NPR News: 09-25-2025 3PM EDT

Summary

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NPR News Now — September 25, 2025, 3PM EDT

Overview
This five-minute news briefing delivers updates on top U.S. and global headlines. Key stories include the Dallas ICE facility shooting, President Trump's meeting with Turkey’s Erdogan, an extraordinary Pentagon summit, housing market trends, a U.N. plan combating non-communicable diseases, and settlements involving Amazon and Starbucks.

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Key Story Summaries & Insights

Dallas ICE Facility Shooting & Security Concerns

• [00:18–01:08]
  • A gunman targeted immigration agents at a Dallas ICE facility, shooting three detainees and killing one. The suspect was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
  • ICE Field Office Director Marcos Charles condemned ICE tracking apps that facilitated the attack. He argued that those who develop or share these apps are endangering law enforcement lives.
    • Notable Quote [00:42]:
      "Anyone who creates or distributes these apps designed to spot, track and locate ICE officers are well aware of the dangers… It's no different than giving a hitman the location of their intended target. And this is exactly what we saw happen in Dallas yesterday." — Marcos Charles

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U.S.–Turkey Talks: Russian Energy, Defense, and Regional Stability

• [01:08–02:03]
  • President Trump, in a White House meeting, urged Turkish President Erdogan to stop buying Russian oil and gas—a point Trump has also raised with NATO allies.
    • Trump’s assessment via reporter Deepa Shivaram:
      Turkey is seen as influential with both Ukraine and Russia, and Trump believes Erdogan’s stance could sway the balance.
    • Notable Quote [01:42]:
      "I think he could have a big influence if he wants to. Right now he's very neutral." — Scott Newman, summarizing Trump's perspective
  • The U.S. will also discuss Patriot missile defense systems, F-35 fighter jets, and efforts to address the conflict in Gaza.

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Pentagon Summons Global Military Leaders

• [02:03–02:25]
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is convening hundreds of generals and admirals in Quantico, Virginia—a highly unusual step. The Pentagon confirmed this summit aims to strengthen strategic collaboration.

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U.S. Housing Market Trends

• [02:25–03:14]
  • Existing Home Sales:
    • Slight decrease in August from July (-0.2%), but up nearly 2% compared to last year.
    • Median sales price rose 2% to $422,600.
    • Regional shifts: The Northeast saw the biggest decline; the Midwest had a slight uptick.
  • New Home Sales:
    • U.S. Census Bureau increased its estimate of annualized new single-family house sales by ~20% to 800,000 units.
  • Analysis:
    • Home sales have generally trended downward since their 2021 peak, mainly due to higher mortgage rates.

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U.N. General Assembly: Inclusion of Dementia in Global Health Agenda

• [03:14–04:13]
  • World leaders are launching a new initiative against non-communicable diseases; for the first time, dementia is included in a political declaration.
    • Paola Barberino, Head of Alzheimer’s Disease International, describes this as a watershed moment for global health, especially affecting low-income countries where dementia incidence is rising.
      • Notable Quote [03:54]:
        "It's historical for us. It's a real watershed moment." — Lakshmi Singh, echoing Barberino
    • Dementia is projected to be the third leading cause of death globally by 2040.
      • Notable Quote [04:08]:
        "Countries are still in denial about the fact that dementia is a big problem." — Paola Barberino

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Corporate News: Amazon and Starbucks

• [04:21–04:57]
  • Amazon Settlement:
    • Amazon agrees to a multi-billion dollar settlement with the U.S. government over its Prime program; regulators say Amazon’s website design manipulated tens of millions into buying—and being trapped in—subscriptions.
    • Amazon does not admit wrongdoing.
  • Starbucks Closures:
    • Starbucks announces the immediate closure of hundreds of stores in the U.S. and Canada as part of a turnaround plan.
    • About 900 non-retail employees will be affected.

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Notable Quotes

• Marcos Charles (ICE) on ICE tracking apps [00:42]:

  "Anyone who creates or distributes these apps designed to spot, track and locate ICE officers are well aware of the dangers… It's no different than giving a hitman the location of their intended target. And this is exactly what we saw happen in Dallas yesterday."

• Scott Newman on Turkey's diplomatic influence [01:42]:

  "I think he could have a big influence if he wants to. Right now he's very neutral."

• Lakshmi Singh/Paola Barberino on dementia at the UN [03:54]:

  "It's historical for us. It's a real watershed moment."

• Paola Barberino on denial about dementia in low-income countries [04:08]:

  "Countries are still in denial about the fact that dementia is a big problem."

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Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:18–01:08: Dallas ICE shooting & app controversy (Marcos Charles)
• 01:08–02:03: Trump–Erdogan meeting, Russian oil, defense sales, Gaza
• 02:03–02:25: Pentagon summit call
• 02:25–03:14: Housing market report (Scott Newman)
• 03:14–04:13: UN health plan includes dementia (Gabriela Emanuel, Paola Barberino)
• 04:21–04:57: Amazon settlement & Starbucks closures

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Summary prepared in the informative, concise, and straightforward style characteristic of NPR’s newsroom.

Transcript

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Federal officials say the gunman who shot three detainees, killing one of them in Dallas yesterday was targeting immigration agents. In an update a short time ago, Marcos Charles, ICE Field office director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, criticized the use of ICE tracking apps.

[Marcos Charles]

The shooter used the ICE tracking apps. Anyone who creates or distributes these apps that is designed to spot, track and locate ICE officers are well aware of the dangers that they are exposing to law enforcement. It's a casting call to invite bad actors to attack law enforcement officers. It's no different than giving a hitman the location of their intended target. And this is exactly what we saw happen in Dallas yesterday.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Authorities say the shooter who attacked the Dallas ICE facility was found dead of a self inflicted gunshot wound. President Trump told his Turkish counterpart in a meeting in the Oval Office today that he wants Turkey to stop buying Russian energy. Turkey is one of the top buyers of Russian oil and gas and recently Trump called on nations in NATO to stop buying oil from Russia. Here's NPR's Deepa Shivaram.

[Deepa Shivaram]

TRUMP says President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is respected by both Ukraine and Russia, but that the best thing the Turkish leader could do is stop buying Russian oil and gas.

[Scott Newman]

I think he could have a big influence if he wants to. Right now he's very neutral.

[Deepa Shivaram]

Trump said he would discuss sales of Patriot missile defense systems and F35 fighter jets with Erdogan during their meeting. Trump also said they would be discussing the conflict in Gaza, building on talks Trump held earlier this week with leaders of eight nations from the region as well as Indonesia and Pakistan. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The White House Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is ordering hundreds of generals and admirals to Quantico, Virginia, next week. The Pentagon confirmed the meeting today. It's highly unusual to bring in military leaders from across the globe to one central location. Seasonally adjusted sales of existing homes were down slightly in August from the previous month, but it was still up from last year. Here's npr.

[Scott Newman]

Scott Newman, the National association of Realtors monthly report on sales of existing houses includes both single family homes and condos. Overall, they are down 0.2% from July, but up nearly 2% year on year. The NAR also noted a 2% increase in the median sales price of existing homes to $422,600. Although the Northeast saw the biggest drop, sales in the Midwest were actually up a bit. Sales of existing homes peaked in 2021 and have been on a generally downward trend since, with higher mortgage rates tamping down demand. The U.S. census Bureau on Wednesday sharply increased by about 20%. Its estimate of new single family houses sold to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 800,000 units. Scott Newman, NPR News, Washington.

[Lakshmi Singh]

This is NPR. Today at the United Nations General assembly, world leaders are putting forward a new plan for combating non communicable diseases. And for the first time, dementia is included in the political declaration. NPR's Gabriela Emanuel has the story.

[Paola Barberino]

Dementia is a leading cause of death in many high income countries, but Paola Barberino, head of Alzheimer's Disease International, says it's often missing from global strategies for addressing non communicable diseases. So seeing dementia twice in today's UN Document represents a change.

[Lakshmi Singh]

It's historical for us. It's a real watershed moment.

[Paola Barberino]

Barbarino says this is especially significant for low income countries where incidence of dementia is growing as life expectancy increases. And yet a lot of low income.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Countries are still in denial about the fact that dementia is a big problem.

[Paola Barberino]

Dementia is expected to be the third leading cause of death globally in 2040. Gabriela Emanuel, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Amazon has reached a multi billion dollar settlement with the government over its prime membership program. U.S. regulators allege the company's Web designs manipulated tens of million of people into paying for subscriptions that were intentionally hard to sell. Under the settlement, Amazon does not admit any wrongdoing. Starbucks says it's closing hundreds of stores in the US And Canada, part of a turnaround plan. The immediate closures stand to affect 900 non retail employees. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.

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