NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-02-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: October 3, 2025

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump says he will reshape the federal workforce during the government shutdown. On social media, Trump said he's discussing spending and personnel cuts, evaluating, quote, which of the many Democrat agencies would be cut. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is blaming Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown.

What's clear is that the American people know who shut the government down and it's Donald Trump and Republicans. That's clearly the American people because Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. And Republicans, the Trump administration, have been engaging in mass firings since the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency. Democrats are holding out on Republican-Propos. to fund the government at current levels in an effort to pass an extension of tax credits for Affordable Care Act insurance plans.

Many U.S. Department of Agriculture Services are frozen as a result of the shutdown. Montana Public Radio's Victoria Traxler reports on how this may significantly impact farmers. The federal government shutdown comes during a critical time for farmers as they organize finances and plans for next season. Local offices that process federal loan applications and other payments for disaster relief are closed. That means farmers will have to do without that federal support for the time being. Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Executive Vice President Scott Colbeck. The farm economy is already at a crisis point, and this creates unnecessary hardship for farm and ranch families at a time when they can least afford it. Montana's congressional delegates said in statements to MTPR, they blame Democrats for the shutdown,

and for delays in federal payments to farmers. For NPR news, I'm Victoria Traxler in Missoula, Montana. Police say two people are dead and three others remain hospitalized after a terror attack at a synagogue in Manchester, England. Authorities say they've killed the assailant and arrested three other people. NPR's Lauren Freyer reports. Police have identified the attacker as a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent named Jihad al-Shameh.

They say he plowed into pedestrians outside. the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester, then got out and stabbed people before being shot dead by police. Police say they've arrested three alleged accomplices, two men in their 30s and a woman in her 60s, all charged with commission, preparation, and instigation of acts of terrorism. It happened on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, and just before the second anniversary of the October 7th attacks and the start of the Gaza War. Police have deployed to guard, other synagogues across the country. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London.

Electric carmaker Tesla benefited from a rush of consumers napping a $7,500 credit before it expired on September 30th. The company reported that sales in the three months through September rose 7% compared to the same period a year ago. This is NPR News. A federal judge presiding over Oregon's challenge to President Trump's plan to deploy the National Guard in Portland has recused himself from the case.

This comes after the administration questioned whether Judge Michael Simon could be impartial since his wife is a Democratic Congresswoman, Suzanne Bonamichi, who's spoken out against the deployment. The case has been reassigned to Judge Karen Imurgut, a Trump appointee. The founding pastor of a Texas megachurch has pleaded guilty to five counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child. Penelope Rivera with Member Station KERA reports the case stems from child abuse allegation, that occurred in the 1980s. Robert Morris started Gateway Church in 2000 and built it into one of the largest congregations in the country.

Following his guilty plea, he was given a 10-year sentence but will only serve six months in jail in in Oklahoma, where the abuse took place. He will also be required to register as a lifetime sex offender and pay $270,000 to the victim, Cindy Clemishire. Clemishire went public about the abuse she endured for Morris in June of 2024. Since then, Gateway has faced a drop in attendance and donations and multiple lawsuits. Klemishire said the abuse started when she was 12 and lasted more than four years. For NPR news, I'm Penelope Rivera in Dallas.

A team of excavators has found $1 million in treasure from a centuries-old Spanish shipwreck off a stretch of Florida and includes more than a thousand silver and cold coins. The fortune was lost at sea when a hurricane struck a fleet of Spanish ships in July 7th. This is NPR News. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. T's and Cs Apply.