Up First from NPR – September 19, 2025

Episode Summary

Theme Overview:
This episode dives into three major stories at the intersection of politics, public health, and law. It examines:

1. President Trump’s calls for government action against media critics, raising free speech concerns.
2. Major shifts in CDC childhood vaccine guidance under Health Secretary RFK Jr., highlighting controversies around changing recommendations.
3. Trump’s push to label Antifa a terrorist organization following high-profile violence, and the legal gray areas this exposes.

1. Trump, the FCC, and Free Speech Concerns

Main Discussion Points

• Trump Pressures the FCC:
  President Trump openly suggests that broadcasters who criticize him should have their licenses threatened. He directly references ABC and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, after Kimmel’s comments referencing the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

  • Quote: Donald Trump:
    “I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr.” (00:06; 05:04)

• FCC Power and Legal Limits:

  • The FCC, under Chairman Brendan Carr (a Trump appointee), is exerting pressure on media companies. Carr threatened to intervene after Kimmel’s monologue, leveraging FCC authority over broadcast licenses and mergers.
  • Tamara Keith (White House correspondent) explains Carr’s legal limits, noting a Democratic commissioner says Carr lacks unilateral authority to revoke licenses for content. However, the FCC’s investigative and regulatory power can still have a chilling effect.
    • Quote: Tamara Keith:
      “...Carr doesn’t have the legal authority to do this. But that may not matter. The FCC has significant power to investigate and fine stations and yes, even pull broadcast licenses. It also has jurisdiction over mergers and acquisitions, which has given Carr significant leverage.” (03:59)

• Republican Reversal:
  The campaign against “anti-Trump” speech contrasts with previous Republican positions defending free speech against left-wing “cancel culture.” Carr himself once wrote the FCC had no mandate to police speech. (03:31)

• First Amendment and Legal Risks:

  • Legal scholars and advocacy groups warn this weaponization of government power clearly violates American norms of free speech.
    • Quote: Ilya Somin, Cato Institute:
      “Sort of the bald faced nature of what the administration is doing is not difficult at all. ...the First Amendment doesn’t guarantee you a job, but it does prevent the government from trying to get you fired for something you said.” (06:09; 06:21)

• Trump Administration Response:
  The White House maintains, “free speech is alive and well,” but continues pursuing lawsuits against major media outlets and using its power to influence coverage.

Notable Segment Timestamp:

• FCC power & First Amendment debate: (02:56 – 07:03)

2. CDC Panel Shifts on Childhood Vaccines

Main Discussion Points

• Panel Overhaul and New Direction:
  A CDC vaccine advisory panel, revamped by Health Secretary RFK Jr., is pursuing dramatic policy changes. All previous members were fired; new members are combing for evidence of vaccine harm, challenging longstanding science.

  • Quote: Ping Huang (NPR):
    “They’re challenging years of established vaccine science and they’re digging deep into old data to try and find evidence of harms.” (07:36)

• MMRV Vaccine Recommendation Change:
  The panel voted to stop recommending the combined MMRV shot (measles, mumps, rubella, varicella/chickenpox) for children under 4, citing a slightly higher (yet mostly harmless) risk of febrile seizures compared to separate shots.

  • Quote: Dr. Cody Meissner, Dartmouth (Panel Minority):
    “I urge this committee not to change the recommendations if they truly want to give the power to the parents to decide what is best for their child.” (08:02)
    “This discussion is really a deja vu for me because we had extensive discussions on this very topic 15 years ago...” (09:01)

• Insurance and Access Implications:
  The change may mean Medicaid and private insurers can refuse coverage for the combo shot for kids under 4, potentially affecting access and out-of-pocket costs.

• Upcoming Votes:
  The panel is set to debate changes to hepatitis B vaccine schedules and COVID vaccine recommendations, with rising concerns about moves to make childhood vaccines harder to access. Committee member Retsef Levy, who has made unfounded claims about COVID vaccines, is expected to lead critical discussions.

Notable Segment Timestamps

• Panel changes & vaccine debates: (07:13 – 10:33)

3. Trump and the Antifa "Terrorist" Label

Main Discussion Points

• Context:

  • Calls for action intensified after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder. Despite no evidence linking Antifa to the suspect, Trump and Republican allies campaign for an official terrorist designation.
    • Quote: Steve Inskeep:
      “Top Republican leaders, including President Trump and Senator Ted Cruz, have suggested, without evidence, that Antifa... may be involved in the Kirk killing.” (11:16)

• Legal Realities:

  • Antifa is a movement, not a formal group. U.S. law only allows the State Department to designate foreign groups as terrorists; there’s no legal mechanism for domestic groups due to First Amendment protections.
    • Quote: Odette Youssef (domestic extremism correspondent):
      “There is no such process or legal authority right now to do the same with domestic groups.” (12:15)

• Practical and Rhetorical Dangers:

  • The rhetorical use of “terrorist” to describe domestic activists can have real-world impacts; law enforcement may waste resources chasing nonexistent organizations, and civil society groups could be swept up in investigations.
    • Quote: Faiza Patel, Brennan Center:
      “There’s potentially a broad array of civil society organizations that can be caught up in this as being potentially linked to anti fascism in some way or the other.” (13:38)

• Presidential Response:
  Asked how the government would actually “go after” Antifa, Trump replied, “We’re going to find out,” then jokingly (?) asked if NPR is affiliated with Antifa.

Notable Segment Timestamps

• Antifa “terrorist” label debate: (10:42 – 14:08)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On media criticism and freedom:
  • Donald Trump (re: broadcasters):
    “If they’re 97% against, they give me only bad publicity or press. I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away.” (05:04)
• On government’s power over speech:
  • Tamara Keith (NPR):
    "Carr doesn’t have the legal authority to do this. But that may not matter." (03:59)
• On government overreach:
  • Ilya Somin (Cato Institute):
    “...The First Amendment doesn’t guarantee you a job, but it does prevent the government from trying to get you fired for something you said.” (06:21)
• On Antifa designation:
  • Odette Youssef (NPR):
    “Antifa is shorthand for anti-fascist. And it’s really more of a movement than a cohesive organization.” (11:16)

Takeaways

• The Trump White House, backed by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, is pushing the boundaries of government oversight over critical media—an approach sharply criticized as a First Amendment overreach.
• The CDC’s new vaccine panel, deployed by RFK Jr., is shifting policy in ways that could decrease access and coverage for established childhood vaccines, heightening medical and political tensions.
• Trump’s move to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization, despite legal and practical roadblocks, exemplifies expanding political use of the “terrorism” label, with uncertain and potentially far-reaching consequences.

Listen for detailed analysis of these headline stories and how they’re shaping the national conversation on speech, public health, and protest.