NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-22-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingley. Britain, Canada, and Australia have announced formal recognition of a Palestinian state. The country's issued statements ahead of this week's meeting of the UN General Assembly. It begins today. France says it will do the same during the UN meetings. Linda Fasullo has more. The General Assembly's High-Level Week is occurring against a background of active wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and elsewhere. and numerous humanitarian crises, as well as concerns over human rights violations,

climate change, poverty, and hunger. There will be several meetings today, including one focusing on Palestine and a two-state solution, which neither the U.S. nor Israel will be attending. That's Linda Fasulow reporting. The widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk says she forgives her husband's killer. NPR's Luke Garrett reports on yesterday's memorial service for Kirk, attended by tens of thousands of people in Arizona. Erica Kirk spoke for nearly an hour

at a Pax State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. She remembered her last moments with Kirk and then forgave his alleged killer. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do. Erica Kirk then assured the crowd that she will lead Kirk's Turning Point USA and its mission for young men in America.

To all the men watching around the world, except Charlie's challenge. and embrace true manhood. She also thanked the second lady, Ushah Vance, for her comfort in the days following Kirk's assassination. Erica Kirk was among a long list of speakers, including President Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Donald Trump, Jr.

Luke Garrett, NPR News. President Trump is offering more details about the agreement reached with China's President Xi Jinping to allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. As NPR's John Rewich reports, Trump says the deal involved, some titans of the media and tech world. Trump said this about some of the people involved in the deal on Fox News on Sunday.

They're very well-known people, and Larry Ellison's one of them. He's involved. He's a great guy. Michael Dell is involved. I hate to tell you this, but a man named Lachlan. Ellison is co-founder of the software company Oracle. Dell founded the computer company Dell Technologies, and Lacklin refers to Lackland Murdoch,

heir to Rupert Murdoch's Media Empire, which includes Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. A law passed last year bans TikTok in the United States unless control of the app is transferred from its Chinese parent company. The Trump administration has been trying to broker a deal, but the issue has been tied up in broader frictions than have dogged U.S.-China relations. John Rewich, NPR News. The president has extended the deadline for China's bike dance to sell the video app as required by Congress several times. Wall Street futures are lower this morning. This is NPR News from Washington.

California is banning most federal law enforcement officers from covering their faces while carrying out raids and other official business. They include immigration agents. It's the first state to do so and comes in response to recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law over the weekend. In Florida, the defense is scheduled to begin making its case. today in the trial of the man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump last year at his golf course in West Palm Beach. Trump was running for a second term in the White House at the time. As NPR's Greg Allen reports, Ryan Ruth is representing himself in court.

Prosecutors presented 38 witnesses who described in detail Ruth's activities in the weeks and months before the alleged attempt on Trump's life. They said cell phone data and photos from license plate readers showed that for more than a month before he was arrested, Ruth was living in his SUV at a truck stop and spending as much as 16 hours some days in the area of Trump's West Palm Beach Golf Club. A secret service agent and another witness identified as the man who was detected and then fled from what prosecutors call a sniper's hide at the golf course. Ruth, who's pleaded not guilty to all charges, has just three witnesses listed to testify in his defense. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

Japanese automaker Nissan says it's working to develop self-driving technology, much like rivals Toyota, Honda, and General Motors. Nissan has cut thousands of jobs and appointed a new CEO in recent months. The automaker posted losses in the most recent quarter and fiscal year. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.