NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-22-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, D.C. I'm Dale Wilman. Tens of thousands of people paid tribute Sunday to Charlie Kirk. The conservative activist was killed on September 10th while he was giving a talk in Utah. At a memorial service in Arizona, his widow, Erica Kirk, offered words of encouragement to her husband's followers. And one of the things he wrote in his journal was this. Every time you make a decision, it puts a moment. mark on your soul to those of you out there who just made that decision and took the first step toward a spiritual life. I say thank you and welcome. President Trump also spoke crediting

Kirk with playing a pivotal role in his 2024 election victory. The UK, Canada, and Australia have formerly recognized a Palestinian state. It's a push by major Western, countries to revive the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate, MPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. 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 UN 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.

NPR has learned that Trump administration has installed a new acting director at the U.S. Census Bureau. As NPR's Hansila Wong reports, the leadership change comes after President Trump revived a push to alter a special set of numbers that influence elections for president and the House of Representatives. Before starting to lead the largest federal statistical agency, George Cook worked as a, quote, institutional investor and economic analyst. That's according to a Census Bureau's staff email shared with NPR. Federal law requires the Bureau's permanent director to have a demonstrated ability in managing large organizations and experience in collecting statistical data. Some census advocates are concerned Cook has no obvious qualifications to head the Bureau as it prepares for a national headcount that's set to determine how many congressional house seats and electoral college votes each day gets after 2030. The 14th Amendment says that count must include the, quote, whole number of persons in each state. President Trump has revived a call to exclude people living in the states without legal status.

Anzi Lwang, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. Wall Street ended last week riding a high, brought on by lower interest rates, but this week could bring it back to reality. As NPR's Maria Aspen reports, investors will be watching updates on the housing market and how shoppers are feeling about grocery prices. The Federal Reserve has lowered the cost of borrowing for the first time this year,

as it wrestles with signs of weakness in the job market. But investors are thrilled. U.S. markets ended the week at record highs. Now Wall Street will be listening closely for more clues about how the economy is doing. On Wednesday, the government will release an update on how many new homes were sold in August, with economists expecting a slight slowdown from a month earlier. And on Thursday, Costco will report its quarterly financial results, which could shed some light on how shoppers are dealing with tariffs and rising. grocery prices. Maria Aspen, NPR News, New York. After back-to-back weekends in which movies overperformed financially, the take-in North American box offices this weekend went down by just

about a half. The anime flick Demon Slayer, Infinity Castle, held on to the first place slot, bringing in $17.3 million in its second week of distribution. It edged out the sports movie Him, which came in second, with $13.5 million in ticket sales. Him is about a promising young quarterback who trains with a veteran at an isolated compound. The Conjuring, last rites, finished in third while the Long Walk and down in Abbey tied for fourth place. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.