NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-02-2025 6AM 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 Janine Hurst. It's the second day of the government shutdown, and while it won't touch federal benefits like Medicare and Social Security, nutrition assistance for pregnant women and new parents could be hit. And peers Jennifer Ludden has more. The program WIC helps nearly 7 million people access healthy foods, but the National WIC Association estimates money for it will run out in about two weeks.

After that, states will have to close the gap if their budgets allow. Lucia Graves in New Hampshire says if Wic benefits for her four-year-old daughter end, it will be a lot harder to make ends meet. The prices of milk, the prices of eggs, the price of bread, all of these things are like astronomical. So it would be a huge hit to us. If the shutdown drags out, the WIC Association says local clinics may have to triage, prioritizing pregnant or breastfeeding women and turning away preschool-aged children. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News, Washington. Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can keep her job at the Central Bank at least for now. As NPR Scott Horsley reports, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear oral arguments in Cook's case in January.

President Trump has been trying to fire Lisa Cook, pointing to allegations from a Trump ally that Cook made false statements on a mortgage application. Cook denies any wrongdoing. Her supporters say allowing Trump to oust to Fed Governor would compromise the central bank's ability to set interest rates free from political interference. Two lower courts have sided with Cook and blocked the president from removing her. The Supreme Court opted not to overturn those decisions, at least until he hears oral arguments early next year. Trump's been waging a high-pressure campaign to get the Fed to cut interest rates more aggressively. A group of former Fed officials and Treasury secretaries say the central bank works best when it's insulated from that kind of political pressure. Scott Horsley and Pear

News, Washington. Attorney General Pam Bondi says several people were arrested on the first day of a federal operation in Memphis, Tennessee. National Guard troops are mobilizing in the city under President Trump's orders, and Bondi says the Justice Department will do what it can to protect the agents. And let me be very, very clear. I am a career prosecutor. If you touch a law enforcement officer, it is a crime and you are going to jail. Bondi was in Memphis, along with Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller to rally the federal troops. Bundy says the troops are expected to stay in the city for weeks, possibly months. Meanwhile, Oregon Governor Tina Kotech says Trump broke a promise to talk with her

before sending National Guard troops to Portland. Troops have also been deployed to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. so far this year to fight crime and enforce immigration laws. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. are bracing for possible delays as a result of the government shutdown. MPR's Joel Rose reports the latest shutdown strained the aviation system and slowed flights. Air traffic controllers are required to work through the shutdown, even though they don't get paid until it ends. But more workers than usual called in sick during the last government shutdown, leading to delays in commercial aviation. Air traffic controllers say morale is even lower now because of a staffing shortage and stagnating pay.

But the union that represents those controllers is urging them to be professional and not to engage in any kind of job action that could get them or the union in trouble. Unlike the last shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration plans to keep its air traffic controller training academy open, part of its push to meet ambitious hiring goals. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Walmart is the latest retail company to say it will remove artificial dyes and 30 other additives from its private business. friend food and beverages starting in 2027. That includes artificial sweeteners, fat substitutes, and a number of preservatives. The 11 dyes being removed are commonly used to make food and beverages highly colored and more attractive to consumers. Other food companies, including Kraft Heinz, General Mills, Kellogg's, Campbells, and Pepsi have all said they too would

remove those artificial dyes by 2027. Momentum to remove the additives picked up this year, Amid Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again Movement. I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.