Wednesday morning news: September 24, 2025

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Trump at U.N. General Assembly » At United Nations headquarters in New York:

AUDIO: (U.N. Trump intro)  The assembly will hear an address by his Excellency Donald Trump, president of the United States of America.

On day-one of the assembly, President Trump, for the first time in his second term, addressed a gathering of world leaders.

His speech touched on numerous key concerns around the world, including mass migration. He said other nations should follow America’s lead.

TRUMP: It’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now.

He also addressed the war in Ukraine, and once again threatened tough tariffs to punish Russia, if Moscow does not end the war soon. And he called out the U.N. for, in his view, not doing enough to end global conflicts.

TRUMP:  At least for now, all they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up. It's empty words and empty words don't solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action.

He also called out European allies for continuing to buy Russian oil, saying “they are funding the war against themselves.”

We’ll have more on Trump’s speech and analysis with Hunter Baker shortly.

Secret Service dismantles telecom threat around U.N. » Meanwhile, the Secret Service says agents in New York City have dismantled a hidden telecom system that could have jammed 911 calls and thrown communications into chaos.

Authorities dismantled an underground telecom network capable of crippling cell service just as world leaders gathered for the U.N. General Assembly.

Special Agent Matt McCool says investigators uncovered 100,000 SIM cards powering several hundred servers spread across multiple locations.

MCCOOL: These devices cloud anonymous, encrypted communications between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises, enabling criminal organizations to operate undetected.

McCool also said the devices were clustered around 35 miles of the United Nations’ headquarters in New York.

Investigators haven’t confirmed it was aimed at the U.N. or New York directly but they note the network’s power and timing posed a serious threat.

Early evidence points to foreign actors and organized crime involvement.

Routh found guilty in Trump assassination plot » A jury in Florida has found Ryan Routh guilty of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course last year.

The president reacted to the news on Tuesday:

TRUMP:  It was really well handled and it's very important. You can't let things like that happen. Nothing to do with me, but a president or even a person, you can't allow that to happen.

After the verdict, Routh tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen but was quickly restrained by officers.

Routh, who represented himself in court, faces life in prison with sentencing scheduled in December.

Prosecutors say he spent weeks plotting to kill Trump. His plans were thwarted when a Secret Service agent spotted him hiding in bushes with a rifle.

NATO warns Russia » NATO leaders are sending a warning to Moscow after repeated incursions of NATO airspace by Russian drones and even MiG-31 fighter jets.

Secretary General Mark Rutte:

RUTTE:  We do not want to see a continuation of this dangerous pattern by Russia intentional or not, but we stand ready and willing to continue to defend every inch of allied territory.

The warning to Moscow comes after the downing earlier this month of Russian drones over Poland. And last week, Estonia said three Russian jets had entered its airspace for 12 minutes on Friday without authorization.

Russia has denied some incursions and dismissed others as accidental.

European Commission spokeswoman Anitta Hipper said she’s not buying it.

HIPPER: They have not just accidentally violated the airspace of human member states, Russia is testing the European borders, also prob probing our resolve.

The Alliance says Russia should be in no doubt that NATO and Allies would employ all tools to defend ourselves and deter all threats.

And a reporter asked President Trump Tuesday:

REPORTER:  Do you think that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace?

TRUMP: Yes, I do.

Israel » Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told reporters Italy will not join France and other European countries in recognizing a Palestinian state. Not until two conditions are met.

MELONI: [Speaking Italian]

She says Hamas started this war and it continues to this day only because the terror group has refused to release all of the hostages.

Meloni says Italy can only recognize a Palestinian state when those captives are released and Hamas is excluded from any role in governance.

The United States says that to recognize a Palestinian state while Hamas still holds Israeli hostages reward terrorism. Secretary of State Marco Rubio:

RUBIO: There should have never been any hos—why are we even talking about hostages? Why do we still have to talk about hostages at this point? There shouldn't be any. They should all be released immediately. Period. That's the president's position.

Hamas has reportedly written a letter to the U.S. asking for a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for half the hostages to be released.

European officials defend Tylenol » Health officials with the European Union are pushing back on the Trump administration’s warning on Monday that Tylenol use during pregnancy could be linked to autism.

European Commission spokeswoman Eva Hrncirova:

HRNCIROVA: The European Medicines Agency has not found any evidence linking the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and autism.

Paracetamol — better known in the U.S. as acetaminophen is the active ingredient in Tylenol

The Trump administration pointed to a review of dozens of studies in suggesting a possible link.

Tylenol maker Kenvue has strongly refuted any link between the drug and autism, claiming it is the safest painkiller a mother can use during pregnancy.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: the pending government shutdown. Plus, protecting minorities in Syria.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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