by Suzanne Nuyen

September 16, 2025

Good morning, and happy 09/16/25. For mathematicians, today is a date of rare mathematical beauty — it's a Pythagorean triple square day. Here's the news we're following:

Vice President Vance hosted The Charlie Kirk Show yesterday, five days after the right-wing activist was fatally shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University. During the two-hour livestream, Vance said that he wouldn't be the vice president of the United States if it weren't for Charlie Kirk. Vance vowed to help carry forward his friend's political legacy and emphasized that the administration plans to target political violence. Vance and others on the podcast said they believed vitriol from the left led to Kirk's death. The suspect is due in court today, and very little is known about the investigation and possible motive.

JD Vance sits behind his desk and speaks into a microphone.

Doug Mills/AFP via Getty Images

🎧 NPR's Franco Ordoñez says this moment is very personal for Vance, who flew to Utah with his wife after the shooting to support Kirk's widow. Vance has spoken about how Kirk believed in him early in his career and connected him with donors. Ordoñez adds that it's also a political moment for Vance, who has ambitions for the presidency. Republican strategist Ryan Williams tells Ordoñez that Vance is the top official in the White House with ties to Kirk's movement. The vice president is seen as the next generation and is considered a young and upcoming warrior of conservative values that Kirk's supporters can relate to.

FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to testify today before the Senate Judiciary Committee. His appearance was scheduled weeks ago, but comes at a delicate time for Patel, who has faced scrutiny for his social media posts and actions during the hunt for Kirk's killer. Patel tweeted hours after the shooting that a suspect was in custody, only to tweet roughly 90 minutes later that the person had been released and the investigation was ongoing. He's also been sued by three former FBI officials who allege he fired them for improper political reasons.

🎧 It's highly unusual — if not unheard of — for FBI officials to use social media the way Patel did after Kirk was killed, NPR's Ryan Lucas says. It leads to mistakes, confusion and, in this case, questions about Patel's ability to lead the bureau through high stakes moments, Lucas adds. On Fox and Friends yesterday, Patel said he could have worded his posts differently, but ultimately did not regret putting them out.

The Federal Reserve begins a two-day policy meeting today, after which the central bank is likely to cut interest rates for the first time this year. President Trump has been waging a high-pressure campaign to get the Fed to lower interest rates more aggressively. The meeting comes amid Trump's efforts to shape the committee that sets federal interest rates. A federal appeals court yesterday blocked Trump's attempt to remove Lisa Cook from the Fed's governing board. At the same time, the Senate voted to confirm Trump ally Stephen Miran to fill a temporary vacancy on the same board.

🎧 Miran's appointment has raised some eyebrows because he is taking a leave of absence rather than leaving his White House job as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, NPR's Scott Horsley says. Critics warn that this could give the president undue influence over the Fed, which is supposed to operate independently of the administration. Horsley says that in the short term, this drama doesn't mean much for the economy, as neither Miran nor Cook is expected to cast a deciding vote this week on interest rates. But in the longer term, Horsley says this is a "real showdown" over how much control the president is allowed to exercise over the central bank.

Newsletter continues after sponsor message

In this close-up photo of a woman's feet, her hand is applying lotion to one heel.

Microgen Images/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

The latest health trend on social media is magnesium lotion. Magnesium is an essential mineral that the body relies on for numerous functions, and it has long been considered helpful for better sleep when taken as an oral supplement. Now, influencers claim magnesium lotion can improve sleep and help people tackle problems such as cortisol and insulin imbalances. Here are the facts behind whether it really works:

🧴 There is no evidence that magnesium absorbs well through the skin. Nicholas Theodosakis, a dermatologist and researcher at Harvard University, theorizes that the lotion's benefits likely come from the massage used to apply it or its moisturizing ingredients.
🧴 The risks of applying magnesium lotion are likely extremely small, according to John Winkelman, an associate physician and sleep expert at Harvard. He says that while he doesn’t plan to discourage safe remedies that benefit his patients, he isn’t planning to recommend magnesium lotion anytime soon.
🧴 Theodosakis says that health fads like this lotion are closely related to skin health and are significantly linked to emotional well-being and psychology.

An illustration depicts a preteen boy with white skin and blond hair, wearing a backward baseball hat. He sits cross-legged on the floor with over-the-ear headphones pulled down around his neck, while he stares down at a tablet in his hands. Speech bubbles, emojis, an exclamation point and a question mark emanate from the screen, off to either side of him. A hand reaches into the frame as his parent puts a hand on his shoulder.

Eva Redamonti for NPR

Teens are increasingly using artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT, for numerous reasons, from completing homework to seeking relationship advice. Experts are now urging parents to guide their children in understanding the technology. While AI has the potential to help student learning if used correctly, there have been concerning stories of teens who died by suicide after chatting with AI chatbots, highlighting the risks AI tools pose for young users. Here is how the experts advise having conversations with children about AI:

💻 Talk to children as early as elementary school age about AI. Take time each week to learn about the tools and use them yourself.
💻 Experiment with AI the next time your child has a question. Put your question in the chatbox and discuss whether the results were helpful or not. Remind them that AI can make mistakes.
💻 Watch out for warning signs that a child is spending too much time with AI. This may include increased isolation with devices or referring to an AI chatbot as though it were a real friend.
💻 Set boundaries around AI, including prioritizing spending time with real people and setting do’s and don’ts for using it.

Get more parenting tips from Life Kit here. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more

Ever wished to be a fly on the wall in the meetings and conversations that are shaping the future of the U.S. and the world? Now you can with NPR’s newest podcast, Sources & Methods.

Every Thursday, host Mary Louise Kelly sits down with a team of NPR correspondents to discuss the biggest national security stories of the week, taking you inside the Pentagon, State Department, and CIA with military officials, intelligence experts and diplomatic leaders.

Listen to Sources & Methods on the NPR App, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Pope Leo sits and holds sheets of paper in front of a microphone.

Gregorio Borgia/AP

In his first interview as leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV talked about his concerns about income inequality, polarization and the need for peace.

U.S. officials say they have reached a "framework" for a deal with China that would keep TikTok online in the U.S. if both sides agree to the final terms.

Arthur Sze will take over from Ada Limón and become the 25th U.S. poet laureate, the Library of Congress announced. Sze has often drawn inspiration from philosophy, science and nature throughout his decades-long career.

Stream your local NPR station.

Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream.

This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel. Brittney Melton contributed.

Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here.

Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Health and more!

You received this message because you're subscribed to Up First emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy