NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-03-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: October 4, 2025

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This message comes from Click Here. Erased is a four-part investigation into how China is wiping Uyghur culture from existence. Erased uncovers an authoritarian regime's campaign to delete a culture. Listen to Click Here wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. On day three of the government's shutdown, Democrats again refused to sign on to a Republican effort to temporarily fund the government at current levels. Democrats are demanding an extension of subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is identifying federal programs to scale back during the shutdown, as NPR's Franco Ordonez explains. I mean, a lot of it comes down to Russ vote. He's the director of the Office of Management and Budget. And some of our listeners will remember him as one of the key architects of the controversial project 2025. You know, he has long advocated for a much more muscular OMB and much more muscular White House that really acts more in an activist way of cutting spending and overhauling the federal government.

And now that he's in office, you know, he's really taking that to heart. NPR's Franco Ordonia's reporting. A new poll published today finds that a large majority of the public thinks Congress should extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act health plans, as NPR's Selina Simmons-Duffin reports. More than three quarters of people across the political spectrum say Congress should extend the enhanced ACA tax credits that are set to expire at the end of the year. That's according to a poll from KFF,

the nonpartisan health research organization. It also found most Republicans support extending the subsidies. Ashley Kersinger of KFF says people who have these plans are worried about their rates doubling. Seven and ten say they wouldn't be able. to afford that coverage, and four in 10 so that that means that they would go without health insurance coverage in 2026. The Congressional Budget Office estimates millions of people will become uninsured if the subsidies aren't extended. Selina Simmons-Duffin, NPR News, Washington.

Once again, the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to get rid of temporary protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants. NPR's Sergio Martinez-Beltran reports. In a 6 to 3 ruling, Supreme Court justices cited with the Trump administration and said it can take away the temporary protected status from Venezuelans in the U.S. This while the case continues to be litigated. The decision is expected to affect more than 300,000 Venezuelans who have been in a legal limbo since earlier this year when the administration moved to end TPS for them. Secretary of Homeland Security, Christine Nome, has said Venezuela no longer meets the conditions for TPS and that the designation, would be, quote, contrary to the national interest. This latest ruling means the Venezuelans are now subject to deportation.

Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Austin. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit the White House next week. The meeting comes amid trade negotiations, and Trump once again says he wants to make Canada the 51st U.S. state. From Washington, this is NPR News. A California resident who attempted to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022 was sentenced to over eight years in prison by a federal judge today. They had faced a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The judge said she took into account that the would-be assailant is a transgender woman and under a recent executive order by President Trump will be serving her sentence in a male facility. Des Moines Public Schools is suing the search firm. They used to hire a superintendent who was detained by ICE a week ago and has resigned from his post. Iowa Public Radio's Isabella Liu reports the district is claiming breach of contract. Court documents show Ian Roberts hasn't had work authorization for almost five years. Des Moines Schools hired him in 2023 after a nationwide search. Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris says they're demanding answers from the firm, JG, consulting. The firm failed its duty to properly vet candidates.

Ian Roberts should have never been presented as a finalist. And if we knew what we knew now, he would never have been hired. The firm says Roberts provided the documents to show he was eligible for the position in Des Moines. Homeland Security says Roberts was issued a removal order in May 2024. He's now being charged with having firearms without legal status. For NPR News, I'm Isabella Liu in Des Moines. Apple and Google are now blocking downloads of apps that flag sightings of immigration agents. It came hours after the Trump administration demanded that one popular iPhone app be taken down.

Users of these apps say it's their First Amendment right to capture and share what ICE is doing in their neighborhoods. U.S. Attorney General Pambani says such tracking puts ICE officers at risk. This is NPR News. 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.