NPR News Now – 09-23-2025 3AM EDT

Host: Shea Stevens
Date: September 23, 2025
Duration: 5 minutes

Episode Overview

This NPR News Now episode delivers a succinct roundup of the top headlines as of 3AM EDT on September 23, 2025. The primary topics include a major U.S. Supreme Court move on regulatory agencies, TikTok’s pending transition to U.S. ownership, fallout from the Jimmy Kimmel Live suspension, a deadly drone attack in Haiti, France’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, and legal news concerning Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Supreme Court Poised to Overturn Agency Firing Precedent

[00:15–01:22]

• Shea Stevens introduces the biggest news: the Supreme Court’s conservative majority allowed President Trump to fire the last Democratic FTC member, undermining a precedent from 1935 that restricted such dismissals.
• Nina Totenberg explains:
  • The 1935 ruling stopped President Roosevelt from firing a commissioner over policy disagreements, establishing legislative checks.
  • The Court now plans to hear arguments on reversing this, potentially allowing presidents full control to fire/hire at will for agency leadership.
• Notable Implication:
  • Abolishing bipartisan commission requirements would let incoming presidents remake agencies entirely, transforming U.S. regulatory frameworks.

Quote:

“If, as expected, the president prevails, he will be able to hire and fire all agency leaders. And if the next president is a Democrat, he or she can fire all the Trump appointees instead of maintaining bipartisan commissions.” — Nina Totenberg [01:11]

2. TikTok’s U.S. Transition and Oracle’s New Role

[01:22–02:20]

• Shea Stevens outlines: U.S. investors are set to control TikTok, with Oracle taking a lead as security provider.
• John Ruich details:
  • Oracle will invest and oversee the app’s algorithm, updates, and American data storage.
  • This move responds to security fears over TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, following a new law mandating divestiture.
  • President Trump has temporarily paused enforcement, pending this deal, after recent talks with Xi Jinping.

Quote:

“The deal addresses concerns that TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could help the Chinese government spy on US users or influence them.” — John Ruich [01:51]

3. Jimmy Kimmel Live Returns Amid Free Speech Uproar

[02:20–03:08]

• Shea Stevens: The ABC late-night show returns after suspension over Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks about the Charlie Kirk murder.
• Mandali del Barco reports:
  • 400+ entertainers sign an open letter condemning Disney’s suspension, co-signed by big names like Pedro Pascal, Selena Gomez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Olivia Rodrigo.
  • The ACLU-backed letter stresses free speech, warning that “if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.”

Quote:

“Our voices should never be silenced by those in power because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.” — Entertainment industry open letter [02:59]

4. Deadly Drone Attack in Haiti

[03:08–03:51]

• Shea Stevens: At least eight children are dead after a drone strike in a gang-controlled part of Port-au-Prince.
• No claim of responsibility, but a Haitian human rights group blames the police; several gang members have died in drone attacks since March.

5. France Recognizes Palestinian Statehood

[03:51–04:33]

• Eleanor Beardsley reports: French President Macron’s decision to recognize Palestine divides the French Jewish community.
• French and Jewish voices: Some wanted recognition tied to hostage release and Hamas’ dissolution.
• Ofer Bronstein, advisor:
  • Sees recognition as necessary for peace, arguing history might have been different had Palestinians had statehood.

Quote:

“It’s the right time. The war is going to end with a lot of casualty, a lot of poison in the heart of both people, and the only path they can take after the war: it’s a political one.” — Ofer Bronstein [04:14]

• Bronstein contends that statehood and a sense of future might have averted the October 7th attack.

6. Diddy’s Sentencing Sought for 14 Months

[04:33–04:54]

• Shea Stevens closes: Defense attorneys seek no more than 14 months for Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was acquitted of racketeering but faces sentencing next month for prostitution-related charges.

Notable Quotes (with Attributions & Timestamps)

• “If, as expected, the president prevails, he will be able to hire and fire all agency leaders...”
  — Nina Totenberg [01:11]
• “The deal addresses concerns that TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, could help the Chinese government spy on US users or influence them.”
  — John Ruich [01:51]
• “Our voices should never be silenced by those in power because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.”
  — Entertainment industry open letter, cited by Mandali del Barco [02:59]
• “It’s the right time. ...the only path they can take after the war, it’s a political one.”
  — Ofer Bronstein [04:14]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Supreme Court regulatory agencies: [00:15–01:22]
• TikTok U.S. joint venture: [01:22–02:20]
• Jimmy Kimmel Live & entertainment industry response: [02:20–03:08]
• Haiti drone attack: [03:08–03:51]
• France recognizes Palestine: [03:51–04:33]
• Diddy’s sentencing news: [04:33–04:54]

This five-minute news summary efficiently covers pivotal legal, business, geopolitical, and entertainment headlines shaping the current U.S. and global landscape. The reporting remains factual and urgent, reflecting NPR’s straight-news format.