The U.N.’s Future, and the ‘Hamburger Helper Economy’

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From the New York Times, it's the headlines.

I'm Tracy Mumford.

Today's Monday, September 22nd.

Here's what we're covering.

Starting today in New York City, more than 140 leaders and delegations from around the world will convene for the annual gathering of the United Nations General Assembly, even as the relevance of the UN has been increasingly called into question.

Taking center stage will be the war in Gaza and the question of Palestinian statehood.

We recognized the state of Israel more than 75 years ago.

Today, we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also.

Ahead of the gathering, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, along with the leaders of Canada, Australia, and Portugal, announced that his country will now officially recognize a Palestinian state, turning up the diplomatic pressure on Israel over its military campaign that's killed tens of thousands of people.

The hope of a two-state solution is fading,

but we cannot let that light go out.

Though recognizing a Palestinian state is largely symbolic, the growing number of Israel's allies doing so has provoked intense pushback from Israel and its staunchest defender, the U.S., which have both said this effectively rewards terrorism and will only make Hamas feel more emboldened.

The escalating war in Gaza, along with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Sudan, have underscored how the UN has repeatedly failed in recent years to prevent or wind down violent conflicts.

The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II with the goal of promoting peace and human rights.

But as it marks its 80th anniversary this year, the UN's future is increasingly unclear.

It's facing staff reductions and a budget crisis, as member countries have been delaying payments or not paying dues at all, compounding a cash shortfall caused by major cuts from the UN's biggest funder, the U.S.

One senior NGO official who works with the UN described it as being in, quote, free fall.

And diplomats tell the Times they'll be closely watching a speech by President Trump to the Assembly tomorrow morning to see how the U.S.

will engage with the UN going forward.

Thank you for coming out to honor Charlie Kirk.

God bless all of you and all of you tuning in online around the world.

In the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, yesterday, tens of thousands of people packed into a football stadium for a memorial for Charlie Kirk, the conservative political youth activist behind the group Turning Point USA.

The power of Christ's blood and the power of martyrdom speaks through Charlie.

The event was a fusion of religion and politics, reflecting how much the messaging of the modern Republican Party has melded with Christianity.

I have talked more about Jesus Christ in the past two weeks than I have my entire time in public life.

And that is an undeniable legacy of the great Charlie Kerr.

At least 20 members of the Trump administration attended, many of whom delivered remarks, including Vice President J.D.

Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the president's top policy advisor, Stephen Miller.

You thought you could kill Charlie Kirk?

You have made him immortal.

Attendees lined up before the sun rose to get inside the arena, passing voter registration booths that had been set up for the event.

The service, in total, ran for five hours.

My husband, Charlie,

he wanted to save

young men,

just like the one who took his life.

Near the end of the ceremony, Kirk's wife Erica Kirk, who is now the leader of Turning Point USA, took the mic.

She described the shock of viewing Kirk's body at the hospital and said she forgives the man who killed him.

The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love.

Love for our enemies

and love for those who persecute us she was followed by the final speaker of the event president trump he did not hate his opponents he wanted

the best for them that's where i disagreed with charlie

i hate my opponent

and i don't want the best for them i'm sorry i am sorry erica trump spoke for 45 minutes honoring kirk's life but also promoting his own political agenda talking about sending federal agents to Chicago, boasting about tariffs that he slapped on other countries, and the anchor had no talent and no ratings, alluding briefly to the controversy over Jimmy Kimmel's suspended late-night show.

Since Kirk's killing, Trump and top administration officials have promised a crackdown on their political opponents amid baseless claims that there's a network of liberal groups violently opposing the Republican Party.

The lesson of Charlie's life is that you should never never underestimate what one person can do with a good heart, a righteous cause, a cheerful spirit, and the will to fight, fight, fight.

Have to fight.

For a deeper look at what Kirk meant to the crowds who flocked to the arena for the memorial, listen to today's episode of The Daily.

He had a lot of silent followers up until this point.

People were just hiding behind, not wanting to be judged because they were conservative in their views.

And I think the loss of him ignited something within the conservative party that said, you know, we don't have to live in fear or hide from our friends anymore.

It's our turn.

This is our turning point as well.

Is that how you feel?

Absolutely.

Now, two other quick updates on the Trump administration.

The president has pushed out a U.S.

attorney after he said he'd hit roadblocks trying to bring cases against people Trump considers his political enemies.

The attorney, who was looking into former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, recently told senior Justice Department officials that there wasn't enough evidence to charge James with any crimes and that there were complications in their investigation of Comey.

Even though Republican lawmakers and the Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the U.S.

Attorney, who's a highly regarded career prosecutor, he resigned after Trump told reporters, I want him out.

The ouster is part of the president's ongoing effort to exert more control over the Justice Department and leverage it in his retribution campaign against law enforcement officials who've investigated him.

On Saturday, in one of his most explicit moves yet, Trump demanded that Bondi push forward with prosecutions of Comey and James, writing in all caps on social media, quote, justice must be served now.

And the company needs to decide: is that person valuable enough to have a $100,000 a year payment to the government, or they should head home and they should go hire an American?

The White House has set off a frantic scramble among Wall Street banks, tech giants, and other companies after it announced a new $100,000 fee for visas for skilled foreign workers.

The visas known as H-1Bs have played a crucial role in helping American employers find tens of thousands of top-tier workers.

Immigration hardliners and the Trump administration, however, say the program has driven down wages and that the companies should be prioritizing hiring Americans.

While the new fee will only apply to future visa applicants, the sudden rollout had Microsoft, Amazon, and other companies that have large numbers of employees on H-1Bs urging any of their workers abroad to get back to the U.S.

as quickly as possible.

Hamburger helper, when you need a helping hand.

During the 2008 financial crisis, sales of hamburger helper spiked.

One pound and one pan, you've got a meal everyone loves.

During the COVID pandemic, they spiked.

And hamburger helper's there to help.

And now, once again, sales of the budget-friendly just-add beef pasta mix are on the rise.

The meal kit, which debuted in the 1970s, typically sees a boost in popularity when financial times get tough.

There's even a phrase for it, the hamburger helper economy.

Sales of other budget-conscious favorites like canned tuna, beans, and boxed mac and cheese are also strong, according to industry analysts.

It's a sign Americans are feeling the squeeze.

Though inflation has cooled off from its peak, by some estimates, food prices are still more than 20% higher than four years ago.

And they're climbing.

The latest data from the Bureau of Labor statistics showed that prices in several food categories, including meat, coffee, fruits, and vegetables, jumped last month.

And finally, The Chicago River has a reputation.

For decades, it was heavily polluted to the point that engineers reversed the flow of it so that it wouldn't carry sewage into Lake Michigan.

For anyone who's ever been there on St.

Patrick's Day, the city dyes the water a truly electric green.

And then there's the whole Dave Matthews band incident involving a tour bus's waste tank.

But I'm not going to spoil your breakfast.

Very little of that makes people think, gee, I'd like to swim in that river.

There has not been an open swim in the river since 1927.

But yesterday, in a celebration of just how much work has been done to clean it up in recent years, hundreds of people jumped in in the heart of the loop downtown, with one swimmer telling NBC News it was a lifelong dream.

It was incredible.

The water was actually quite clear.

Every time I breathed, I could see the city.

The event was carefully organized.

They tested for bacteria levels in the water, required all swimmers to register, and had lifeguards on hand.

Meanwhile, environmental groups are excited that it's not just humans coming back to the cleaner water.

There have been dozens more species of fish in the river.

Ospreys and bald eagles are hunting for food in it.

There's beavers, muskrats, turtles, and even otters behind the lyric opera.

Those are the headlines.

I'm Tracy Mumford.

We'll be back tomorrow.

This podcast is supported by CARE, a global humanitarian organization that turns care into action in over 100 countries.

If you're listening to this program, you probably care about what's happening in the world.

CARE, a global humanitarian organization, turns that care into action.

Your support helps care restore clean water, deliver medical supplies, keep girls in school, feed families through famine, and rebuild after disaster.

Go to care.org/slash New York Times to say I care.

Together, we are care, always there.