NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-02-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: October 2, 2025

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In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life. Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, Sources and Methods. NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people, helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. Republicans and Democrats are blaming each other for the partial government shutdown. It's now in its second day. House lawmakers are not scheduled to meet again until Friday. Vice President J.D. Vance addressed White House reporters early Wednesday. We need to reopen the government. Let's fix America's problems. Let's work together to solve them.

But let's reopen the government before we have our negotiation about health care policy. That's what the American people demand. And that's certainly what the President of the United States want. Vance says there's no final decision on the fate of certain federal workers, but that extraordinary measures may be needed during the shutdown. GOP lawmakers are insisting on passes of a short-term spending bill. Democrats are demanding that expiring health care subsidies be restored. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are already furloughed. Others are expected to work without pay until Congress reaches a deal. More from NPR's Andrea Shue.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates some 750,000 federal employees, could be furloughed. That includes roughly half of the Department of Agriculture, half of civilians working for the Defense Department, and close to three quarters of the Labor Department. Where most employees are still working, although mostly without pay, include the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Transportation. Separate from the shutdown, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office announced layoffs of 1% of its staff, more than 100 people, including those in communications and the Patents Unit. That agency is not funded by Congress, but rather by user fees, so it remains operational. And reissue and PR News.

A federal judge says the Trump administration must continue providing millions of dollars and disaster relief funds to states. NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports that the states affected by the ruling are currently run by Democrats. The funds in question come from the federal emergency management agency, FEMA. They total about $233 million and are used to train and pay salaries for local first responders, among other things. The money is supposed to go to 11 states, including California, New York, and Illinois, as well as Washington, D.C. The Trump administration is trying to block those states from receiving the funds in what Democrats say is an attempt to punish jurisdictions for not cooperating with immigration enforcement efforts. The states sued to retain

the funding. Now, a judge says the money must continue to flow while the lawsuit moves through the courts. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News. Delta regional planes collided while taxing on the runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport. The right wing of one plane preparing to take off to Roanoke, Virginia, hit the fuselage of another plane that was arriving from Charlotte last night. At least one injury has been reported airport operations were not affected by the mishap, which is under investigation. U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading following Wednesday's gains on Wall Street. This is NPR. Vescuers are using heavy equipment and sniffer dogs to look for survivors in collapsed houses and other damaged buildings in the Central Philippines.

At least 72 people died from a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that's trapped an unspecified number of residents in the hard-hit city of Bogo and outlaying rural towns in Cebu Province. Army troops, police, and civilian volunteers were deployed on Wednesday to conduct house-to-house searches. for survivors. In sub-Saharan Africa, children under five die nearly every minute from the mosquito-borne disease malaria. NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports on new research, suggesting that treating baby wraps with insect repellent could lessen the toll. During the day, many babies in rural Africa often get around on mom's back in a baby wrap where they're exposed to mosquitoes. New research in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that treating those wraps with the insect propellant permetherin can protect babies. In a large study in Uganda, babies in treated

wraps saw minimal side effects, a slightly increased risk of rash, and great results, about a two-thirds reduction in malaria compared with babies in non-treated wraps. Jonathan Lambert NPR News. Conservationist Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91. Goodall may be best remembered for living among chimpanzees in Africa and documenting their distinct personalities and daily habits. A research is seen as vital to how the world perceives chimpanzees and the complexity of all humans. This is NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. If you're tired of small talk, check out the Wild Card podcast. I invite your favorite celebrities to open up about the big topics we all think about but rarely talk about.

Tune in this fall to hear Matthew McConaughey, Shonda Rhymes, and Padma Lakshmi. Talk about everything from grief and God to ambition and forgiveness. watch or listen on the NPR app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.