NPR News Now - 5am ET, October 14 | The latest headlines from NPR

Episode Date: October 14, 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 in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. The Vatican says doctors at a hospital in Rome have removed a cancerous growth from Pope Leo's right lung. As Megan Williams reports, the nodule was detected at an early stage and the procedure was described as successful. The Vatican says test confirmed the 71-year-old Pope has, lung adenocarsinoma, the most common form of lung cancer. Surgeons at Rome's Jamali Hospital removed the lower lobe of his right lung in what his lead surgeon described as an attempt to make

the procedure curative. The minimally invasive operation lasted about 90 minutes, and the Vatican says there were no complications. Leo woke normally from the anesthetic and is resting in his hospital room. The cancer was discovered after a recent routine health check found a small growth on his lung. For NPR news, I'm Megan Williams in Rome. At least six deaths are now reported along Mexico's Pacific coast from Hurricane Simon and the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel. With the November midterm elections, now less than three weeks away, President Trump will be taking part in more campaign rallies for Republican candidates today. The president is scheduled to be in Montana and Arizona. Yesterday, the president was in Alaska to rally support for

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. NPR's Tamara Keith says Trump's appearances in red states are being looked at positively by Democratic campaigns. This is a midterm year with an unpopular president and Republicans are playing defense in a whole lot of places that would have been considered safe seats even just a few months ago. Does that mean that Democrats are going to win all of these races? Probably not. But if Republicans are spending money on defense, they aren't spending money on offense. And the triage has really started to begin now. That's NPR's Tamara Keith reporting. Federal regulators are fining Bank of America more than a billion dollars for failing to prevent money laundering by its customers. NPR's Scott Horsley says it marks one of the largest penalties on record by the Treasury Department. Banks are required to track and report financial transactions they suspect may be tied to illegal activity. The Treasury Department says B of A willfully ignored that requirement and

allowed more than $5 billion worth of money to change hands without proper reporting over a seven-year period stretching back to 2018. Some of the suspicious move showed signs of Chinese money laundering networks, others had apparent ties to the southwest border. The bank also agreed to pay more than $11 million to settle apparent sanctions violations involving Iran, Russia, and other targets. The bank says in a statement it's committed billions of dollars and thousands of employees to improving its financial compliance. Scott Horsley, MP. News, Washington. Wall Street futures are higher this morning.

This is NPR News from Washington. Sales of existing homes in the U.S. rose 1.5% in September, but the National Association of Realtors says sales were down compared to the same month one year ago. NPR's Stephen Besaha says higher mortgage rates are keeping many potential home buyers on the sidelines. The only month slower for home sales in September was August, after a month. making adjustments for seasons. The National Association of Realtors says this is not a supply issue. Homes available for sale are at their pre-COVID levels. Instead, it's about high mortgage rates. In September, the average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose past 6.8%. Since September,

rates have only climbed. Last week, mortgage rates reached a near three-year high of 7.4%. It could go even higher if the Federal Reserve hikes its benchmark interest rate again in the coming months. Stephen Besahah and Pure News, Birmingham, Alabama. Freddie Mac says the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging 7.4%. Major League Baseball's American League Championship Series is now tied at a game apiece between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays. Last night in Florida, the rays beat Cleveland 3 to 1 to even the best of 7 series. Game 3 is tomorrow night.

Game 3 of the National League Championship Series is tonight in Los Angeles, between the Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee leads that series, two games to none. The Dodgers have won the last two World Series. The winners of each of these series will advance to this year's fall classic. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News, in Washington.