NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-08-2025 7PM 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 says Israel and Hamas have signed. off on the first phase of a peace plan a day after the second anniversary of the war in Gaza. He says that means Hamas will release all remaining hostages, and Israel will begin to

withdraw troops from Gaza. In a statement on social media, Trump said this is the first step towards a, quote, strong, durable, and everlasting peace. Israel has intercepted another flotilla trying to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. The Israeli foreign ministry says 145 people were brought to shore for processing and are expected to be deported. Last week, nearly 450 activists, including climate advocate Greta Toonberg, were intercepted. Hundreds of National Guard troops have arrived in Illinois. President Trump threatened for weeks to send in the guard over the objections of local officials. He says the move is necessary to combat what he calls out-of-control crime in the city and to protect immigration officers.

He also says Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and should be jailed for opposing his actions. As Mike Puente of member station WBEZ reports, ICE agents have been clashing with protesters. There have been vastly conflicting stories in what's been happening with arrest by ICE, with the Trump administration calling protesters riders and protesters objecting to arrest.

Some of the protests at the ICE facilities in another suburban area have flared into violence with protesters videotaping incidents, which shows ICE escalating the violence, as they're shooting rubber bullets into the crowds and spraying them with pepper spray. WBEZ's Mike Puente reporting. The government shutdown is now in its eighth day with no sign of progress on Capitol Hill. Today, the Senate again failed to pass either of two short-term measures that would reopen the government.

NPR's Sam Gringlass reports. In the last week, the Senate has voted six times on the same pair of bills, one authored by Democrats, the other by Republicans. Neither has gotten the 60 votes needed to pass. And while a few senators are having informal talks about a path forward, there's no indication that the leadership on either side is willing to budge. Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was among a bipartisan group of senators who shared a meal Tuesday night. You don't have communication. Nothing changes, right?

Republicans want to pass a short-term spending bill to reopen the government. Democrats won't support that without a deal to extend, aspiring health insurance subsidies. The votes are expected to continue. Sam Greenglass, NPR News. The number of international students arriving in the U.S. dropped by nearly a fifth in August as universities started the new academic year. The dip came as the Trump administration ratcheted up scrutiny of foreign students. According to federal data, international visitors arriving on student visas declined 19% in August compared to the year before. This is NPR News from Washington. Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their development of molecules that can trap vast quantities of gas.

The discovery could help potentially suck greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere or harvest moisture from desert environments. The Nobel Committee compared the structures to the magical handbag carried by Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series. A feline mascot of a hardware store in Richmond, Virginia has been found. The Instagram sensation Francine was missing. for weeks launching a massive search operation, Billy Shields has the tail. Francine the cat could usually be found lounging around the Lowe's hardware store location on Richmond's main drag, West Broad Street. But sometime last month, when she was last seen, Francine disappeared.

Lowe's officials said she had stowed away on a freight truck bound for a distribution center in Gareesburg, North Carolina. A lengthy search operation ensued involving almost 250 video cameras, thermal imaging drones and some of Francine's favorite treats. And over the weekend, Francine was found. Lowe's customer Cassie Vestel expressed her excitement. I'm so happy. It's like a miracle that they found her. The spokesperson for Lowe said the cat received a full bill of health from the vet Monday

and has now returned to the store. For NPR News, I'm Billy Shields in Richmond. Wall Street largely got back to Rising today. After a brief pause, the S&P 500 climbed six-tenths of a percent a day after snapping a seven-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged it down just by one point. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to 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 Thurray. Thrones, severance, and more on Bullseye for Maximumfund.org and NPR.