NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-08-2025 7AM 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, I'm Corvick-Hulman. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to three.

scientists who showed how to create porous materials that can store gases like hydrogen and capture water from the air. And Pierre's John Hamilton has more. The prize went to Susumu Kitagawa of Kyoto University in Japan, Richard Robson of the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Omar Yagi of the University of California, Berkeley. They were honored for their pioneering work on materials called metal-organic frameworks. The frameworks are molecular structures that contain large spaces inside, which can be used to capture and store a wide range of substances. One application is capturing the carbon dioxide produced by power plants. Another is to store and release hydrogen so that it can be safely used as a fuel. And in desert areas, metal-organic

frameworks can be used to extract drinking water from even the driest air. John Hamilton, NPR News. President Trump says some furloughed federal workers should not get back pay when the federal government shutdown is over. But he says, He'll follow the law. NPR's deepest shiver on reports the Trump administration argues that it does not mean all workers will get their missed wages. A law from 2019 signed by President Trump in his first term stipulates that all federal workers whose paychecks are paused during a government shutdown will receive the pay they've missed. But this time around when Trump was asked whether furloughed workers should be paid... But it really depends on who you're talking about.

But for the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of and we'll take care of them in a different way. Trump's comments come on the heels of a draft memo from the White House that suggests that any back pay would require congressional action. Deepa Shiverram, NPR News, the White House. The Trump administration has until tonight to respond to a lawsuit by officials in Illinois. The officials are trying to stop the president's deployment of National Guard troops there. Trump says he's done it to stop crime in the city of Chicago. Date officials say it's the federal agents who are launching grenades with tear gas on people,

hitting them with rubber bullets and invading apartment buildings. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker says the agents aren't even operating within the city. This is occurring in a two-block area of a suburb of Chicago, Broadview. So, you know, yes, they can take their own video of an incident that occurs, you know, in that two-block area and make it seem like that's all of Chicago. That's not even in the city of Chicago. In fact, our crime rate has been dropping and dropping and, you know, half the homicide rate that it was a few years ago. He spoke to NPR's All Things Considered.

High-level talks open today in Egypt. Negotiators are looking for an agreement to end the war in Gaza. President Trump is sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner to the talks along with special envoy, Steve Whitkoff. You're listening to NPR. Former FBI Director James Comey will be arraigned in Virginia today. day on two federal counts. He's accused of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional investigation. Comey's a critic of President Trump. Trump has demanded his prosecution. Comey maintains that he is innocent. About 47 million Americans are food insecure as federal funding

cuts get underway. More people are turning to food pantries for help, but some food pantries are not only facing funding challenges, they're relying on an aging staff. Elaine Appleton Grant has more. At Neighbors' cupboard, a food pantry in rural Winterport, Maine, Phyllis Allen has watched USDA food supplies declining just as demand is increasing. Alan's 78 years old. She's been helping to run the pantry for 17 years. I'm not the oldest. Who's the oldest? One is 88. The other one I think is 89. The volunteers who keep America's food insecure families fed are aging out. Anti-hunger advocates are expecting unprecedented demand this winter, but the labor force might not be up to the task. Volunteerism has been declining for the last 20 years. Younger volunteers are hard to find.

For NPR news, I'm Elaine Appleton Grant in Belfast, Maine. California has designated Duwali, the Festival of Lights, celebrated by Hindus as an official holiday. The California law also recognizes that Diwali is celebrated by six, Buddhists and James. Connecticut and Pennsylvania also recognized Diwali as a holiday. This year it begins on October 20th. This is NPR.