NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-22-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, D.C. I'm Dale Wilman. Thousands of people waited in lines for hours to attend a memorial for Charlie Kirk in Arizona on Sunday. Many attendees say that he felt a personal connection to the slain conservative activist. From member station KJZZ in Phoenix, Wayne Shutsky reports. Vanessa Gomez and her husband stood in line outside of the memorial with their three young children. She said she had met Kirk's wife, Erica Kirk, and they bonded over their babies. Due to a no bag and no stroller policy at the memorial, Gomez wore her son in a carrier and balanced diapers in her left hand. But she says dealing with those inconveniences was worth it.

We grew up without our fathers, and we're trying to do right by our kids and give them good values. We think Charlie Kirk was such a good role model in all of that. Another attendee, Tanya Ortiz, says she saw Kirk speak at her church in a Phoenix suburb. And Ricky Skagen of Scottsdale, Arizona, says he attended the memorial as a form of therapy for his teenage son, Boston, who was in the crowd when Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Utah University. For NPR news, I'm Wayne Shutsky in Phoenix. The UK, Canada, and Australia, formerly recognized a Palestinian state on Sunday. The initiative from the longtime allies of Israel reflects growing international outrage at Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza.

British Prime Minister Kier Starrmer says the move is not a reward for Hamas, but an effort to move toward calm in the region. In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, We are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution. That means a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state. At the moment, we have neither. Later today, the UN Security Council is expected to discuss the most recent Russian incursions into NATO airspace. As Terry Schultz reports, this comes at the request of Estonia, whose airspace was highlighted just last week. Estonia wants the highest possible international visibility for the latest

incursion. On Friday, three Russian Meg 31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland and remained there for 12 minutes before being escorted out by Finnish-Swedish and Italian planes, operating as part of NATO's new Eastern Century mission. But the head of the Estonian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, Marco Mikkelsen, says he fears a Russian plane will have to be shot down by NATO jets before Moscow stops the provocative behavior. We have to make sure that Russians will understand that this is not excluded. NATO will hold a special meeting at Estonia's request on Tuesday. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Helsinki.

Asian markets move slightly higher on Monday, as markets weigh the monetary path forward for the Federal Reserve after last week's interest rate cut. India's benchmark index, though, slipped after the Trump administration said on Friday that it would charge $100,000 for new H-1B worker visas. This is NPR News. A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers were in China on Sunday.

During a meeting with Premier Li Chung, they pushed for more military-to-military dialogue between the two countries and discussed trade and the world economy. Lee welcomed, the delegates, led by Democratic Representative Adam Smith of Washington, and he called the visit an ice-breaking trip that will improve ties between the U.S. and China. Texas saw the largest increase in the rate of uninsured children in the country between 2020. and 2024. And as Abigail Ruman, the member station KERA reports, experts warn those numbers will likely get worse. Texas once again had the highest rate of uninsured children in 2024 at about 13 percent, 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. WNBA star Asia Wilson Sunday won the WNBA MVP Award. It's an unprecedented fourth win for the Las Vegas Aces Star. Three

other players have won the award three times. Wilson led the league in both scoring and block shots and helped the Aces win their last 16 regular season games that gave the Aces a number two seed in the playoffs. I'm D.L. Wilman, NPR News.