NPR News Now - 5pm ET, October 07 | The latest headlines from NPR

Episode Date: October 7, 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 Rylan Barton. Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers released an ad today calling for an end to President Trump's trade war with Canada. Here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy. We need to end this tariff war now. Rogers had previously defended some of Trump's tariffs as necessary. It's the second time Rogers has split with Trump recently.

After calling for an end to the Iran war, which he previously supported, asked about the ad today. Trump suggested Rogers wasn't breaking with him on the issue, saying, quote, I viewed it as wanting Canada to make a deal. Trump is heading to a campaign event in Texas later today. Today marks three years since Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel leading to the war in Gaza. As memorials are being held across the country, many Israelis are grappling with new reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned about an impending attack. as NPR's Kat-Lonstorf reports. Officials in both Egypt and the United Arab Emirates repeatedly warned Netanyahu about a serious looming attack by Hamas from Gaza in

2023. NPR has spoken to four people in the Middle East with knowledge of those warnings. First reported by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, as well as the Atlantic and the New York Times, the revelations are dominating conversations in Israel, just weeks before national elections that will determine Netanyahu's political future. Netanyahu has denied he was warned, calling the report's fake news, and filing a defamation lawsuit last week against the Israeli outlets that published them. Kat Lonsworth, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

A tropical storm is brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports its forecast to strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical storm Issa Eas formed over the Western Gulf overnight. The National Hurricane Center says it's on track to rapidly gain strength as it moves to the east over warm Gulf waters and could become a hurricane by Thursday. Forecasters say residents from Louisiana to the Florida Gulf Coast should be prepared for damaging winds, heavy rain, and dangerous storm surge. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in 25 counties in the Panhandle in Big Bend region, freeing up resources to be staged for a hurricane response.

This year's hurricane season has been dampened by a strong El Niño weather pattern, which hinders Atlantic storm development. Debbie Elliott, NPR News. Lawyers for a Texas man who fatally shot a convenience store clerk are asking a judge to stay his execution by lethal injection, citing the recent failed execution of Krista Pike in Tennessee. Attorneys for Jamal Howard say the same drug used in Pike's attempted execution, Pento Barbatol would be used in Texas and they argue the state's supply could be degraded. U.S. stocks pulled back from their records today. The S&P 500 slipped nearly a quarter of a brief. percent. A day after topping its prior all-time high, the Dow dropped more than half a percent. This is NPR News. The University of Arizona has suspended activities at its fraternities after reports of misconduct, including assault and hazing.

The school's dean of students says the reports involve nearly half the school's inter-f fraternity council chapters. Some cases are under criminal investigation. The suspension follows the recent public outcry over how Cornell University handled fraternity rape allegations in 2024. This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry has gone to two researchers for their work involving a unique property of certain molecules. And PR's Ari Daniel reports. Put one hand on top of the other. They look alike, but they're not identical. A molecule with this property, where it can't be superimposed on its mirror image, is called chiral. Certain key molecules of life are chiral, like amino acids and DNA.

The Nobel Committee recognized two chemists for their separate experiments explaining and amplifying this molecular asymmetry with repercussions for drugs, flavors, and novel materials. Kenso-Soai, now Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of Science,

is one of the recipients. Of course, this is one of the most exciting days in my life. A speaker at today's ceremony called Soai's work, quote, probably the coolest experiment in organic chemistry. Ari Daniel, NPR News.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is sent to graduate its first student with a minor in Mariachi. The program was launched to encourage students to become Mariachi educators in the Clark County School District, which has one of the largest mariachi programs in the country. I'm Ryland Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.