NPR News: 09-23-2025 12PM EDT

Summary

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NPR News Now: 09-23-2025 12PM EDT

Host: Lakshmi Singh
Date: September 23, 2025
Duration: 5 minutes

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Episode Overview

This fast-paced episode delivers a roundup of breaking news and major developments in U.S. politics, media, business, technology, and the environment. The stories span President Trump's hardline address to the UN, ongoing controversy over Jimmy Kimmel's return to late-night TV, a major Supreme Court action on regulatory independence, a huge AI partnership between OpenAI and Nvidia, and new research on climate-induced river heat waves.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. President Trump's UN Speech: Migration Crackdown and Critique of the UN

[00:18–01:16]

• President Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly, sharply criticizing the UN's approach to migration and accusing the organization of "funding an assault on member states by supporting migrants."
  • Trump specifically thanked El Salvador for cooperating with his “crackdown,” noting the jailing of people sent there by the U.S.
  • He defended U.S. military strikes on speedboats suspected of smuggling drugs from Venezuela.
  • Notably, world leaders responded with silence, though there were some laughs when Trump joked about technical difficulties at the podium.

"Your countries are going to hell."
— President Trump ([00:39])

• Trump’s confrontational tone underscored a rejection of international coordination, favoring unilateral U.S. action.
• Coverage concludes as Michelle Kellerman notes the audience reaction and context.

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2. Jimmy Kimmel Show Controversy: Free Speech and Affiliate Pushback

[01:16–02:14]

• The return of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show on ABC is uncertain after affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair chose to preempt it in some markets.

  • The move follows Kimmel's controversial remarks about MAGA loyalists after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
  • The show's removal triggered nationwide free speech debates.

• 500 prominent entertainers, including Pedro Pascal, Selena Gomez, and Olivia Rodrigo, signed an open letter supporting Kimmel’s reinstatement.

• Protests—spanning the political spectrum—erupted, reflecting growing concern over media censorship and its impact on freedom of expression.

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3. Supreme Court Emergency Order: Presidential Power over Agencies

[02:14–03:06]

• The Supreme Court allowed President Trump to fire Rebecca Slaughter, the last Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission.
  • This signals an imminent overturning of long-standing precedent restricting presidential dismissal from bipartisan agencies.

"The emergency docket should not be used, as it was here, to transfer government authority from Congress to the president and thus to reshape the nation's separation of powers."
— Justice Elena Kagan, dissenting ([02:45])

• Justice Kagan’s dissent highlighted concerns about separation of powers and the role of Congressional oversight.

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4. Major AI Partnership: OpenAI and Nvidia

[03:06–04:07]

• OpenAI and Nvidia announced a letter of intent for a massive alliance to build next-generation computing infrastructure for AI.
  • The plan includes at least 10 gigawatts of new data centers, potentially using enough electricity to power millions of homes.
  • Nvidia pledges up to $100 billion in investment as the rollout proceeds.

"Several big US tech firms are developing multi gigawatt data centers for AI development, pouring money into what many see as a race to dominate a key technology of the future."
— John Ruich ([03:55])

• This move positions both companies at the center of the global AI race, with significant implications for the tech landscape.

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5. Environmental Research: River and Stream Heat Waves

[04:07–04:52]

• New research, published in the journal PNAS, demonstrates that rivers and streams in the U.S. are suffering more frequent and severe heat waves than the air.
  • Heat waves in rivers are accelerating faster and lasting nearly twice as long.
  • Rising water temperatures threaten cold-blooded species like salmon and trout, increase water treatment costs, and enable toxic algae blooms.

"Rising river temperatures are dangerous for many aquatic species, particularly for cold blooded fish like salmon and trout. They also raise the cost of treating water for human consumption and can cause toxic algae blooms.”
— Nate Rott ([04:27])

• The findings suggest a global trend, stressing urgent environmental and public health challenges.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• President Trump: “Your countries are going to hell.” ([00:39])
• Justice Elena Kagan (via Nina Totenberg): “The emergency docket should not be used… to transfer government authority from Congress to the president.” ([02:45])
• John Ruich: “…a race to dominate a key technology of the future.” ([03:55])
• Nate Rott: “Rising river temperatures are dangerous for many aquatic species…” ([04:27])

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Conclusion

This NPR News Now episode efficiently covers a breadth of critical stories, touching on polarizing U.S. politics, media censorship, the power struggle in federal regulators, historic tech investments, and the broadening impact of climate change. The segment balances direct reporting with expert and public reactions, equipping listeners with a concise yet comprehensive understanding of current events.

Transcript

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News. I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is denouncing what he calls uncontrolled migration in his speech today to the United Nations General assembly in New York. Trump says such migration is ruining countries in Europe. Here's NPR's Michelle Kellerman.

[Michelle Kellerman]

President Trump accuses the United nations of funding an assault on member states by supporting migrants.

[President Trump]

Your countries are going to hell.

[Michelle Kellerman]

He spent much of his speech talking about his own crackdown on migration and he personally thanked El Salvador, where he has sent hundreds of people to be jailed in a notorious prison. Trump also defended his military strikes on speedboats that he says were carrying drugs from venezuela to the U.S. he says the U.S. will continue to, quote, blow them out of existence. Worldly leaders were mostly silent as he railed against the UN System, though Trump got a few laughs joking about the UN Escalator and teleprompter not working. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the United Nations.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Jimmy Kimmel fans may or may not see the return of the veteran comics late night show on ABC tonight, depending on who runs the ABC affiliates in their market. Nexstar is joining Sinclair in choosing to preempt the show pending assurances the content meets their standards. Kick Kimmel show was yanked off the air a week ago over remarks he made in a monologue in which he appeared to accuse MAGA loyalists of trying to score political points against left leaning ideology in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination. It remains to be seen what, if anything, Kimmel says tonight about the dispute involving ABC, which is owned by Disney. But NPR's Mandalit del Barco says many of the biggest names in entertainment have plenty to say about it.

[Mandalit del Barco]

Before the show was reinstated yesterday, nearly 500 entertainers, that included Pedro Pascal, Selena Gomez and Olivia Rodrigo had signed an open letter asking for Kimmel's return. Protesters around the country, including some conservatives, had been worried about what taking the show off the air meant for free speech in this country.

[Lakshmi Singh]

NPR's Mandalit del Barco. The U.S. supreme Court has issued an emergency order. It allows President Trump to fire the last remaining Democratic member of the Federal Trade Commission. NPR's Nina Totenberg reports.

[Nina Totenberg]

By allowing the firing of Rebecca Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission, the court seems all but certain to overturn a nearly century old precedent that barred presidents from firing members of bipartisan regulatory agencies, except for bad conduct. Dissenting for the court's three liberals, Justice Elena Kagan noted that Congress enacted the bipartisan agency framework. She said the emergency docket should not be used, as it was here, to transfer government authority from Congress to the president and thus to reshape the nation's separation of powers. And Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The Nasdaq is down 73. The Dow is up 38 points. From Washington, this is NPR News. OpenAI and Nvidia say they are forging a strategic partnership to build up computing power for the development of artificial intelligence. Here's NPR's John.

[John Ruich]

The agreement is a letter of intent to form a partnership at this point, but the proposed build out is huge. The statement says the partnership would enable OpenAI to build and deploy at least 10 gigawatts of AI data centers using Nvidia systems. That's enough electricity to power millions of homes. Nvidia says it intends to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI as the computing power is deployed. OpenAI runs the popular chatbot ChatGPT, and Nvidia makes the world's most coveted chips for AI development. Several big US tech firms are developing multi gigawatt data centers for AI development, pouring money into what many see as a race to dominate a key technology of the future. John Ruich, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

A new study shows U.S. rivers and streams are increasingly experiencing heat waves. NPR's Nate Rott reports.

[Nate Rott]

We're all familiar with air heat waves, which are increasing in intensity, frequency and duration as the global climate warms. The new study, published in the journal pnas, found that it's even worse for rivers, where heat waves are accelerating faster and lasting nearly twice as long as those in the air. Rising river temperatures are dangerous for many aquatic species, particularly for cold blooded fish like salmon and trout. They also raise the cost of treating water for human consumption and can cause toxic algae blooms. The researchers say their findings suggest the trend is likely happening worldwide. Nate Rot, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News in Washington.

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