NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-30-2025 7AM EDT

Episode Date: September 30, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Congress is up against the clock to avoid a government shutdown at midnight. A White House meeting on Monday with top House and Senate leaders ended without a bipartisan compromise. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says the next move is up to Republicans. We've made to the president some proposals. Our Republican leaders will have to talk to them about them, but ultimately, he's the decision maker. House Speaker Mike Johnson is backing a short-term funding measure that he says we give lawmakers more time to negotiate. A short-term non-partisan continuing resolution. It's only 24

pages in length. Leader Thune has a copy if you want to see the exhibit. There's nothing partisan in here. No policy riders, none of our big party preferences. If no deal is reached by midnight, many federal workers will be furloughed and others could be fired. It would be the first government shutdown since 2018. President Trump has unveiled what he calls a comprehensive plan to end the war in Gaza and promote broader peace in the region. Israel has accepted the plan. And PR's Michelle Kaliman reports, Trump says, he's now waiting on Hamas. The 20-point plan calls for the release of all hostages within 72 hours and says Gaza will be a, quote, de-radicalized terror-free zone. The UN and international aid groups will be able to bring in food and humanitarian goods

into Gaza, which will be run by a new transitional authority. President Trump says the people of Israel want this war to end. They say two things. Please get the hostages back and please end the war. They've had it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the plan achieves Israel's war aims, a Gaza that won't be run by Hamas or the Palestinian Authority. Michelle Kellelman, NPR News, the State Department. Paid leave ends today for some of the federal workers who accepted the Trump administration's fork-in-the-road buyout offer. NPR's Andrea Shue reports. Between January and April, roughly 150,000 federal employees agreed to resign from their jobs in exchange for pay and benefits through at least September.

A number of them told NPR they did not want to quit their jobs, but did so out of fear that they would be laid off or forced to relocate if they stayed. While some of them have found new jobs right away, others are struggling to even land interviews. In the Washington, D.C. area, the market is flooded with former federal employees, and the situation could soon get worse if there's a government shutdown. The White House says a funding lapse could be an opportunity to further slash roles that don't align with the president's priorities.

Andrea Shoe, NPR News. This is NPR News in Washington. Prosecutors in New York are urging a federal judge to sentence music mogul Sean Diddy Combs to more than 11 years in prison. They filed their sentencing recommendation this morning, along with letters from some of his accusers. Combs has remained jailed since he was convicted on prostitution-related charges in July. New data show fewer people are traveling out of six. state for abortions. NPR's Katie Riddle has more on a report from the Guttmocker Institute. After the procedure became illegal in some places, the number of women who traveled out

of state in order to have abortions spiked. Data from the Guttmacher Institute, that's an organization that supports abortion rights, showed that number doubled. But now that trend may be reversing. A new report from Guttmacher showed a 5% decline in the number of women traveling out-of-state for abortions in the first half of 2025. Experts say that it's become harder to get the procedure at brick-and-mortar facilities. At the same time, they say, laws that allow people to use telehealth have improved access to abortion medication through the mail, even in states where the procedure is restricted. Katie Riddle, NPR News.

Tropical storm, Emelda, is picking up strength in the Atlantic and is expected to become a hurricane later today. Forecasters warn Imelda may brush Bermuda with high winds and rough seas. The U.S. mainland is expected to avoid a direct hit, though coastal areas could see dangerous surf and rip currents. This is NPR News in Washington.