information.

name, badge number, hidden from accountability, any transparency, any oversight. That's Trump's America, but it is not the America we've grown up in. But the question of whether or not state lawmakers can regulate federal law enforcement remains unclear and could end up in the courts. This law takes effect next year. ICE declined to comment. For NPR News, I'm Herrata Zavala in Sacramento. President Trump has tab Florida attorney and senior White House aide, Lindsay Halle,

to be the new federal prosecutor in Virginia. NPR's Marie Andrewsovich reports the nomination comes after Eric Siebert resigned under pressure from President Trump on Friday. Siebert drew the president's ire for failing to bring criminal charges against New York Attorney General and Trump political foe Letitia James after a month's long investigation. James is accused of mortgage fraud, a charge she denies. Trump nominee Lindsey Halligan represented him during the FBI's investigation of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Halligan currently works in the White House, where one of her tasks included removing, quote, and proper ideology from the Smithsonian.

In a truth social post announcing the nomination, Trump called Halligan tough, smart, and loyal. The announcement comes as Trump presses his attorney general, Pam Bondi, to move forward with pursuing cases against a number of other political opponents. Marie-Andrusovich NPR News, Washington. This is NPR News in Washington. The White House is scrapping the federal government's annual report on hunger in America, calling it politicized and inaccurate. The move comes two and a half months after President Trump signed legislation slashing food aid to low-income families. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that change could leave 3 million people ineligible for food stamps.

A satirical British comedy show is returning after a long hiatus. Vicki Barker reports from London. In its heyday, Spitting Image, with its caricature puppets, mercilessly skewered Britain's free market prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. If the unemployed are hungry, why don't they eat their own bodies? Well, Spitting Image is back. You can't just bomb everyone. Watch me.

Oh, ow. With equally savage takedowns of President Trump and Prince Harry, among others. This time, though, airing on YouTube. Asked why, co-writer Al Murray told the BBC. Well, I mean, we're not going to get that on the BBC, are we? Indeed. The series title alone, the rest is bull. Well, you'll have to complete that fault. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker, in London. Authorities in Hong Kong evacuated about 6,000 city residents after a World War II era bomb was discovered in a busy area on the island. Officials say the device was about five feet long and weighed about 1,000 pounds. Hong Kong was occupied by Japan during the war, serving as a base

for the Japanese military and shipping. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.