NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-21-2025 8PM 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 in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. Tens of thousands gathered in Arizona today to remember Charlie Kirk, the right-wing activist who was assassinated earlier this month. As I'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 described 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. The UK, Canada, and Australia have formally recognized the state of Palestine. It's a push by major Western countries to revive the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel's prime minister, though, is vowed to retaliate. If here's Daniel Estrin, has more.

Netanyahu said in a video, there will be no Palestinian state to the west of the Jordan River, referring to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He said that would reward terrorism after the Hamas attack that started the Gaza war. Netanyahu said Israel's response would come after his trip this week to the U.S., where he'll address the U.N. and meet President Trump. A person briefed on the matter, but not authorized to speak publicly, told NPR, Israel would likely not annex West Bank land out of concern the United Arab Emirates could cut ties with Israel,

but that Israel could change the status of some West Bank land, putting it under Israel's full administrative control. Another move being considered is closing foreign diplomatic missions to the Palestinians. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Texas saw the biggest increase in the rate of uninsured children in the country, between 2022 and 2024.

Abigail Ruman of Member Station, KERA, reports. Texas once again had the highest rate of uninsured children in 2024 at about 13%, more than double the national average. Lynn Coles is with the Research and Advocacy Group every Texan. She says many more kids are at risk of losing their coverage due to changes in the federal budget. She says more than half a million Texas children are enrolled in the federal health insurance marketplace.

These are the middle-income families who will, really, really get hit by the expiration of the enhanced advanced premium tax credit. That tax credit was designed to make Affordable Care Act coverage, more affordable. Cole says the risk extends to adults with ACA coverage and people enrolled in Medicaid plans. I'm Abigail Ruman in Dallas. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. On a rare trip to China today, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, told Premier Lee Chung, the country's number two leader, that the world's two biggest accomplice,

economies need to step up engagement, break the ice, and both countries need to work to stabilize ties. The trip, organized by Democratic Representative Adam Smith, is the first House visit since 2019, just before the COVID pandemic, ended formal house visits. After that, relations between the U.S. and China soured over the origins of the virus. The trip follows a call last week between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Brown bears in Alaska's Catmite National Park and Preserve have been packing a lot of on the pounds this summer. And this week, they will 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 site to see these bears go from 5, 6, 700 pounds when 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.

U.S. futures contracts are trading lower at this hour. Dow futures are down about 1 tenth of a percent. I'm Janine Herbst. NPR News in Washington. This message 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 C's Apply.