NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-03-2025 6AM 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 Janine Herbst. It's the third day of the government's shutdown, and so far there's no end in sight. Senators will take another vote today for the fourth time on partisan stopgap bills that have failed to win enough support to fund the government and end the shutdown.

Democrats say Republicans could have avoided this with concessions on health care, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The overwhelming majority of Democrats are standing firm because we recognize that the health care crisis is not looming. it is upon us. Republicans have already enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. That was part of their one big ugly bill. Hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health clinics are closing because of Republican malignant action. Speaking there to NPR's all things considered. But President Trump blames Democrats and is threatening to permanently cut thousands of federal jobs. The White House is asking a handful of colleges to sign a deal that they say will uphold administration priorities on topics ranging

from diversity to ideological values in order to get preferential access to federal funds. And here's Alyssa Nadwarning has more. The Trump administration sent a letter to multiple colleges requesting they commit to things like viewpoint diversity, free speech, and rooting out what the administration says is, quote, anti-Semitic and illegal behavior on college campuses. In response to the memo, the chairman of the University of Tech, Texas System Board of Regents said in a statement, the system was honored that its flagship campus was chosen, end quote, we welcome the new opportunity to working with the Trump

administration on it. This latest attempt at a compact comes after the Trump administration canceled or threatened to cut federal funding for universities over a number of issues, including transgender policies, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and anti-Semitism. Alist Adwarni, NPR News. In Germany, Munich Airport was forced to close for nearly seven hours overnight after a wave of drone sightings nearby. As NPR's Rob Schmitz reports, it's the latest airport in Europe to shut down over unexplained drone flights. The airport said in a statement that at least 17 flights were grounded overnight impacting 3,000 passengers, while airport officials diverted 15 additional flights to other airports in the region.

The airport reopened at 5 in the morning local time when arrivals and departments. archers were again deemed safe. Munich is not alone. Last week, several airports in Denmark were forced to close for the same reason. Denmark later banned all civil drones as it hosted a summit of European leaders to discuss support for Ukraine as well as a potential drone wall initiative, a layered network of interception systems. Europe has been on alert due to a string of sightings and incursions by Russian drones into NATO airspace. Rob Schmidt and Pierre News, Berlin. U.S. Futures contracts are trading higher at this hour. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The founding pastor of a Texas megachurch has pleaded guilty to five counts of child sexual abuse.

As Penelope Rivera from member station KERA reports, the allegations stayed back to 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 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. Clemishire said the abuse started when she was 12 and lasted more than four. years. For NPR news, I'm Penelope Rivera in Dallas.

Victim impact statements will be heard today in a New York courtroom before Sean Diddy Combs is scheduled to be sentenced in a criminal case that could put him in prison for years. The hip-hop mogul was convicted in July after an eight-week trial on prostitution-related charges, but he was acquitted of the more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. Yesterday, Combs made a plea for leniency in a letter to a federal judge, saying he was humbled by the criminal case and wouldn't commit another crime. Prosecutors say he should spend more than 11 years in prison. His lawyers, though, want him freed based on time served. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News in Washington.