NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-21-2025 8AM EDT

Episode Date: September 21, 2025

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Hey, it's Rachel Martin. I'm the host of Wildcard from NPR. For a lot of my years as a radio host, silence sort of made me nervous. That pause before an answer, because you don't know what's going on on the other side of the mic. But these days, I love it. Hmm. Ah. Gosh. Give me a minute. Yeah, yeah. Think. Listen to the Wild Card podcast, only from NPR.

Live from the NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Thousands of people will attend the memorial service of conservative activist Charlie Kirk today in Glendale, Arizona. NPRs, Elena Moore reports the 31-year-old was shot to death on the campus of Utah Valley University earlier this month. 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. President Trump says a major announcement on autism will be made on Monday. At a dinner hosted by the American Cornerstone Institute last night, Trump told supporters to brace what he called very big news. He didn't offer details, but referenced a pledge by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to find the cause of autism by September.

We can't let people keep doing this. I don't want to wait any longer. We don't need anything more. And if it's wrong, it's not going to be wrong, but if it is wrong, it's not going to be wrong. it's fine that we have to do it because we're going to have an announcement on autism on Monday. Kennedy and other Trump administration officials have publicly made statements linking autism to vaccines and other medications, despite a lack of scientific research to support their claims.

President Trump is adding a $100,000 fee to H-1B visas, which are especially popular among B visas, among big tech companies. NPR's Maria Aspen reports more than half a million people in the U.S. are on those visas. The H-1B visa program is intended for highly skilled workers, such as software engineers. Congress allows 85,000 of them to be issued every year through a lottery, and the competition is fierce. Amazon, Microsoft, and other big tech companies hire thousands of such workers every year, and until now, it didn't cost them much. But, President Trump and critics across the political spectrum say that companies abuse the program to exploit workers.

Trump said in his executive order that companies use H-1B visas to replace American workers with lower-paid immigrants. And a study by the Economic Policy Institute found that most H-1B employers do pay migrant workers less than market rate salaries. Maria Aspen, NPR News, New York. This is NPR. California governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation that bans most law enforcement officers from covering their faces while conducting official business. Newsom says it's necessary pushback against what he calls authoritarian behavior from the Trump administration. We're not North Korea, Mr. President. We're not the Soviet Union. It's the United States of America. The law mainly targets immigration agents who wear facial coverings while detaining immigrants.

It's likely to be challenged in court before it's set to take effect in January. Taylor Swift is heading back to movie theaters with her upcoming 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. MPR's Ava Poochatch reports the singer has once again partnered with AMC theaters to release the film. The official release party of a showgirl coincides with the release of Swift's 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. See the exclusive world premiere of the fate of Ophelia music video. along with behind-the-scenes footage from the music video shoot, brand-new lyric videos, and stories about each song from my new album, The Life of a Showgirl.

The 89-minute film Mark Swift's second collaboration with AMC theaters following the 2023 release of the Ares Tour concert film, which AMC says is the highest grossing concert film of all time, grossing more than $261 million. The official release party of a showgirl will screen October 3rd through 5th. says dancing is optional, but very much encouraged. Ava Pugatch, NPR News. This is NPR News in Washington.