NPR News: 09-26-2025 3PM EDT

Summary

NPR News Now – September 26, 2025, 3PM EDT

Host: Lakshmi Singh
Duration: 5 minutes
Main Theme:
A concise roundup of top national and international news stories, with a focus on recent political legal developments in the U.S., law enforcement accountability, ongoing Israeli-Palestinian tensions, National Guard deployments in Tennessee, and a quirky local story from California.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Indictment of Former FBI Director James Comey

• Summary:

  • President Trump publicly praises the indictment of James Comey, who faces charges of lying to the Senate and obstruction of justice regarding media leaks.
  • The move is controversial, with Comey denying wrongdoing and supporters alleging political retribution by Trump.
  • The case is being prosecuted by Lynn Lindsey Halligan, Trump's former personal attorney, who lacks prosecutorial experience but was recently appointed for this case.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Lakshmi Singh (00:18):
    “President Trump is applauding the indictment of one of his fiercest critics, former FBI Director James Comey... His supporters say they believe President Trump's weaponizing the Justice Department to wage a campaign of retribution.”
  • Ryan Lucas (01:00):
    “Halligan is somebody who's never worked as a prosecutor. She has no prosecutorial experience... That’s who President Trump put in place.”

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2. ICE Officer Suspended after Violent Incident at NY Immigration Court

• Summary:

  • Video circulates of an ICE officer pushing a woman to the ground in a New York immigration court.
  • The officer is placed on administrative leave; tensions between federal agents and the public are rising as ICE increases its presence in immigration courts.
  • NPR captured similar aggressive action from the same officer the previous month.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Ximena Bustillo (01:48):
    “DHS spokesperson Trisha McLaughlin says in a statement that the officer's actions caught on camera yesterday are, quote, unacceptable.”
  • Ximena Bustillo (01:52):
    “There have been growing tensions between federal law enforcement and the public in immigration courts as agents are tasked with making more arrests.”

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3. Netanyahu’s UN Speech Attempts to Reach Gaza Residents

• Summary:

  • Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu tried to broadcast his UN address into Gaza via loudspeakers on the Israeli border, but Gazans – according to NPR contacts – say they heard nothing.
  • Instead, people only heard sounds of ongoing military actions.
  • Many diplomats left the UN assembly in protest before Netanyahu’s speech.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Ryan Lucas (02:26), quoting Netanyahu:
    “My words are now also being carried… streamed live through the cell phones of Gazans.”
  • Emily Feng (02:35):
    “But news outlets including NPR contacted people across Gaza who say they didn’t hear anything.”
  • Ryan Lucas (03:03), voice from Gaza City:
    “The only thing that we can hear here is… the Israeli airstrikes, the artilleries and the tanks firing here.”

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4. Tennessee National Guard Deployment to Memphis

• Summary:

  • Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee clarifies details of the National Guard deployment to Memphis, stating local guard members will be deputized by U.S. Marshals to help combat crime.
  • Unlike recent deployments in D.C. and L.A., the guard members won’t carry arms unless requested by local law enforcement and won’t have authority to make arrests.
  • Critics allege President Trump is unfairly targeting Democratic-led cities.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Lakshmi Singh (03:14):
    “The plan to deploy National Guard troops to Memphis will be very different from President Trump's deployment of those service members to Washington D.C. and Los Angeles recently.”

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5. Local News: ‘Attack Squirrel’ in the Bay Area

• Summary:

  • In San Rafael, California, several residents report being attacked by an aggressive squirrel.
  • While the risk of rabies is low, residents remain wary and have posted warnings.

• Memorable Moment:

  • Emily Feng (04:15), quoting victim Joan Heblack:
    “It was very heavy and I looked down and it was a squirrel.”
  • Emily Feng (04:26), quoting Joan Heblack:
    “It wouldn’t get off. It just clung more and I was swinging my leg around and screaming.”
  • Katie DiBenedetti (04:31):
    “Disquieting posters warning people of quote, a very mean squirrel are still up in the neighborhood.”

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6. Financial Market Update

• Summary:

  • The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 367 points at the time of broadcast.

• Attribution:

  • Lakshmi Singh (04:53):
    “The Dow is up 367 points. It’s NPR.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Comey Indictment and Prosecution: 00:18–01:35
• ICE Officer Incident: 01:35–02:19
• Netanyahu’s UN Speech and Gaza Reactions: 02:19–03:14
• Tennessee National Guard Deployment: 03:14–04:09
• Attack Squirrel in Bay Area: 04:09–04:53
• Market Update: 04:53–04:57

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Conclusion

This swift NPR News update covered major legal and political maneuvers in Washington, tension points in immigration enforcement, the limited reach of Israeli messaging to Gaza, state-level security responses, and ended with a quirky cautionary tale of a rogue squirrel in California. The episode maintained NPR’s characteristic direct, informative, and clear tone throughout.

Transcript

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is applauding the indictment of one of his fiercest critics, former FBI Director James Comey. Nearly five years after appearing before a Senate committee, Comey is now charged with lying to the panel about whether he authorized a leak of confidential information to the media. Comey's also charged with obstruction of justice. He says he's done nothing wrong. And his supporters say they believe President Trump's weaponizing the Justice Department to wage a campaign of retribution against his political enemies. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports on the newly selected prosecutor who brought the indictment, Trump's former personal attorney, Lynn Lindsey Halligan.

[Ryan Lucas]

Halligan is somebody who's never worked as a prosecutor. She has no prosecutorial experience. Her background mainly is as an insurance attorney. She worked as a personal attorney as well for President Trump briefly in the case in Florida where he was accused of mishandling classified documents, has since worked as an aide at the White House. So someone who has close ties with the president, that's who President Trump put in place. They have been rushing in the U.S. attorney's office there to get this case to to a grand jury because the statute of limitations was set to expire next month. And ultimately Halligan pushed this case through.

[Lakshmi Singh]

NPR's Ryan Lucas, an ICE officer working at a New York immigration courts, has been placed on administrative leave after video circulated online showed him pushing a woman against the wall into the ground. Here's NPR's Ximena Bustillo.

[Ximena Bustillo]

NPR was in the courthouse last month rolling when the same officer aggressively arrested a court observer. Why are you pushing? Why are you shoveling when I'm in the corner? DHS spokesperson Trisha McLaughlin says in a statement that the officer's actions caught on camera yesterday are, quote, unacceptable. Beneath the men and women of ice, there have been growing tensions between federal law enforcement and the public and immigration courts as agents are tasked with making more arrests. Over the last five months, ICE had a bigger footprint inside immigration courts, which are operated by the Justice Department. Ximena Bustillo, NPR News.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was at the UN today thanks to special efforts by Israeli intelligence.

[Ryan Lucas]

My words are now also being carried. They're streamed live through the cell phones of Gazans.

[Lakshmi Singh]

But NPR's Emily Feng reports few if any in Gaza heard Netanyahu.

[Emily Feng]

The prime minister's office shared pictures of big loudspeakers mounted on trucks in Israel on the border with Gaza to blast Netanyahu's speech into the enclave. But news outlets including NPR contacted people across Gaza who say they didn't hear anything. NPR's producer in Gaza City, Anas Baba, also kept an ear out for Netanyahu's speech.

[Lakshmi Singh]

He said that he's going broadcast a.

[Ryan Lucas]

Message to the Israeli hostages.

[Lakshmi Singh]

But in Gaza City now, the only thing that we can hear here is.

[Ryan Lucas]

The Israeli airstrikes, the artilleries and the tanks firing here.

[Emily Feng]

And dozens of diplomats walked out of the United Nations assembly hall ahead of Netanyahu's speech.

[Lakshmi Singh]

It's NPR News. Tennessee residents are learning that the plan to deploy National Guard troops to Memphis will vary be very different from President Trump's deployment of those service members to Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles recently. Today, the state's Republican Governor Bill Lee says the guard members will be from Tennessee. They will be deputized by the U.S. marshals Service and help fight crime. Lee says they will not be armed unless asked by law, local law enforcement and will not make arrests. President Trump has framed the deployments as anti crime, but critics argue Trump is over unlawfully targeting Democratic led cities. An attack squirrel is on the loose in the bay area. Katie DiBenedetti with member station K QED reports at least three North Bay residents were injured.

[Katie DiBenedetti]

Joan Heblack was out for her morning walk when she felt something strange grabbing on her leg last Sunday.

[Emily Feng]

It was very heavy and I looked down and it was a squirrel.

[Katie DiBenedetti]

Neighbors say five people have reported attacks around the same street in San Rafael this month that go a bit like this.

[Emily Feng]

It wouldn't get off. It just clung more and I was swinging my leg around and screaming.

[Katie DiBenedetti]

Luckily, the odds of getting rabies from a squirrel are extremely low. And Heblock was back out on her usual walk that same afternoon. But disquieting posters warning people of quote, a very mean squirrel are still up in the neighborhood. For NPR news, I'm Katie DiBenedetti in San Francisco.

[Lakshmi Singh]

The Dow is up 367 points. It's NPR.

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Listen to this podcast sponsor, free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now. [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.