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

Episode Date: October 8, 2025

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Across the country, states and counties are rushing to change their voting rules. Stacey Abrams says these attacks on voting rights are part of the authoritarian playbook. You may not be into politics, but politics is into you and it is a stalker. Listen to Code Switch in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump can federalize the National Guard in Oregon, Oregon for now, but he can't deploy them to Portland. That's according to a temporary ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court is set to hear arguments tomorrow over Trump's move

to send 200 National Guard troops to the city. He says the deployment is needed to quell protests in an immigration facility. Local officials say the move is not necessary. President Trump says he's considering a trip to the Middle East this weekend. As NPR's Franco Ordonez reports, Trump says he'll travel to the region if a Gaza peace deal is reached. Trump says negotiations regarding the release of hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza are going well. I just got off the phone and we're in very deep discussions and we have a very good chance of something that hasn't been done in anywhere from 500 to 3,000 years. Top officials from the U.S. and regional partners, along with delegations from Israel and

Hamas, are in a seaside city in Egypt, talking through a U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza. Under the plan, the remaining hostages, including the bodies of those who have died, will be exchanged for more than 2,000 Palestinian detainees, Franco. Ordonias. NPR News, the White House. Former FBI director James Comey has pleaded not guilty to charges that he made a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding. Comey's lawyers say they plan to argue the prosecution is politically motivated and should be dismissed. President Trump publicly called on the Justice Department to target.

his perceived adversaries, including Comey. Some federal workers are speaking out against President Trump and his threats for mass layoffs. They're also not happy about a White House draft memo that suggests furloughed workers may not get back pay. NPR's Andrea Shoe reports. Sarah Cobran has worked at the National Cancer Institute for more than two decades, so she's been through a number of shutdowns. She says they're never easy, but she hasn't seen anything like this, with the president and his budget office threatening to fire.

furloughed workers. She spoke to NPR in her personal capacity. There's nothing about us being on furlough that gives extra powers to OMB or the executive branch. It doesn't change anything. And she fully expects to be paid when the shutdown ends. Oh yes, of course. That's the law now. That's the law. President Trump and congressional Republicans say Democrats are wholly to blame for the shutdown and the harm it's causing. Democrats counter that Republicans have refused to negotiate. Andrea Hsu and PR News. Authorities have charged a 29-year-old man with igniting the fire that destroyed the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles in January. Jonathan Rindernecht was arrested in Florida.

The blaze killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 homes and buildings. He faces charges, including malicious destruction. Investigators believe he may have used a lighter to start the fire. This is NPR News from Washington. One of the Democratic lawmakers in Tennessee, who was briefly expelled from the legislature, in 2023 is running for Congress. Republican lawmakers kicked out Democratic State Representative Justin Pearson after a gun control protest in the State House. He's challenging longtime Democratic Congressman Steve Cohen to represent the state's only Democratic-leaning district,

which includes Memphis. A new survey finds that nearly one in five high schoolers say they or someone they know has had a romantic relationship with artificial intelligence. That's according to the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology, Lee Gaines, report. Students who attend schools that use AI a lot were more likely to report that they or a friend had used the technology for mental health support as a companion, a romantic partner, or as a way to escape the real world. Researcher Elizabeth Laird is one of the authors of the report. The more ways that a student reports that their school uses AI, the more likely they are to report things like, I know someone who considers AI to be a friend. I know someone who considers AI to be a romantic partner. When students reported having conversations with AI systems for personal reasons and not for school work,

31% said they used a device or software provided by their school. The findings come from national surveys of teachers, students, and parents. For NPR news, I'm Lee Gaines. The government shutdown has grounded the Blue Angels stunt planes during San Francisco's Fleet Week air show. But pilots from Canada will make sure the show goes on. The Royal Canadian Air Force's snowbirds will headline the air show this week. end. I'm Rylan Barton. This is NPR News from Washington. Before Gwendolyn Christie was cast as Breanne of Tarth on Game of Thrones, she had a

hard time finding a good role. The feedback she'd always get was the same, and it wasn't particularly helpful. Because you're too tall and you're too unconventional looking. And I just thought, gosh, I'm limited. Gwendolyn Christie from Game of Thrones, Severance, and more on Bullseye for Maximumfund.org and NPR.