NPR News Now – September 27, 2025, 7AM EDT

Host: Giles Snyder
Episode Theme:
A concise roundup of the hour’s biggest domestic and international news stories, including political developments in Washington, foreign aid disputes, a high-profile autopsy linked to NFL headquarters shootings, the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and the end of a measles outbreak in New Mexico.

Key News Stories & Discussion Points

1. Indictment of Former FBI Director James Comey

[00:18]

• Context: Democrats allege President Trump is "weaponizing" the Justice Department after a grand jury in Virginia indicts former FBI Director James Comey. This comes only days after President Trump publicly demanded action.
• Turning Point Commentary:
  • Mara Liaison [00:38]:

    “It marks the end of the post Watergate reforms… They weren’t laws, they were norms that were supposed to prevent presidents from intervening directly in the affairs of the Justice Department. The idea is that justice was blind. It was supposed to be meted out fairly, not with regard to whether you were a friend of the president or an enemy of the president.”

• Reactions:
  • President Trump claims the move is about "justice, not revenge."
  • Attorney General Pam Bondi tells Fox News this is just the beginning.

2. Supreme Court Approves Withholding Foreign Aid

[01:06]

• Background: Supreme Court grants the Trump administration permission to continue withholding over $4 billion in foreign aid, a legal battle that began on Trump’s first day in office.
• Reporting by NPR’s Matt Bloom [01:27]:
  • The ruling allows continued freezing of Congress-approved funds for various international programs.
  • Conservative majority cites Trump’s executive authority on foreign policy as outweighing claimed harms.
  • Justice Elena Kagan (dissent): wrote that the court granted “emergency relief... with scant briefing and no oral argument.”
  • The order delays a lower court mandate to spend the money by next week.

3. NFL Headquarters Shooting and CTE Discovery

[02:15]

• Incident: Autopsy on Shane Tamura, accused of killing four people (including himself) at a building housing NFL headquarters, reveals he suffered from CTE.
• Reporting by Steve Futterman [02:27]:
  • Tamura blamed the NFL for concealing football’s dangers; left a note: “steady my brain, please.”
  • Diagnosed with a low stage CTE; Tamura played youth and high school football in LA.
  • Chris Nowinski (Concussion Legacy Foundation) [02:55]:

    “If you start at six, you play through high school. No researcher who’s paying attention to this is now surprised to find somebody who played that long having CTE.”

  • Tamura shot himself in the chest to allow a brain study.

4. Doctors Without Borders Suspends Operations in Gaza

[03:13]

• Issue: Intensifying Israeli military action forces Doctors Without Borders to suspend its activities in Gaza City.
  • Israeli tanks reported less than half a mile from healthcare facilities.
  • Group calls the risk to staff “unacceptable.”
• UN General Assembly Reaction:
  • Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu defends operations against Hamas in New York.
  • Dozens of delegates stage a walkout as he begins speaking.
  • Netanyahu to meet President Trump at the White House Monday.

5. New Mexico Declared Free of Measles Outbreak

[04:02]

• Reporting by Megan Kamerick (KUNM):
  • Dr. Chad Smelzer (Acting State Epidemiologist) confirms 42 days without new cases—two full incubation periods.
  • Wastewater tests negative; high vaccination rates and prompt case tracing credited.
  • Dr. Chad Smelzer [04:23]:

    “We were very aggressive with case investigation and contact tracing, so trying to stop spread once a case was identified.”

  • Outbreak linked to neighboring West Texas; 100 confirmed cases in New Mexico.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Mara Liaison reflecting on the Comey indictment [00:38]:

  “It marks the end of the post Watergate reforms… The idea is that justice was blind.”

• Justice Kagan expressing concern with Supreme Court process [01:57]:

  “…scant briefing and no oral argument.”

• Chris Nowinski, on Tamura’s CTE diagnosis [02:55]:

  “No researcher who’s paying attention to this is now surprised to find somebody who played that long having CTE.”

• Dr. Chad Smelzer, on the measles response [04:23]:

  “We were very aggressive with case investigation and contact tracing…”

Timeline of Segments

• [00:18] – Comey indictment, Trump and Democrats’ responses
• [01:27] – Supreme Court foreign aid ruling
• [02:27] – NFL HQ shooting & CTE findings
• [03:13] – Gaza city emergency & international response
• [04:02] – End of New Mexico measles outbreak

Episode Tone:
Urgent, concise, and factual with measured analytical context, in line with NPR’s tradition of balanced, authoritative reporting.

This summary focuses solely on news content and omits sponsor messages and promotional material.