NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-09-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: October 9, 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 Shea Stevens. President Trump says Israel and Hamas have both accepted the first phase of an agreement to end the war in Gaza.

The U.S. plan calls for the release of all hostages and Palestinian detainees. It also calls for Israeli troops to pull back to an agreed-upon demarcation line. As NPR's Franco Ordonez reports, Trump made the announcement on social media. This is something that he campaigned on, ending his conflict. In his inauguration speech, he talked about wanting to be remembered as a peacemaker. there is still a lot of uncertainty here. You know, this is a conflict that's been going on for generations. Talks have been going on for months. There have been numerous failed ceasefires. And really, so many foreign policy experts I speak with argue that Trump has a tendency to announce peace

deals before peace actually happens. NPR's Franco Ordonez reporting. Air traffic control staffing issues have delayed flights across the nation this week. As NPR's Joel Rose reports, the head of the controllers union says that members are facing mounting pressure as the partial government's shutdown drags on. The Federal Aviation Administration says staffing shortages have caused delays at a growing list of airports, including Nashville, Chicago O'Hare, Newark, Houston, and Dallas. Nearly 11,000 certified air traffic controllers are required to work during the government shutdown, but don't get paid until it ends.

The head of the union that represents those controllers, Nick Daniels, told NPR's morning addition that the shutdown is making a difficult situation worse. The longer that this lasts, it's going to place a continued strain on air traffic controllers, the stress, the pressure. Daniel says the U.S. was already thousands of air traffic controllers short before the government shutdown. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Former FBI director James Comey has pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges. The prosecution of Comey has fueled concerns that the Justice Department is being used to go after President Trump's perceived political enemies. More from NPR's Ryan Lucas.

Comey's attorney entered the not guilty plea at his arraignment in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. The former FBI director faces one false statements count and one count of obstruction of a congressional proceeding. The charges stem from testimony Comey gave to Congress in 2020. The Justice Department charged him just days after President Trump publicly called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to go after Comey and two other political foes. Trump also pushed out the top federal prosecutor in the eastern district of Virginia and replaced him with a former insurance lawyer who once served as Trump's personal attorney who days later secured the Komi indictment.

That has fueled growing concerns that the Justice Department is being weaponized to target Trump's opponents. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. U.S. futures are virtually unchanged in after-hours trading on Wall Street. On Asia-Pacific markets, shares are mostly higher but down a fraction in Hong Kong. This is NPR. Former Michigan Congresswoman and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Caroline Cheeks Kirkpatrick has died at the age of 80. As WDET's Quinn Kleinfelter reports, Kilpatrick is being remembered as a passionate advocate for her state. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick went from teaching in the Detroit public school system to serving for almost two decades in the Michigan legislature and seven terms in Congress.

The Detroit Democrat champion minority business opportunities, public transit, and her state's signature. auto industry. She also championed her son, former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, as he became embroiled in controversy in 2005. Don't let nobody talk about y'all's boy. The scandal that eventually sent her son to prison turned some voters against her, and she lost her last bid for Congress in 2010. For NPR news, I'm Quinn Kleinfeldner in Detroit. Retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy says he is concerned about creeping partisanship on the high court. 89-year-old Kennedy tells the Associated Press he's troubled by the tone of recent court decisions more than the outcome of those cases.

He was interviewed in advance of the publication of his memoir, Life, Law, and Liberty. Kennedy declined to identify any justices but describe some opinions as, quote, attacks on colleagues. The NFL is fined Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, $250,000 for making an obscene gesture toward fans. and the incident happened Sunday during a Cowboys game against the New York Jets. Jones says that the gesture was unintentional. This is NPR News.