NPR News Now - 3am ET, October 16 | The latest headlines from NPR

Episode Date: October 16, 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. In Bend, Oregon, a makeshift memorial is taking shape outside the Silver Rail Elementary School, where a gumman opened fire Thursday, killing three children and a teacher. Melanie Kebler is Ben's mayor. Like so many in our community, I'm struggling to make sense of a loss that feels unimaginable. I encourage our community to find comfort in one another and to support the families, students, teachers, and school staff who are carrying an enormous burden today.

Police say the children killed were age 5, 8, and 11 in addition to the teacher who was killed, a 7-year-old student, and another teacher were taken to a hospital with critical injuries. Please say the 16-year-old gunman was killed by an armed community member who had pursued him into the school. The Democratic Senate candidate to Michigan brought a little star power on a tour through the state's Upper Peninsula Thursday. Abdul al-Aiyadh was joined by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Michigan Public Radio's Russ McNamero reports. Republican candidate Mike Rogers has spent much of this campaign attempting to tie El-Said to terrorist groups. There's been no evidence linking the Democrat to those claims. Speaking to a crowd of 1,200 people in Marquette, Congressman Ocasio-Cortez says those attacks.

are a distraction. They want to make this man look very big and scary on television, because what they think is that if they can make you scared of him, then that means you won't listen to him. The trip to deep red parts of Michigan is also a showcase for Ocasio-Cortez, who is a potential 28 presidential candidate. For NPR News, I'm Russ McNamara in Marquette. Vice President J.D. Vance was also campaigning in Michigan Thursday. He saw to portray the November midterm election as an existential choice. Rights groups say that Turkey is arbitrarily arresting and prosecuting activists as the annual UN Climate Summit approaches. Turkey is hosting COP 31. And Pierce Hadil Al-Shalchi reports on the

arrest at a time when activists say Turkey has been increasing its crackdown on opposition voices. Human Rights Watch says Turkey's crackdown on environmental activists is, quote, a salient reminder of its intolerance of dissent. It said Turkish authorities have been forcibly dispersing non-violent protests using tear gas and water cannons and finding people with random identity checks. This comes at a time when rights groups, including Turkey's journalists' union, say the country is stifling voices of dissent. On Wednesday, Turkish authorities blocked a broadcaster that is not aligned with the government.

They've also detained several journalists and academics, particularly from LGBTQ-plus groups. This year's UN annual climate summit known as COP 31 runs for two weeks starting on November 9th. Hediel al-Shalchi, NPR News, Istanbul. And you're listening to NPR News. Pope Leo has resumed working. The Vatican says he met Thursday with the top aide and resumed his duties while hospitalized following lung surgery Tuesday to remove a cancerous nodule. Leo's doctor says his post-operative tests are normal, and he is independently going about

daily activities. He is expected to remain hospitalized until at least October 20th. A study finds that ultra-processed foods overall do not increase a person's risk of developing colorectal cancer. But NPR's Maria Godoy reports the risk varies depending on the type of food. The majority of industrially made packaged foods sold in grocery stores count as ultra-processed, from jarred pasta sauces to sugary drinks. In this study, researchers looked at data from more than 460,000 U.S. adults between the ages of 50 and 71 over nearly two decades. They found that eating processed meats was linked to a higher risk of colorectal cancer, but a higher intake of other foods from the ultra-process category, specifically whole grains and dairy, was associated with a lower risk. The researchers say the

findings support current recommendations to consume whole grains, fiber, dairy, and dairy. berry and calcium and avoid processed meats. The findings appear in the journal Plus Medicine. Maria Godoy, NPR News. Stocks are rebounding. Asian shares mostly advancing in Friday trading a day after a sell-off in tech stocks dragged the markets lower. South Korea's benchmark up 2% and Japan's NICA advance 1.3%.

I'm Jail Snyder. This is NPR News.