NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-09-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 9, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Federal prosecutors have secured an indictment against New York Democratic Attorney General, Letitia James. The charges come after President Trump publicly pressured the Justice Department to prosecute James and other vocal critics. She calls the charges baseless and says they are a, quote, desperate weaponization of our justice system. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports. New York Attorney General Lettisha James has been charged with one count of bank fraud and one count of false statements to a financial institution. The indictment was handed up by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia, secured by the same interim U.S. attorney there who last month

brought charges against another prominent Trump critic, former FBI director James Comey. As the Attorney General for New York State, James sued Trump and his company for inflating the value of some of its assets. James won that civil fraud case in a more than $450 million judgment, although an appeals court later tossed the financial penalty. Trump has longed. lashed out at James and publicly called for retribution, and last month directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to go after James and other perceived political foes. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. The United Nations says it plans to get hundreds of trucks a day into Gaza once the U.S.

Brokered Peace Plan goes into effect. The U.N. Secretary General calls this a glimmer of relief after two years of devastating war, as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. In the first phase of the agreement, Israel is to pull back and allow in-aid, and Hamas is to release all of the Israeli hostages that remain in Gaza. The UN's top humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, says the UN is ready to deliver once the aid pipeline opens. Famine must be reverted in areas where it has taken hold and prevented in others.

The U.S. and Israel had been working around the U.N. to deliver food at a few sites in southern Gaza. The new plan puts the U.N. back at the center of humanitarian operations. Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez says the U.N. has the expertise and the networks inside Gaza to act quickly. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. The execution of Texas death row inmate Robert Robertson has been put on hold. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted a stay today one week before he was sent to die by lethal injection. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies reports. In a sudden turnaround, Texas's highest criminal court ruled that Robertson,

execution should not move forward, but they did not grant him a new trial, which is what his attorneys have been calling for. They argue that the new evidence will show Robertson didn't murder his two-year-old daughter, Nikki, and that she died from an illness. This is the third execution date that Robertson has faced. He was set to be executed on October 16th. I'm David Martin Davies in San Antonio. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Vice President J.D. Vance is headed to Indiana again tomorrow as the White House continues to push for Republican-led states to redraw their congressional districts to make them more favorable for GOP candidates. Texas and Missouri quickly answered the call to redistrict, but Indiana lawmakers have been more hesitant. Vance's visit is at least the third time he'll be talking to Indiana Republican lawmakers about the possibility. The Trump administration is preparing to release new dietary guidelines for Americans. as Alison Aubrey reports the recommendations could be controversial based on public comments made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The guidelines are updated every five years, and Secretary Kennedy

has said he would like to see streamlined guidance that advises people to eat, quote, whole foods, healthy foods, local foods. A committee of experts that reviewed recent nutrition science concluded that plant-based proteins, including beans, should be emphasized. However, leaders in the Make America Healthy Again movement are making the case for meat and full-fat dairy, which some say have been vilified. Current recommendations emphasize consuming fruits and vegetables, lean meats, legumes, and whole grains, while avoiding too much saturated fat, sugars, and refined carbohydrates. Allison Aubrey, NPR News. Tropical storms Priscilla and Raymond in the Pacific Ocean are threatening to bring flooding to the southwest through the weekend, and a ship

parade rolled up the Delaware River in Philadelphia today, kicking off the 250th birthdays of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Vice Admiral John Gumbleton encouraged civilians to talk to active and retired military members visiting the city and to ask them about their service. This is NPR News from Washington.