NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-03-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: October 3, 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 Shea Stevens. House Speaker Mike Johnson says Democrats are to blame for the pain that Americans are feeling from the partial government shutdown.

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. Congressional Democrats are insisting on an extension of expiring health care tax credits in exchange for supporting a temporary budget plan. President Trump says the government shutdown gives him an opportunity to cut more ways. Trump says he's meeting with budget director Russ Volt to identify more potential spending cuts. Vote is author of the Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's far-right blueprint for giving the executive branch more power. Some North Carolina lawmakers are worried that a prolonged government shutdown could threaten disaster response. From Blue Ridge Public Radio, Gerard Albert, has more. North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis says the fund balance is, quote, dangerously low and could prevent some financial

aid to Western North Carolina communities harmed by Hurricane Helene, as well as any disasters that might occur during a shutdown. We have storms in the Atlantic and more storms forming off the coast of Africa, and we are not prepared for another major disaster should it hit this weekend, nor do we have the money that we need to help communities across this country. The fund balance is currently at $1.4 billion, according to the latest monthly report. The Resolution that the Senate has voted down would add $22.5 billion to that fund. For NPR News, I'm George Albert III. The Food and Drug Administration has approved another generic version of the abortion drug, Myth of Pristone.

As NPR's KDA-R-Riddle reports, the decision comes at a time when the drug is under attack from abortion opponents. These kinds of approvals are typical when a drug's patent is up. If a generic drug maker shows its version is equivalent to the original, the FDA, by law has to act. But with the Miffipristone, the decision is controversial as it induces abortion. Medication abortion accounts for more than half of the abortions in the United States. Given its widespread use, anti-abortion advocates have been working to limit Mifapristone's availability in recent years. HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently called for a review of its, quote, safety and efficacy. Scores of studies have found the drug to be effective and safe.

Katie Riddell, in PR News. Massive fire is burning at a Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo, California, near Los Angeles. There are no immediate reports of injuries, and crews are working to keep the flames from spreading. The facility employs around 1,500 workers. U.S. futures are flat and after-hours trading on Wall Street, on Asia-Pacific market shares are mixed. This is NPR. British authorities say they've arrested three people on suspicion of terrorism in wake of an attack, in Manchester, England. A motorist rammed a car into a crowd outside of a synagogue and

fatally stabbed two bystanders. The suspect identified as 35-year-old Britain Jihad al-Shamey was shot and killed at the scene. The Eiffel Tower is closed because of another day of strikes. As NPR's Eleanor Beersley reports, the protests are aimed at France's new prime minister. Sebastian Le Corneux is Macron's fourth prime minister in a little over a year. He too is from the president's center-right camp. The last two prime ministers were deposed in no-confidence votes. Teachers, train drivers, and other public sector workers have walked off the job and into the streets to protest for the second time since the beginning of the school year. There are some 250 union-led marches across France. The head of France's largest and most left-wing

union said Macron cannot continue governing against the will of the people. Protesters want a premier from the left who will raise taxes on the rich to plug the deficit. Eleanor Beardsley and Peir News, Paris. Russian President Vladimir Putin says U.S. military support for Ukraine could seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington, but he says it would have no impact on the battlefield, referring to U.S. plans to provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy targets in Russia. In remarks to foreign policy experts, Putin also hailed President Trump's efforts to help the

negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. U.S. Futures are flat in after-hours trading. This is NPR News. There are a lot of books out there. Big ones, small ones, smart ones, silly ones, ones that thrill, and ones that are, well, kind of a bore. But NPR's Book of the Day podcast is here to help you find your favorites. Through our author interviews, you can find out if a book is right for you in 15 minutes or less. So listen to NPR's Book of the Day podcast in the NPR app.

or wherever you get your podcasts.