NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-07-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: October 8, 2025

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I'm Mario Glass. On This American Life, we tell real-life stories, really good ones. My mother said, I'm sorry that you weren't here because Father Sager was here visiting, and he found a very nice orphanage for you. And I said, but I'm not an orphan. Surprising stories in your podcast feed, This American Live. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. House Speaker Mike Johnson says the... Trump administration may be able to justify withholding back pay for federal workers. NPRs at Claudio Grisales reports Republican leaders say they're taking another look at a law that guarantees back pay for workers once the shutdown ends.

Speaker Johnson said while he has not talked to the White House about the plan, there are some legal analysts who say back pay may not be required under the 2019 law. But there are legal analysts who think that that is not something that government should do. If that is true, that should turn up the urgency and the necessity of the necessity of. of the Democrats doing the right thing here. But atop Senate appropriations, Democrat Patty Murray of Washington calls such arguments by President Trump and other Republicans lawless. Trump doesn't get to change the rules and rob workers just because he's worried his shutdown is backfiring.

President Trump signed the 2019 measure into law after the longest government shut down in history. Claude Rises, NPR News, the Capitol. Texas National Guard troops have arrived in Chicago under orders from President Trump. Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider reports similar deployments in San Francisco and Portland are on hold for now. Trump has federalized the Texas National Guard by invoking Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution. It allows Congress to summon the militia to suppress a rebellion or whether the president is unable to enforce U.S. law with regular forces. Law professor Jeffrey Korn of Texas Tech University says that rationale may be difficult to argue in court. All these statements of

war zones and Portland is a war zone and Chicago is the worst city in the world. When these cases get into court, the administration lawyers have to back that up with facts. And to date, they have been unable to do that successfully. A U.S. District Court judge in Illinois is set to reconsider a request to block the deployment on Thursday. For NPR News, I'm Andrew Schneider in Houston. The International Energy Agency has cut its growth forecast for America's renewable energy market. That comes after the elimination of federal tax incentives and efforts by the Trump administration to limit construction of wind and solar projects. NPR's Michael Copley reports the slowdown could come at a time when the U.S. electricity demand is rising. The IEA's latest forecast for renewable energy development

in the U.S. is almost 50% lower than last years. That could create challenges to economic growth. Energy analysts and executives say renewables are crucial to help meet rising U.S. power demand from new data centers and factories. While activity in the U.S. renewables market, is expected to slow. The IEA says growth is still strong globally. The agency expects power capacity from renewables to double by 2030, and for renewables to overtake coal is the world's largest source of electricity generation by the middle of next year at the latest. Michael Copley, NPR News. All Street's record-breaking rally ran out of steam today. The S&P 500 dipped four-tenths of a percent. This is NPR News. Toyota is recalling nearly 400,000 vehicles because the

rearview camera may not display when backing up. The recall effects Toyota Tundra and Sequoia models manufactured between 2022 and 2025. The issue is caused by a software problem, which the company says can be fixed at dealerships for free. Actors, stage managers, and musicians have been performing on Broadway without a contract since the end of September. Labor negotiations resumed tomorrow, but as Jeff London reports, the possibility of a strike is looming over the proceedings. Coming off a record-breaking box office gross of almost $1.9 billion last season, actors' equity wants the new contract to reflect the wealth, especially in terms of contributions to the union's health insurance fund. That has been a major concern since the coronavirus pandemic.

The Broadway League, which represents producers and theater owners, has been pointing out only one in ten Broadway shows makes back its investment. The parties enter negotiations. The parties enter negotiations with a mediator involved, but Equities Council has already authorized a strike if no progress is made. A strike would shut down 26 current Broadway shows. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. Three University of California system scientists won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research on subatomic particles. Their findings laid the groundwork for better cell phones and faster computers and makes possible the kind of ultra-sensitive measurements conducted by MRI machines. The scientists will split a nearly $1.2 million award. I'm Rylan Barton. 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.