NPR News Now - 3am ET, October 09 | The latest headlines from NPR

Episode Date: October 9, 2026

The latest headlines from NPR at the top of this hour. The stories you hear are written, reported and fact-checked by NPR journalists.  Learn more about the standards of our journalism at npr.org/ethics. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This is NPR News Now. The latest headlines every hour. Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. A couple of debates Thursday and closely watched midterm Senate races in Michigan. Democrat Abdul al-Said was asked if Iran or Israel posed a more dangerous threat. He called that a ridiculous question. I don't want to be pushed into war by Israel and I don't want to be in a war with Iran. I want our money spent here to buy schools and health care and child care here.

I don't understand why that is so inconceivable. You know, Syed's debate in Grand Rapids with former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers was a combative affair. In Georgia, Democratic Senator John Ossoff squared off with his Republican challenger, Congressman Mike Collins, who sought to make immigration an issue. Illegal immigrants, though, that John Ossoff led into this country? Not only we're coming over here killing people and murdering people like Lake and Riley and he wouldn't shut the door on it. Human trafficking that he just let continue to flow. But they were also taking the jobs that young people, young Americans could go out there and get.

Colin sponsored the Lake and Riley Act, the 2025 law named for a Georgia nursing student killed by a Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally. Also, I've said Colin should answer for President Trump's deportation campaign. Mortgage rates up again this week. The national average for a 30-year fixed rate loan is 7.4%. NPR Stephen Besson. Saha. It wasn't that long ago back in February when mortgage rates had fallen below 6%. But since then, two major events have caused a sharp jump in the cost of borrowing, including for a house. The first was the start of the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran that caused investors to worry about inflation, which caused bond yields to rise. The second event was the Federal Reserve raising interest rates last

month to fight that inflation. Rates quickly climbed past 7 percent, and they've kept climbing since. The Fed will meet later this month to decide on whether to again hike rates, which could drive mortgage rates up even higher. Stephen Besaha, NPR News, Birmingham, Alabama. The Southern Rail Commission closing Amtrak's Mardi Gras service from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama as the Gulf Coast prepares for Hurricane Isayas. From Emmer Station, WRKF, Brooke Thorrington has more. Ahead of the storm, the Army Corps of Engineers is closing the New Orleans floodgates

to protect the Crescent City from East. any storm surge. Chairman of the Southern Rail Commission, Knox Ross, says when that happens, it blocks the track, so service has to be rerouted. That's why we've replaced one of the trains with a bus. In events like this, we've had this happen before where they close the floodgates and just prevents the train from running. Amtrak service between New Orleans and Atlanta is also impacted. It's temporarily canceled. Effected passengers can check their Amtrak app for updates along with social media. Services for both routes are expected to be back on track Monday.

For NPR News, I'm Brooke Thorrington and Baton Rouge. And you're listening to NPR News. Demonstrators clashed with police in New York City outside a hospital where a man shot Thursday by federal immigration officers was being treated. The whole man security department says a shooting happened in the course of a targeted enforcement operation. New York City mayors are Ammdani, says, a five-year-old child was with the man in his car at the time of the shooting. He's calling it unconscionable and is demanding, rather, that President Trump end all federal immigration enforcement actions in the city.

Candidates to be Alaska's next governor squared off in a debate last night. It's a four-way ranked choice race under Alaska's unique voting system. Alaska public media's Eric Stone reports a current governor's term limited. Three Republicans are facing off against a Democrat in the race to be Alaska's next governor. Democrat Jonathan Christ Tompkins has a lead over the fractured Republican field. He's positioning himself as a pragmatic moderate. We need to be able to work together to find common ground, to bridge where there's disagreement, and that's what's going to move Alaska forward.

The top polling Republican is business owner Bernadette Wilson. She said she'd fight efforts to raise taxes on oil companies as Alaska steers down a budget crunch. I am up for that battle. I do not want a governor that's going to concede the fight before they even get started. Several recent polls show the Democrat winning as voters sour on. President Trump and Alaska's incumbent Republican governor. For NPR News, I'm Eric Stone in Anchorage. The Norwegian Nobel Committee is preparing to award the Nobel Peace Prize.

The prize is to be awarded in a couple of hours. President Trump has repeatedly said he deserves it. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has attracted attention and prediction markets. I'm Gile Snyder. This is NPR News.