NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-08-2025 6AM EDT

Episode Date: October 8, 2025

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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. Live from NPR News in Washington, on Corvick-Holman. This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded.

to three scientists. They are Susumukitigawa, Richard Robson, and Omar Yagi for the development of metal organic frameworks. Their studies could lead to the creation of new materials with new properties. This is day eight on the federal government shutdown. It's affecting air travel. NPR's Giles Snyder says these are, rather there are staffing shortages among air traffic controllers. The list of airports reporting staffing shortages is widening the FAA adding Houston and Dallas to the list that includes Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia, as well as control centers in Atlanta and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In Nashville, the FAA implemented a ground stop Tuesday evening due to insufficient staff. According to the flight tracking website, Flight Aware, there were more than 3,000 delays on Tuesday.

And P.R.'s Giles Snyder reporting. Meanwhile, President Trump is suggesting that some furloughed federal workers may not get any back pay after the shutdown is over. Former FBI Director James Comey will appear in a federal courthouse today to formally hear two felony charges against him. Comey is a critic of President Trump, and his arraignment comes a day after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi sparred with Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. NPR's Elena Moore reports they say she has used her agency to go after Trump's political enemies. Committee Democrats used their time to press Pam Bondi on a slew of recent moves that they say are politically motivated. including the indictment of former FBI director James Comey, and the decision to close a federal probe into border czar Tom Homan,

who allegedly accepted a $50,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent. Many exchanges grew heated, including this one with California Democrat Adam Schiff. You can attack me after my time is over. Oh, you've attacked all of us, including President Trump for your entire career. You can't tag me later, and I know you've got plenty of candid attacks. We've heard them all day-to-day. Senator Republicans praised Bondi's work, saying she's repaired in agency, that had previously been weaponized against President Trump.

Elena Moore, NPR News. Texas National Guard troops have arrived in Illinois after President Trump ordered them to go there. The Texas Newsroom's Blaise Ganey reports the Texas National Guard troops were deployed against the wishes of Illinois officials. Illinois Governor J.B. Prisker condemned the move as an invasion and urged Texas Governor Greg Abbott to withdraw support.

But Abbott has backed Trump's decision and posted photos of Texas Guard members boarding planes, calling them elite and ever ready. Normally, governors control their National Guard units, but the president can federalize them in rare situations. A power the Trump administration argues is justified by what they call rebellion against federal authority. The administration says the troops are needed to protect federal personnel and property as immigration enforcement intensifies. I'm Blaise Ganey and Austin. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. High-level talks open today in Egypt to try to end the war in Gaza.

President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will be there, so will his envoy, Steve Whitkoff. Qatar's prime minister will also join. Hamas negotiators are saying they're seeking guarantees from the U.S. that if they release hostages, Israel, will put a final end to the war. The Associated Press is projecting winners in a Tennessee special congressional election. The candidates are seeking to replace Republican-Cublishers. Congressman Mark Green. From member station, WPLN in Nashville, Mariana Bacquiao, has more. Green retired from Congress just six months into his term. President Donald Trump's pick

to replace him, Matt Van Epps, has sailed through a crowded Republican primary. Trump endorsed the former state commissioner just days before the election, and out-of-state groups poured money into defeating his anti-school voucher opponent, state representative Jody Barrett. Van Epps will face Democratic state lawmaker Afton Bain in the general. Since redistricting in 2022 incorporated parts of Nashville into the mostly rural district, Democrats are hopeful that the reliably Republican seat can be flipped blue. For NPR news, I'm Mariana Baca Yao in Nashville. Chinese media say all climbers on Mount Everest who were trapped by a heavy and sudden snowstorm have been rescued. The Associated Press says about 900 hikers, guides, and staff had been stranded.

Hundreds were able to descend the mountain. Earlier, some witnesses had said the snowfall on Everest was so heavy that it collapsed tense. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News.