NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-26-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: September 26, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Justice Department's decision to charge former FBI director James Comey with making false statements and obstruction of justice is drawing backlash. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar tells CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 that President Trump is weaponizing the Justice Department. There is a clear through line that everyone sees where he is going after people that he doesn't like or who have said things that he doesn't like or who have done things to him in the past and these, that is why this is so troubling

for the justice system. The president has long railed against Comey blaming the former FBI leader for the appointment of a special prosecutor who spent much of President Trump's first term investigating contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with cheers and jeers as he faced

the UN General Assembly in New York this morning. He says Israel must finish the job in Gaza, leaning into his country's military offensive to eradicate Hamas. President Trump has announced a series of new tariffs on a variety of products. And Pierre Zayana Archie reports some of the levies are costly. In a social media post, President Trump lays out a new 25% tariff on imported large trucks. He said this is needed to protect trucking companies that manufacture in the U.S. like Kenworth and Mack. He's also putting a 50% tariff on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities and a 30% levy on upholstered furniture. And branded or patented pharmaceutical products that aren't made in the USA will face a 100% tariff. Trump says the new import taxes must be applied

quote for national security and other reasons and will take effect October 1st. Iana Archie NPR News. In Oklahoma, the superintendent of public education, is stepping down to lead a national teacher advocacy group. From members station KOSU, Grayson Wheeler reports Ryan Walters' ultra-conservative policies have been controversial even in one of the red estates. Walters has made national headlines for announcing radical school policy changes, often without the authority to enact them. He's also threatened to revoke school accreditations and teaching licenses for noncompliant educators.

As Oklahoma's education rankings have sunk to the bottom of the nation, Walters has often pointed to teachers unions as the culprit. He told Fox News at night that in his new position, as CEO of Teacher Freedom Alliance, he's taking his fight against unions nationwide. We will build an army of teachers to defeat the teachers' unions once and for all. So this fight's going national, and we will get our schools back on track. The Teacher Freedom Alliance is an organization that aims to inform teachers about non-union educational resources. For NPR News, I'm Grayson Wheeler in Oklahoma City.

The Dow is up 160 points. This is NPR News. Now to Madagascar, where authorities have imposed a nighttime curfew, following protests in the country's capital, Michael Koloki has the latest. Hundreds of people took to the streets of Antanarivo, denouncing the government and calling for an end to frequent water and power cuts. In several areas of the city, police engaged protesters in running battles, with reports of looting of retail stores and banks in various localities. Some protesters carried black flags featuring the one-piece skull logo,

similar to that used as an anti-government emblem by demonstrators in Nepal during recent protests in that country. Madagascar's chief of police announced that a nighttime curfew would be put in place until order was restored. It isn't clear how many days the curfew will be maintained. For NPR News, I'm Michael Koloki in Nairobi. Open higher this morning as the Commerce Department reported a modest uptick in inflation last month. NPR Scott Horsley says the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 300 points in early trading. It's now up 159 points. Consumer prices in August were up 2.7% from a year ago, according to the Commerce Department's

inflation yardstick, which is closely watched by the Federal Reserve. That's a slightly larger annual increase in the previous month. Consumer spending also rose in August, while the personal savings rate went down. Stockin Boeing is up. Turkish Airlines has announced plans to acquire up to 225 new Boeing jets. NPR is Scott Horsley reporting. The Dow's gained 160 points. The NASDAQ is off 39. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.