NPR News: 09-19-2025 5PM EDT

Summary

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NPR News Now: September 19, 2025, 5PM EDT

Podcast: NPR News Now
Host: Jeanine Herbst
Date: September 19, 2025
Duration: 5 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a concise roundup of major global and national news events, focusing on pivotal stories from vaccine policy debate in the US, US-China diplomatic developments, escalating conflict in the Middle East, public safety innovations in Spain, and weather disasters in Southern California.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. COVID-19 Booster Prescription Vote Falls Through

[00:25–01:29]

• Panel Discussion: An influential vaccine advisory panel, selected by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., debated a proposed mandate requiring prescriptions for COVID-19 booster shots.
  • Kennedy’s long-standing anti-vaccine stance noted; he has called COVID-19 vaccines “a crime against humanity.”
  • Dr. Amy Mittleman, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, spoke out strongly against the prescription requirement.
    • Quote: “If we start asking for prescriptions for vaccines, which are a primary prevention public health strategy, we are going to overwhelm physicians offices.”
      — Dr. Amy Mittleman [01:09]
  • The vote ended in a tie; with the chair voting “no,” the measure failed.
  • Reporter: Selena Simmons Duffin

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2. US-China Relations: Trump and Xi Jinping Seek Progress

[01:29–02:27]

• Diplomatic Developments: President Trump announced plans to meet China’s Xi Jinping in person, after a reportedly productive call.
  • Relationship between the two nations described as potentially exiting a period of stagnation.
  • Main topic: ownership and operation of TikTok in the US, with US law requiring American control of the app.
  • While Trump cites “progress,” Chinese sources and ByteDance offer only cautious, non-committal optimism.
  • Quote: “Trump says the call with Xi was very productive, and Chinese state media call it pragmatic, positive and constructive.”
    — John Ruich [01:47]
  • Reporter: John Ruich

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3. Escalation in Middle East: Houthi Attack on Eilat, Israel

[02:27–03:19]

• Conflict Update: Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim responsibility for a drone strike on Israel’s Red Sea resort city of Eilat, targeting it as retaliation for Israeli strikes in Yemen and Gaza.
  • Attack caused property damage but no casualties; panic in Eilat as residents and tourists took shelter.
  • Context given: Last month, Israel killed the Houthi-backed Yemeni prime minister and most of his cabinet in Sanaa.
  • Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened further action:
    • “Israel would kill the Houthi leader and raise the Israeli flag in the Yemeni capital.”
  • Reporter: Jane Arraf

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4. Pamplona’s Crowds Offer Lessons in Public Safety

[03:19–04:25]

• Science & Safety: Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls festival provides unique data on crowd dynamics that could inform global public safety measures.
  • Iker Thuriguel, physicist at the University of Navarra, studies crowd movement using overhead video during the Festival of San Fermin.
  • Discovery: Each person moves in a rough circle, about the size of a car—even in densely packed settings, helping avoid deadly crushes seen elsewhere.
    • Quote: “If we understand why this happens, I think we will be able to apply some strategies in other places, thereby translating the jitters of a sangria soaked crowd into recommendations that may save people's lives.”
      — Iker Thuriguel [04:11]
  • Reporter: Ari Daniel

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5. Southern California Mudslides Trap Drivers

[04:25–05:04]

• Weather Disaster: Heavy rain from Tropical Storm Maria remnants caused mudslides in Forest Falls, Oak Glen, and Potato Canyon, Southern California.
  • Ten people rescued from six trapped vehicles; no reported injuries.
  • Intense rain lasted over an hour, causing debris flow, downed trees, and property damage.
  • Reporter/Anchor: Jeanine Herbst

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If we start asking for prescriptions for vaccines…we are going to overwhelm physicians offices.” — Dr. Amy Mittleman [01:09]
• “Trump says the call with Xi was very productive, and Chinese state media call it pragmatic, positive and constructive.” — John Ruich [01:47]
• “If we understand why this happens, I think we will be able to apply some strategies in other places…” — Iker Thuriguel [04:11]
• Israeli Defense Minister vows: “Israel would kill the Houthi leader and raise the Israeli flag in the Yemeni capital.” — Jane Arraf paraphrasing [03:10]

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:25 – COVID-19 booster prescription debate and vote
• 01:29 – Trump-Xi call; US-China negotiations, TikTok
• 02:27 – Middle East update: Houthi drone strikes Eilat
• 03:19 – Pamplona’s festival and crowd safety research
• 04:25 – Southern California mudslides and rescues

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This summary provides a fast, accurate snapshot of today’s major news stories, suitable for listeners and non-listeners alike.

Transcript

[NPR Throughline Host]

On the Throughline podcast from npr, Immigration enforcement might be more visible now, but this moment didn't begin with President Trump's second inauguration or even his first, a series from Throughline about how immigration became political and a cash cow. Listen to Throughline in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. In a high profile meeting of vaccine advisors today, members voted against recommending a prescription for the COVID 19 booster. But as NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports, it was a dramatic tie vote.

[Selena Simmons Duffin]

This panel of advisors was hand picked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. He has a long history of anti vaccine activism and called COVID 19 vaccines a, quote, crime against humanity. On Friday, the panel considered whether to require patients to obtain a prescription if they want to get the COVID booster. This year, Dr. Amy Mittleman of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine urged committee members to reject this idea.

[Dr. Amy Mittleman]

If we start asking for prescriptions for vaccines, which are a primary prevention public health strategy, we are going to overwhelm physicians offices.

[Selena Simmons Duffin]

In the end, the vote was a tie, but because the chair voted no, the motion failed. Selena Simmons Duffin, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

President Trump says he'll meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping this fall and travel to China early next year as relations appear poised to break out of a rut. NPR's John Ruich reports. The two leaders had a call today that Trump says yielded progress on a range of thorny issues.

[John Ruich]

Trump says the call with Xi was very productive, and Chinese state media call it pragmatic, positive and constructive. It's unclear, though, how far the two got in negotiations over a pivotal issue, the fate of the short video app ticket. The Trump administration has been trying to broker a deal for US Companies to take control of the app from Beijing based ByteDance and prevent it from going dark in the US in line with a law passed last year. Trump said on social media the talks yielded progress on, quote, the approval of the TikTok deal. An official Chinese readout of the meeting was ambiguous, though, as was a statement from ByteDance that thanked Trump and Xi for their efforts to preserve the app in the U.S. jOHN RUICH, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Yemen's Iran backed Houthi rebels say they'll continue to target the Israeli city of Eilat after a drone slammed into a hotel at the red Sea Resort. NPR's Jane Areraf has more.

[Jane Areraf]

A Houthi statement said the Alat attack was among several launched Thursday in retaliation for Israeli attacks in Yemen and in Gaza. The Israeli military said the attack caused damage but no casualties. Local media reported a drone crashing into a hotel courtyard and thousands of residents and tourists running to bomb shelters after air raid sirens. Israel last month killed the Houthi backed prime minister and most of his cabinet in an airstrike in Sena. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz saying Israel would kill the Houthi leader and raise the Israeli flag in the Yemeni capital. Jane Araf, NPR News, Beirut.

[Jeanine Herbst]

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Pamplona, Spain, is known for its annual Running of the Bulls. Things kick off with a super crowded festival that organizers say may hold lessons for improving public safety. Ari Daniel has more.

[Ari Daniel]

During the festival of San Fermin, this little plaza becomes packed with 6,000 people. Iker Thuriguel, a physicist at the University of Navarra, and his colleagues have fellow filmed the masses from above for several years. The footage revealed a pattern. Each person repeatedly traced out a rough circle on the ground about the size of a car. Thurigal's now exploring the pressure waves that can ripple through this crowd, the kind that have been fatal elsewhere but never here.

[Iker Thuriguel]

If we understand why this happens, I think we will be able to apply.

[Ari Daniel]

Some strategies in other places, thereby translating the jitters of a sangria soaked crowd into recommendations that may save people's lives. For NPR News, I'm Marie Daniel in.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Pamplona in Southern California, drivers were trapped for 10 hours after mudslides and debris flow knocked down trees and plowed into homes after the small communities of Forest Falls, Oak Glen and Potato Canyon were hit by heavy rain. The National Weather Service says intense rains pounded the area for more than an hour yesterday as remnants of Tropical Storm Mario reached the area. Authorities say 10 people stranded in at least six vehicles were rescued near the San Bernardino National Forest. There were no injuries. I'm Jeanine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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