NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-22-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: September 23, 2025

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Support for NPR, and the following message come from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, whose bequest serves as an enduring investment in the future of public radio and seeks to help NPR produce programming that meets the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. The Trump administration says the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen, can increase the risk of autism when used during pregnancy. That's despite most scientific studies having found no causal link. Researchers have attributed an increase in diagnosed autism cases to greater awareness of the disorder. The Supreme Court is for now allowing President Trump to fire a federal trade commission member as it prepares to hear the case.

The FTC is a more than century-old agency designed to protect consumers. Rebecca Slaughter was its only Democratic member. As NPR's Nina Totenberg explains, At issue is whether the president has the authority to fire the heads of agencies, that are protected by Congress. Congress created the Federal Trade Commission and lots of other agencies to be multi-member bipartisan regulatory agencies

and the Supreme Court in 1935 ruled against then-President Franklin Roosevelt and his claim that he could fire FTC commissioners at will. In a unanimous opinion, the court back then said Congress acted within its powers in declaring that a commissioner could not be fired for a policy difference and could only be fired from misconduct. But now, prodded by President Trump, the court's six-member conservative majority

in an emergency order today seemed poised to remake the way independent agencies operate. NPR's Nina Totenberg reporting. The Trump administration is appealing a ruling that it cannot use the Alien Enemies Act to speed up deportations of people it says belong to a Venezuelan gang. A three-judge appeals court panel ruled against, the administration, now the White House is asking the full appeals court to hear the case. The administration argues the gang constitutes an invasion under the Alien Enemies Act. France, Canada, and several other countries have recognized a state of Palestine at a

conference at the United Nations. Israel calls it a charade, as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Danny DeAnon, says those who are recognizing Palestine as a state are simply rewarding Hamas, which attacked Israel two years ago and is still holding hostages. This is a show, but what we are doing on the ground, that's for will. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is raising alarms, not just about the offensive in Gaza City, but also about Israeli threats to annex parts of the West Bank, undermining any future Palestinian state.

And let's be clear, statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward. The U.S. and Israel boycotted the conference. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the United Nations. Egypt's president has pardoned a prominent activist who has been in prison for most of the last 12 years. Allah Abd El Fatah was a leading voice in the country's 2011 Arab Spring uprising and has gone on multiple hunger strikes behind bars. It's unclear when he will walk free. From Washington, this is NPR. Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show will be back on air on ABC tomorrow night.

Kimmel's show was suspended last week after he said President Trump's supporters were scoring political points from the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In a statement, ABC's owner, the Walt Disney Company, says it took the show off the air, quote, to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for the country. The company says it had thoughtful conversations with Kimmel before making the decision to return the show to air. Hurricane Gabriel has strengthened into a powerful category four storm, now packing top winds. of 140 miles per hour, Gabrielle is forecast to pass east of Bermuda tonight. NPR's Giles Snyder reports. Although swells began affecting Bermuda on Sunday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Hurricane Gabriel does not pose a direct threat to land. However, the latest advisory warns that Gabrielle is likely to kick up life-threatening surf and rip currents from North Carolina

northward to Canada's Atlantic coast. Gabrielle gained strength over the warm waters of the Atlantic. But while the Hurricane Center expects a storm to gradually weaken, forecasters are advising people in the Azores Archipelago to keep an eye on the storm as it makes its way north and east toward the islands by the end of the week. Trial Snyder MPR News. A magnitude 4.3 earthquake rattled the San Francisco Bay Area earlier today. The quake's epicenter was just east-southeast of Berkeley, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Holmes shook, but only minor damage was reported, including merchandise. falling off shelves. From Washington, this is NPR News.

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