NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-03-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 3, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Hamas says it agrees to key demands in a U.S. proposal to end the war in Gaza, including releasing all the hostages. The militant group has given its first official response to the 20-point plan put forward by President Trump. And as NPR's Carrie Khan reports, the response comes just hours after Trump issued an ultimatum. In a statement on its official social media channels, Hamas says it agrees to release all hostages held in Gaza both living and dead, as well as handing over power in the territory to an independent Palestinian body. Hamas thanked Trump for his efforts to end the war. However, Hamas stated that further consultation and negotiation is needed on other points in the plan, including Gaza's future, which it says

it will be a part of. Israel has accepted Trump's proposal, but both Egypt and Qatar, key negotiators have said elements require further negotiation and clarifications. Trump gave Hamas a Sunday deadline to respond if they did not, Trump threatened that, quote, hell would break out against Hamas. Kerry Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. After the statement from Hamas, President Trump said Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza. Trump says he believes the Palestinian militant group is, quote, ready for a lasting peace. Hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown faded today. Senate Democrats refused to sign on to a Republican effort to reopen the government.

Meanwhile, President Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and additional cuts across the federal government. A new study shows that AI could be used to evade biosecurity systems at companies that make DNA. As NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boyce reports, these companies screened customer orders to keep dangerous DNA out of the wrong hands. In the journal Science, researchers say they wanted to know if AI tools could rewrite the code for hazardous proteins like toxins. And it turns out AI could. It generated thousands of them. Eric Horvitz is Microsoft's chief scientific officer. To our concern, these reformulated sequences slipped past the biosecurity screening systems used worldwide by DNA synthesis companies to flag

dangerous orders. The research team quickly produced a software fix and rolled it out with the help of a DNA manufacturing industry group. But the episode shows how AI is revving up long-standing concerns about how to keep well-intentioned biology from being misused. Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News. The UN Food Agency announced it is cutting food assistance for hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia, where millions are facing devastating effects of climate change and acute levels of hunger. U.S. foreign aid cuts have exacerbated problems responding to the growing number of hungry people across the world. The World Food Program said the number of people receiving emergency food assistance in Somalia

will decrease from $1.1 million in August to $350,000 in November. This is NPR News. The Supreme Court says it will take up a lawsuit against Hawaii's strict gun regulations. The Hawaii law bans guns on private property unless the owner has specifically allowed them. The law also prohibits firearms in places like beaches, parks, bars, and restaurants that serve alcohol. President Trump has urged the justices to take the case. Hawaii attorneys argue restrictions strike a reasonable balance between gun rights and public safety. The Church of England has named a woman as its spiritual leader.

NPR's Lauren Freyer reports a former nurse turned bishop, Sarah Mulally, will be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Since St. Augustine in the year 597, more than 100 men have held the role of Archbishop of Canterbury. Sarah Mulali will be the first woman. Speaking at Canterbury Cathedral, she pledged to help. the church heal from a child abuse scandal that prompted her predecessor's resignation. My commitment will be to ensure that we continue to listen to survivors, care for the vulnerable, and foster a culture of safety and well-being for all. Her role is both spiritual and political. The Church of England runs some public schools here

and some of its bishops sit in the Upper House of Parliament. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. The Association of American Publishers is honoring a Russian publishing house for its fight against censorship. Freedom Letters operates mainly out of Ukraine, Latvia, and Georgia. It publishes works by anti-war writers and opponents of President Putin. The House is banned in Russia but continues to sell books there online. I'm Ryland Barton. This is NPR News.