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

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

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At Alt Latino, we celebrate Latin music all year round. But during Latin Music Month, we really amp it up. Once again, we're turning the Tiny Desk into El Taini and bringing you 11 hot-off-the-desk performances. Hear musical giants like Gloria Estefan in a more intimate setting. And get to know newer artists like Macario Martinez. Celebrate Latinidad with us all month long on the Alt Latino podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump's expected to announce this afternoon that pregnant women who take acetaminopin, the active ingredient in Tylenol, run a higher risk their babies will develop autism spectrum disorder.

Wall Street Journal reporter Liz Esley White says the science behind the administration's claim remains inconclusive. I would not say that there is scientific consensus. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which is the Professional Association for Doctors who take care pregnant women, they still recommend Tylenol and. acetaminopin to treat fever during pregnancy because a risk that you run up against is that fever during pregnancy can also harm developing infants. And so it's a real pickle for pregnant women the doctors who treat them. Liz Sessley White on NPR's here and now. Disney says it's putting Jimmy Kimmel back on the air tomorrow night. The announcement comes hours after more than 400 of the biggest names in entertainment signed an open letter from the ACLU to condemn Disney-owned ABC's decision to suspend the late-night host over remarks in which he appeared to criticize MAGA rhetoric against liberal ideology in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination nearly two weeks ago.

A day after Kirk's memorial service in Arizona, NPR's Lain & Moore reports on what may be next for the Turning Point USA movement Kirk co-founded. Charlie Kirk was part political activist, part media personality. It's a job no single person can take over, says Turning Point spokesman Andrew Colvitt. I think that would be the worst way. to analyze this situation. So he says Kirk's team is stepping up. The right way to analyze this situation is to say, what can I do? And I will tell you, it's a total refrain in the office right now.

It's like, what would Charlie have wanted in this moment? Last week, Erica Kirk, his widow, became the new CEO of the organization. She's pledged to continue turning points on-campus events and keep airing Kirk's popular podcast, which since his death has been hosted by a slew of prominent right-wing leaders, along with Vice President J.D. Vance. Elena Moore, M.P.R. News, Phoenix, Arizona. As the Jewish high holidays begin this evening with Rosh Hashanah, synagogues in the U.S. are paying special attention to security. NPR's Jason DeBrow's reports.

From attacks on Jews in Boulder, Colorado commemorating hostages in Gaza to the killings outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., anti-Semitic acts of violence have been on the rise. At a recent security briefing on Capitol Hill, the Jewish Federation of North America's Julie Platt said the High Holy Days have many citizens. synagogues acutely focusing on safety. What we had once done in an abundance of caution has become a deadly, serious effort to ensure that no hater who wants to cause harm will succeed in turning a holiday into a tragedy. A number of U.S. cities are increasing police patrols around synagogues, many of which also have private security measures in place. Jason DeRose, NPR News.

This is NPR. The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing President Trump to fire for now, Rebecca Slaughter, a Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission while it hears arguments in the case in December. At issue is whether the president has the authority to dismiss the heads of those agencies that are protected by Congress. Heavy security surrounds United Nations headquarters in New York. Leaders from around the world are preparing to attend the 80th U.N. General Assembly High-Level Week, which starts tomorrow. Tangier Island, Virginia, is one of the last inhabited islands in the Chesapeake Bay and its under threat from climate change. Since 1850, the island has lost two-thirds of its landmast to erosion and sea level rise. NPR's Julie Deppenbrock report. Scientists predict the island could be underwater before the next century. Tangier Islands sits just three feet above sea level. Every year, the waters rise by at least a quarter of an inch.

That's enough to increase flooding and turn areas. that were once solid ground into wetlands. Experts predict it would cost between 250 and 350 million to fully protect and restore the island. Here's the mayor of Tangier, James Eskridge. It's a lot of money for us, but to the government, it's just pocket change. When I talk about saving Tangier, I'm not just talking about a small piece of land. I'm talking about a culture, a way of life. Residents see the construction of seawalls and the use of dredged material as potential strategies to protect against

erosion, sea level rise, and storms. Julie Deppenbrock, NPR News, Tangier Island, Virginia. The Dow's closed up 66 points. It's NPR News.