NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-22-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

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Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life. Powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the shortwave podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump announced the Food and Drug Administration will notify doctors that pregnant women should not take Tylenol, claiming it increases the risk of autism in babies. The maker of Tylenol released a statement ahead of the speech defending the over-the-counter

drug as safe for expectant moms. But speaking at the White House today, Trump said he's convinced a link exists. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary. That's, for instance, in cases of extremely high fever that you feel you can't tough it out. This is the administration's latest move questioning the science of commonly used medications from vaccines to abortion pills. Autism affects one in 31 children in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers have attributed an increase in diagnosed autism cases to greater awareness of the disorder.

ABC says Jimmy Kimmel's show will return to broadcast after it was suspended last week. NPR's Anastasia Tsulkus reports that the late-night host will return to the airwaves tomorrow. In a written statement, Disney, ABC's parent company, says, quote, We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. Critics of the administration have said Kimmel's suspension was an attack on free speech. ABC suspended Kimmel last Wednesday under pressure from the Trump administration. after Kimmel criticized conservative responses

to the assassination of political activist and close Trump ally Charlie Kirk. Disney says it is reinstating Kimmel after, quote, thoughtful conversations with Jimmy. Anastasia Tsulukas and PR News, New York. Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Myron says he thinks interest rates could be a lot lower without any risk of overheating the economy.

But as NPR's Scott Horsley reports, Myron has so far not managed to persuade any of his colleagues at the central bank. When the Federal Reserve decided to lower its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point last week, Stephen Myron cast the loan dissenting vote. He favored a bigger half-point rate cut. He also signaled that he believes rate should end the year more than a full percentage point lower than they are now.

Lyon told the Economic Club in New York he'll keep agitating for big rate cuts, even if none of his colleagues goes along. I'm not going to vote for something I don't believe in just for the sake of creating an illusion of consensus. where there is none. Myron is on leave from his job as a White House economist. President Trump, who appointed Myron to the Fed Board, has also been pushing for much lower interest rates.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. U.S. stocks set more record highs today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 66 points to 46,381. The NASDAQ closed up 157 points. This is NPR. Schools and offices were closed today in the Philippines, and Taiwan is one of this year's strongest typhoons threatens to cause flooding and landslides.

The storm is heading west and forecast to pass south of Taiwan and Hong Kong before landfall on the Chinese mainland later this week. Alaska's Catmai National Park and Reserve is home to the world's largest salmon run and some really fat bears. Twelve of them are vying to win the annual online Fat Bear Week competition. Alaska Public Media's Ava White has more. Thousands of people around the world are watching webcams trained on the famously fat bears feasting on salmon and catmye. Attention will ramp up this week for Fat Bear Week, where a dozen chunky contenders will face off in the bracket-style voting competition for the title of Fattest Bear.

Sarah Bruce is a ranger at the park and says the event is Katmai's hallmark event. That Bear Week brings the park into the living room of anybody who wants to enjoy this place. even just this past week, we had a bear camp fan who visited the park from New Zealand. Online voting for Fat Bear Week opens tomorrow and runs through September 30th. For NPR News, I'm Ava White in Anchorage. Plans to build a full-service casino in the heart of New York City have run out of luck. Today, a local panel rejected the last proposals vying for a state license to operate a casino in Manhattan. Plans included a six-acre project near the United Nations headquarters and another backed by rapper

Jay-Z to build a Caesar's palace in Times Square. From Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. This is NPR News.