NPR News: 09-08-2026 4PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump is paying tribute to the nearly 3,000 people killed during the 9-11 terror attacks on US soil nearly 25 years ago. Today he highlighted the sacrifices of firefighters, police and other first responders. Here's NPR's Emily Fang. In a ceremony held on the ellipse between the White House and the Washington Monument, Trump posthumously awarded the presidential medal of honor to a firefighter, Wells Crowther, who died saving people trapped in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. He also recognized the thousands of firefighters and EMS first responders who have since become sick and, or died, from pollutants they're exposed to as the twin towers burned. And he used the occasion to defend the war in Iran. Nobody thought it could go so well. I want to just thank our military. Trump will be spending 9-11 this Friday at the Pentagon, however, not New York at 9-11 Memorial events. Emily Fang and Pair News, the White House.

1:01The United Kingdom, France and Canada say they are banning imports of goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. And a wider group of countries say they'll also take steps amid mounting concern over settlement expansion and violence. And P.R. Zlornfair has more from London. The UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says his government has concluded that, quote, settler terrorists are responsible for ethnic cleansing against Palestinians. So he says the UK is banning all goods grown or manufactured in settlements, things like fruit and vegetables or wine. And it's sanctioning companies that do business in those settlements or help construct them. So to those who finance or facilitate illegal settlements, let me say this, you will face the full force of UK sanctions. Israel says it's closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem in response. And Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, accused Miliband of what he called Jew hate, even though his parents are Holocaust survivors. Lauren Friar and Pair News London.

2:02Smith-Sony and Secretary Lonnie Bunch says he's retiring after 38 years of service in 2019. He became the first African-American to leave the organization. The Smith-Sony and his come under criticism from President Trump who accused the organization of promoting radical ideology. If you want to visit an airport but you're not traveling, a new option could be on the way. A TSA program will let more people through security without a ticket. Here's in Pierceville, chapel. The new federal program is called Gateside. It's part of TSA pre-check. It's mainly for people who want to see their loved ones all the way to the gate or to welcome them back. 13 airports are offering gateside. TSA administrator David Cummins says it could grow fast. We're hoping to have all 430 airports rolled out by the end of the year. About 20 U.S. airports already offered day passes for visitors. Cummins says the TSA heard from people who want the option at their local airport. Bill Chappell in Pair News. This is NPR. In Hawaii, emergency crews are responding to floods, down trees, and widespread power outages

3:06from Hurricane Lowell. The storm center passed west of Kauai Oahu and Maui this morning, is moving away from Hawaii, but floods and mudslides remain a threat. Britain's Prince George is following in his father's footsteps, becoming one of Eaton College's newest arrivals today. William and Kate, the Prince in Princess of Wales, photographed accompanying their eldest child on the 13-year-old's first day at the boarding school. Star Trek fans around the globe were celebrating the 60th anniversary of the first episode aired on NBC. NPR's Mandelita El Batico reports a series led to a number of TV shows and films, video games podcasts, and fan fiction. On September 8, 1966, American TV viewers were treated to the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew of Earthlings and a half-human half-alien from Vulcan, aboard the Starship Enterprise. The original series and its spin-offs have inspired astronauts,

4:14engineers, and legions of devoted followers. Rod Roddenberry is the son of Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry. I think he'd be very proud of the fact that Star Trek has tried new things. Thank you to everyone who's worked on it and seriously all the fans. Roddenberry says the fans, Trekkies, continue to let Star Trek live long and prosper. Mandelita El Batico, NPR News. You're listening to NPR. Billionaire Mark Cuban has stared into the belly of the beast of America's health care system. I mean, it's so bad you can go through a long list of really quality hospitals and they don't know their costs. So, can Medicare for all be a solution? We take a hard look at the cost of the program along with US health care itself. Find this and hear more stories from the indicator from Planet Money on the NPR app.