NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-01-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

NPR News: 10-01-2025 7PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Despite threats of mass firings from President Trump, some federal workers say they're in favor of holding out in the spending fight that sparked the government shutdown. From member station WAMU, Jenny Abamu, has more. Federal workers showed up alongside Democrats on Capitol Hill to show their support for holding firm on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. Elizabeth Riley, a USDA employee, says she's no more afraid of losing her job during the shutdown. down than she was before it. We've been under attack for nine months as federal workers, and this is just another day at work.

Although we aren't working, a lot of my colleagues are going to struggle missing a paycheck, but a lot of us also feel that they need to hold the line. Democratic lawmakers, such as Jamie Raskin and Maryland, whose district hosts over 50,000 federal workers, says constituents have been calling and emailing his office saying hold the line. For MPR News, I'm Jenny Abamu on Capitol Hill. President Trump's pick to lead a top government number crunching agency is dropping out. NPR's Scott Horsley reports E.J. Antony had drawn criticism from across the political spectrum.

Trump had nominated E.J. Antony to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics after abruptly firing the previous BLS chief over a disappointing jobs report. Aides said Trump was eager to install his own people at the Bureau, which produces some of the government's most closely watched economic data. But critics complained that Antony was too partisan and too inexperienced to hold such an important post. Antony spent most of his career at right-wing think tanks. By contrast, the BLS is usually run by non-partisan technocrats. The White House says Trump will name a new nominee to run BLS very soon. The Bureau's monthly reports on jobs and inflation are on hold for now because of the government shut down. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

A new NPR PBS News Marist poll shows more people feel they may have to resolve. to violence in order to get the country back on track. NPR's Domenico Montanaro reports. Three in ten people say violence may be necessary to fix the country. That's up 11 points from April of last year and it's driven by some Democrats who now feel this way. Last year it was just 12% of Democrats saying this. Now that's up to 28%. Still, Republicans are even higher at 31%. It's important to point out, though, that 70% say that violence is not necessary. Three quarters called political violence a major problem, and when other surveys have asked about specific acts of violence, support goes down sharply. Still, that this sentiment is on the rise

is an alarming sign of the tension in the country. Domenico Montanaro, NPR News, Washington. Activists on board of flotilla, sailing towards Gaza, say that the Israeli Navy has begun intercepting their vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. The flotilla includes Greta Tunberg and Nelson Mandela's grandson, Mandela. The Israeli foreign ministry says the Navy warned them that they're approaching an active combat zone. From Washington, this is NPR News. Switzerland's glaciers have faced enormous melting this year due to global warming. Glaciologists say the 3% drop in total volume means that ice mass in the country has

declined by one quarter over the last decade. Switzerland is home to nearly 1,400 glaciers. The gradual melting has implications for water resources across Europe. Today is International Coffee Day, and for coffee farmers, the Trump administration's tariffs are only the latest setback. NPR's James Dubek talked to coffee industry experts about the state of the business. Coffee farmers are dealing with a lot. They often live in poverty, migration has caused labor shortages, and many small farmers are aging.

Climate change is another looming threat. That means rising temperatures, unpredictable weather, floods, and droughts. One study predicts that half of the world's coffee growing area could be unusable by 2050. Coffee consultant, Sara Maraki, works with farmers. It's a miracle that we still have. We still have plans for using coffee. So this is only going to get worse. Scientists are studying new varieties of coffee that could grow in hotter climates,

but it could be many years before they go mainstream. James Dubbek, NPR News. Elon Musk was the first person to be worth half a trillion dollars earlier today after a surge in Tesla stock. Forbes currently shows his net worth at 400. $299.1 billion. Musk could become the world's first trillionaire if he gets a new pay package from Tesla. Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle, briefly surpass Musk last month after a surge in Oracle stock.

From Washington, this is NPR News.