NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-02-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 2, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump and congressional leaders aren't expected to meet anytime soon to discuss ending the government's shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson is calling on Democrats to support a Republican bill to reopen the government at current spending levels, but Democrats are holding out. They're calling for an extension of tax credits for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act. Johnson says Democrats are asking for a wild list of partisan priorities. It is selfish, it is reprehensible, and it is exactly the opposite of what they have all said themselves in their own words very passionately every day until now. Republican leaders say the Obamacare tax credits can wait since the subsidies expire at the end of the year. Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is Europe's responsibility to end the war in Ukraine.

Putin's comments come at a political forum where he also touched on recent remarks by President Trump. NPR's Charles Mainz has details from Moscow. In his remarks, Putin blamed Europe for dragging out the war in Ukraine through its military support for Kiev and vowed to respond to Europe's militarization amid what he argued were falsely hyped Russian threats. Yet Putin said reports that the U.S. was considering providing American-made Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would mark a new stage of escalation. Putin also took aim at President Trump's recent comments calling Russia a paper tiger over its failure to subdue its neighbor. In response, Putin said Russia had been fighting the entirety of the NATO alliance and was, still making steady advancements in Ukraine. If we are a paper tiger asked Putin, then what is NATO itself? Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow. Many people are still having a hard time

getting vaccinated against COVID-19 because of an unusual delay by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NPR's Rob Stein has the story. The CDC has yet to issue final guidelines for the COVID vaccines nearly two weeks after receiving the recommendations from the agency's advisors. That's highly unusual. Typically, the CDC acts within days, sometimes even hours of receiving recommendations from the advisory committee because of the urgency of getting people vaccinated for the winter surge. The delay has prevented a federal program from shipping out free vaccines for kids and has meant that a patchwork of state rules has prevented adults from getting shots in many places too. Federal officials have not explained the delay. Rob Stein

Pure News. Federal officials have approved another generic version of the abortion pill, Mitha Pristone, triggering outrage from anti-abortion advocates. Drugmaker Evita Solutions announced that the FDA signed off on its form of the pill. Students for Life Action called the approval, quote, a stain on the Trump presidency and another sign that the deep state at the FDA must go. Mitha Pristone was approved 25 years ago and has been repeatedly deemed safe. From Washington, I'm Rylan. This is NPR News. FIFA is facing growing global calls to suspend Israeli soccer teams over the country's war in Gaza,

but the organization's chief says it must promote peace and unity. Gianni Infantino says the governing organization for soccer can't solve global political issues. Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run turned 50 this year. Recently, the boss and the East Street band sat down on stage for the football. first time to explain how they created the landmark album. NPR's Frank Lankfit reports from the Bruce Springsteen archives at Monmouth University. Springsteen's first two albums had not sold. He needed a hit. It was all or nothing, because in the rest of my life at that time, I had nothing. Springsteen is a notorious perfectionist. He drove the band as well as studio engineer, Jimmy Iveen.

I never met a person before or after. I can say the same word over and over and over and over and over. words, no and again. It worked. The album peaked at number three on the billboard chart and launched Springsteen to Stardom. Frank Langford, NPR News, West Long Branch, New Jersey. A comet from another star system will swing by Mars tomorrow. The comet known as 3-E-A-Atlas will hurdle within 18 million miles of the red planet. its closest approach during its trek through the inner solar system.

The European Space Agency and NASA are already observing the comet, which is only the third interstellar object known to have passed our way. From Washington, this is NPR.