NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-25-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: September 25, 2025

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It's fall, so maybe you're figuring out your Halloween costume or where to get a pumpkin spice latte. And if you want to know what buzzy movies and TV shows to check out this fall, we've got you covered. Listen to pop culture happy hour in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump has signed an executive order saying video sharing app TikTok can continue operating in the U.S. President Biden signed a bill last year calling for TikTok. talks Chinese owner, bite dance, to sell its assets or face a nationwide ban. Trump's order declares that a proposed deal to sell the company meets national security concerns laid out by the law.

Much is still unknown about the actual arrangement, but Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping, quote, gave us the go-ahead to proceed with the deal. Five days before federal agencies run out of money, a Trump administration memo threatening mass layoffs is increasing the prospects of a shutdown. NPR's Deirdre Walsh reports. Office of Management and Budget released a memo, indicating if the government shuts down next week it will fire some federal workers instead of putting them on unpaid leave. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says OMB has already been engaging in what he called mass firings throughout the year, and Democrats will continue to pursue legal challenges. His message to OMB Chief Ross vote was get lost. We will not be intimidated by these threats coming from the most extreme

parts of the Trump administration. President Trump called Democrats' demands to address health care costs as part of a funding deal on serious and says they will be blamed for a shutdown. There are no talks and no clear path to avoid a shutdown that could start October 1st. Deirdre Welsh, NPR News, the Capitol. Federal officials have identified the man who shot and killed a detainee and injured two others at an ice facility in Dallas yesterday as 29-year-old Joshua Jan. Authorities say he acted alone and left detailed notes, stating he intended to shoot and terrorize ice agents. He died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, delivered a short address by video to the United Nations General Assembly today. The U.S. denied visas to the Palestinian leader and about 80 other members of his government, meaning he could not give his address in person. NPR's Emily Fang reports. Abbas applauded France, the U.K., and other Western countries, symbolic recognition of the state of Palestine. And he criticized Jewish settler attacks on Palestinians and the West Bank, much of which Abbas's government governs and which is

considered the heart of any future Palestinian state. Abbas and other Palestinian officials could not travel to New York, however, because since the end of July, the Trump administration has sanctioned the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, alleging they support terrorism. Abbas used his video address to call for an end to Israel's war in Gaza, and for a future Palestinian state free of Hamas. Emily Fang, NPR News, Tel Aviv. U.S. stock indexes stumbled for the third straight day and giving up more of the big gains made so far this year.

The S&P 500 fell 0.5%. This is NPR News from Washington. A Paris court has sentenced former French president Nikola Sarkozy to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy. He was found guilty of attempting to finance his 2007 campaign with funds from Libya. Sarkozy is 70 years old and will go to prison even if he appeals. He denounced today's ruling as a scandalous injustice. Officials in Mississippi are worried about the state's babies. The state recently declared a public health crisis around infant

mortalities. NPR's KDia Riddle reports. One significant factor in the crisis here, lack of insurance. The state has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act the way other states have. Obstetrician Lakeisha Richardson says without insurance, her patients often get to her when it's too late. They're showing up with severe preeclampsia and they're not stable for transfer, but also they're showing up in ways or things with preterm labor or complicated medical diagnosis that we could have prevented. Richardson is part of a public health team working to reduce infant deaths throughout the state. Katie Riddle, NPR News, the Mississippi Delta.

Crabs, worms, and fish are thriving on discarded World War II. explosives in the Baltic Sea thought to be toxic to marine life. At a former weapons dump site off the coast of Germany, scientists found more creatures living on top of warheads than in surrounding seabed. Researchers filmed networks of anemones, starfish, and other underwater life. They hope to calculate how much contamination was absorbed by sea life. The work is detailed in the Journal of Communications, Earth, and Environment. I'm Ryland Barton. This is NPR News from Washington.