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

Episode Date: September 30, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. There are just five more hours until the federal government potentially shuts down after Congress didn't reach a compromise. One short-term effort to fund the government has failed tonight, and another appears to be headed that way. Democrats want more funding for health care, but GOP Senate leader John Thune says now is not the time. And as I've said before, we're happy to sit down with them

and talk about the concerns they have, the issues they have with, for example, to premium tax credits, but you've got to do that. You can't do that in the context of a, you know, a hostage situation. Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden says Republican leaders refuse to consider Democrats' requests for compromise. We want to work with people. We've been trying to work with people. We understand the consequences of what happens, but we've got to be met halfway. The Trump administration is blaming Democrats for the likely shutdown in messaging to federal employees on the Department of Housing and Urban Development website, a red banner warns, quote,

the radical left are going to shut down the government and inflict massive pain on the American people. Unions representing federal employees have sued the Trump administration over its threats to fire federal employees if there's a government shut down. NPR's Andrea Shue reports. The lawsuit stems from a memo that the White House Office of Management and Budget sent to federal agencies last week. It told agencies to consider sending layoff notes. to federal employees working on programs or activities that aren't consistent with the president's priorities in the event of a government shutdown. The two unions behind the lawsuit together represent more than 800,000 federal employees. They argue that the threat of layoffs is, quote, an unlawful abuse of power designed to punish workers and pressure Congress.

They've asked a federal court in San Francisco to find that the Office of Management and Budget unlawfully exceeded its authority in issuing the memo and to invalidate actions that come from it. Andrea Shue and PR News. President Trump says the administration has reached a deal with Harvard over more than a billion dollars in federal funds. NPR's Alyssa Natwerny has more. Trump told a room full of reporters at the White House, the administrations in the final stages of a deal with the Ivy League school. I guess we reached a deal with Harvard today, so we'll see what you have to do is paper it, right, Linda?

Yes, sir. Paper it out. He's referring there to Education Secretary Linda McMillard. man. When asked for details, Trump caveated a bit, saying that they were getting, quote, very close to finalizing the terms. He did say Harvard would pay $500 million and fund trade schools in exchange for the reactivation of federal research funding and so that, quote, their sins are forgiven. Officials at Harvard have not commented on the deal. Alist's ad warning and PR News. Stocks closed up today. The S&P 500 closed up 27 points to 6,600.

88. This is NPR News in Washington. An offshore earthquake with a magnitude 6.9 collapsed the walls of houses and buildings, killing at least 20 people in the Philippines. The quake cut off power and sent people scrambling out of homes in the darkness. Officials said at least 14 people were killed in the hard-hit city of Bogo, and the death toll is expected to rise. A stage adaptation of the Apple TV Plus series Shmigadoon is headed to Broadway in the spring. The stage version was presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. last winter, Jeff London reports. Schmigadoon is a loving, satirical look at Broadway musicals of the golden era, the 1940s and 50s.

Shmigga a doom where the sun shines bright from July to June. With script, music, and lyrics by Cinco Paul, the television series starred Keegan Michael Key and Cecily Strong as a modern couple who get trapped in a town where everybody sings. Paul has reprised his role for the stage show produced by Lorne Michaels, which is yet to announce a cast and creative team. Shmigadoon opens on Broadway for a limited run beginning in April. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. The beloved children's series Reading Rainbow is returning after nearly 20 years. It'll now be on the Kid Zucco YouTube channel. Celebrities like Adam Devine, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen will make appearances.

librarian Michael Threats will step in to host into the host role originally held by Lovar Burton. The reboot is co-produced by Buffalo, Toronto, Public Media. I'm Rylan Barton. This is NPR News from Washington.