NPR News: 09-19-2025 10PM EDT
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Why did the U.S. military destroy a drug‑smuggling boat and what did Trump say about it?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. For the third time this month, the US military has destroyed a boat the White House claims was smuggling drugs from South America.
President Trump announced on social media that he had ordered a deadly strike on what he called a vessel affiliated with a designated terrorist organization conducting narco trafficking. Trump added in all caps, stop selling fentanyl, narcotics, and illegal drugs in America. US Southern Command referred all questions about the attack to the White House. In the two previous lethal strikes this month, the boats had left from Venezuela, a country where a small amount of mostly cocaine transits to the US. The vast majority of fentanyl comes from Mexico. The White House has not provided detailed briefings to Congress on the subject, and some lawmakers from both sides of the aisle say these strikes amount to execution without trial.
Quill Lawrence NPR News.
How is the debate over free speech escalating after the Charlie Kirk slaying controversy?
The crackdown on critics of slaying conservative activist Charlie Kirk has ignited a debate about free speech. President Trump today complained that news networks overwhelmingly report bad news about him, saying that's illegal.
Uh I think that's I think that's dishonesty.
He also praised the FCC chair for pressuring ABC to indefinitely suspend comedian Jimmy Kimmel for his comments about Kirk. ABC, owned by Disney, already paid Trump fifteen million dollars to settle a defamation lawsuit, and CBS News paid sixteen million over a sixty minutes interview with presidential candidate Harris. Democrats and some Republicans are pushing back, and Pierce Tamara Keith has more.
One really interesting thing here is there has been some dissent from conservatives. Uh Ted Cruz, the Republican senator, said that the FCC commissioners' threats were dangerous as hell and like something right out of Goodfellas, the mob movie. You know, when the FCC chairman says we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way, it's not hard to tell what he wants to happen.
What’s causing the federal government shutdown threat and how are Senate leaders responding?
And pierced hammer keith. The Senate today failed to advance bills passed by the House to fund the federal government as a shutdown looms. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Democrats are dragging out a process they know they won't succeed in.
They're trying to use what they think is leverage to get a bunch of stuff done that's never gonna happen. I mean can you imagine anything in that bill that they sent that they that we that we voted down today passing in the Republican House of Representatives? Absolutely not. It's just not serious. They're not being serious.
But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says if a shutdown happens it would be the Republicans' fault.
Why are states suing the USDA over SNAP data requests and what did the court rule?
Now that it's clear that neither bill will get the sixty votes that the Senate needs, it's time to negotiate. The theatre must end.
You're listening to NPR News. The federal court says the Trump administration can't start withholding billions of dollars from a group of states that refru uh that refuse to turn over the personal data of food assistance recipients. And Pierce Jude Joffy Block reports the legal fight isn't over.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is requiring states turn over sensitive information about people who've received federal food assistance over the last five years from the program known as SNAP. At least 23 states complied, turning over the names, social security numbers, addresses, and other data about SNAP recipients. But other states in the District of Columbia refused, many of which joined together to sue the USDA, alleging the data demand is unlawful.
What are the details of Trump’s new “gold card” visa and H‑1B fee, and how might they impact the economy?
USDA then threatened to take away significant funds from states that didn't comply. But a federal judge in San Francisco has ruled the federal agency cannot withhold funding from states that sued as the case proceeds. Jude Jaffe Block, NPR News.
President Trump signed an executive order today creating a new expedited visa, a so called Trump gold card for people willing to pay one million dollars to enter the US or be sponsored by their company for two million.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
Why did the U.S. military destroy a drug‑smuggling boat and what did Trump say about it?
0:00–0:58
2
How is the debate over free speech escalating after the Charlie Kirk slaying controversy?
0:58–2:11
3
What’s causing the federal government shutdown threat and how are Senate leaders responding?
2:11–2:46
4
Why are states suing the USDA over SNAP data requests and what did the court rule?
2:46–3:42
5
What are the details of Trump’s new “gold card” visa and H‑1B fee, and how might they impact the economy?
3:42–4:38