NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-04-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 4, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hirst. There's no apparent movement to end the shutdown of the federal government now in its fourth day. Republicans want a temporary bill to continue spending at previous levels for a short time to allow for negotiations. Democrats want to include a measure extending health care subsidies now slated to expire at the end of the year. The White House is using the shutdown to further cut the federal workforce and freeze some projects. And here Stephen Fowler has more. Energy Department says billions of dollars for clean energy grants are being canceled because of a review that found they, quote, did not adequately advance the nation's energy needs, were not economically viable, and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars. Others have noted that those projects are in more than a dozen states, including Minnesota and New York, all of them, Vice President Kamala Harris won in last year's presidential election. The timing of the announcement comes as the administration is doing a full court press to get Democrats to get on board with their plans to reopen the government. NPR Stephen Fowler. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker

says he won't give in to an ultimatum from the Trump administration to deploy the state's National Guard. But he says the administration intends to federalize 300 Illinois Guard members. He says the state doesn't need military troops. Meanwhile, I go home. I go home. Protesters gathered in Chicago today near Brighton Park, where Homeland Security says officers shot an armed woman this morning. DHS says Border Patrol vehicles were rammed and boxed in by 10 cars and that a suspect tried to run them over while armed with a semi-automatic weapon. Earlier this week, federal officials conducted an early morning immigration raid at an apartment building in Chicago, pulling adults and children from their apartments.

Dozens, including U.S. citizens, were detained for hours. Alderman Brian Sigcho Lopez. They're escalating by this in the city. This is not making anyone safer. These raids, I mean, you saw that the race that just did a few days ago, there were innocent people. Chicago says this is a federal investigation. Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party chose a conservative woman as its next leader,

and Pierce Anthony Kuhn reports. Former economic security minister, Sinai Takaiichi, beat out four other competitors in two rounds of voting. She's now poised to become Japan's first female prime minister. Takaichi advocates increased defense spending and stricter immigration controls. She opposes same-sex marriage and letting women exceed to Japan's imperial throne. Japanese are fed up with a political establishment. The LDP, which has governed Japan for most of the past seven decades,

now finds itself in the minority in both houses of parliament. It can only get its legislation passed by forming coalitions with opposition parties. Takaichi will face an early test of her foreign policy skills when President Trump visits Japan towards the end of this month. Anthony Kuhn reporting, this is NPR. Lawyers for Sean Diddy Combs say they plan to appeal his sentence of more than four years in prison after being convicted on two counts of prostitution-related offenses. His lawyers say that the hip-hop star was unjustly punished for crimes he wasn't convicted of

and that the judge was biased. Combs was found not guilty of racketeering, conspiracy, and sex trafficking. The 55-year-old made a plea for leniency and wept at his sentencing hearing yesterday as his lawyers played a video portraying his family life career in philanthropy. The judge also fined Combs $500,000, which was the maximum allowed. More Minnesota turkey growers are using laser technology to reduce the spread of avian flu. Minnesota Public Radio's Dana Ferguson has more. The legislature approved $400,000 over two years to help producers buy the lasers.

Projectors are affixed to the top of Minnesota's commercial turkey barns, and the infrared beams keep migratory ducks and geese away without hurting them. The birds don't like the lights, so they steer away. That's important because the birds can pass on avian influenza, or bird flu, to commercial flocks. Matt Herdering is a turkey grower, and he says the migration season provokes anxiety. He's had birds get sick before. It terrifies us. It's one of those things where every spring and every fall, we live in fear. Herdering bought two lasers last year. He says they've been effective so far.

For NPR News, I'm Dana Ferguson in Melrose, Minnesota. And I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News in Washington.