NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-06-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: October 6, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. As the U.S. Senate prepares to hold another vote over a bill to reopen the government, congressional Democrats are insisting Republicans restore health insurance subsidies to millions of households. House Speaker Mike Johnson says it's up to a handful of Democrats to, quote, end the madness. We don't have enough Republican votes to fix this because it takes 60 votes in the Senate to break this impasse to open the government. There's only 53 Republicans in the Senate. Senate. We need some Democrats to be thoughtful and responsible and do the right thing. The showdown is shaping the narrative for the midterm elections. A Democratic campaign

arm for House lawmakers took out digital ads in 35 districts that it considers competitive. The ads accused the GOP of blocking affordable health care. The Republican campaign organization launched digital ads in swing districts that blamed the shutdown on liberal Democrats in Congress. Ballots for California's special election are being mailed out starting today. voters will weigh in on a ballot measure that would allow state officials to redraw the state's congressional map ahead of the midterm elections. Here's NPR's Ashley Lopez. Proposition 50 in California is a response to Texas lawmakers who redrew the state's congressional

map recently to create five more favorable seats for Republicans. Texas lawmakers took on this effort at the request of President Trump, who wants Republicans to keep control of Congress next year. California Democrats led by Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to counter Texas as redistricting effort by creating five more favorable congressional seats for Democrats in the state. But unlike Texas, California has an independent redistricting commission, so lawmakers have to ask voters for permission first to bypass the independent commission that voters in California approved in 2008 and 2010. Ashley Lopez, NPR News.

The Italian government is pressing the White House to change its decision to apply major new tariffs on pasta imports to the United States. Italy's National Union for Farmers says the tariffs would deal a, quote, fatal blow to many Italian pasta makers. Here's NPR's Ruth Sherlock. The US decision to impose an extra duty of more than 90% comes as the US Department of Commerce accuses two major Italian producers of selling pasta at unfairly low prices.

Italy's foreign minister has denied this characterization and says a dedicated task force had been set up to coordinate Italy's response with the European Union, which is running trade policy on behalf of the bloc. The new tariffs would raise the effective rate on most premium Italian pastors to 107%. Koldiretti, Italy's influential agribusiness association, has warned that, as well as being a fatal blow for some Italian pasta producers, it would double the cost of a plate of pasta for American families. Ruth Sherlock MPR News, Rome. From Washington, this is NPR News.

Hurricane Priscilla is bringing heavy rain and 85 mile per hour winds to western Mexico. The National Hurricane Center projects it'll strengthen into a category two storm in the next couple of days and may approach major hurricane status before it weakens. Southwestern portions of Mexico, including Michoacan and Colima, are projected to receive as much as six inches of rain. from Priscilla's Outerban through Wednesday. With it comes the heightened threat of flash floods. Three scientists were awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden, today.

NPR's Rob Stein reports they've made discoveries in how the immune system is kept in check. The three scientists are two Americans, Mary Bruncoe and Fred Ramsdale, and one Japanese, Shimon Sakaguchi. The researchers won for explaining something. called peripheral immune tolerance. This is a key part of how the immune system protects but does not harm the body. The Nobel Committee says the trio made groundbreaking discoveries that explain the function of cells that committee calls the immune system's security guards, cells called regulatory T cells. Those cells help prevent other immune system cells from attacking healthy tissue. The three scientists will share more than $1.1 million. Rob,

NPR News. At last, check on Wall Street at the NASDAQ was up 191 points. The S&P gained 27. The Dow was down 80 points. I'm Lakshmi Singh. NPR News in Washington.