NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-10-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: October 10, 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 Dave Mattingley. The U.S. military is sending 200 troops to Israel to help other nations in the Middle East support and monitor the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. That's what a U.S. official tells NPR.

Other senior administration officials say the American troops will help establish a joint control center before an international force takes over. NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv says, Word of Israel and Hamas agreeing on the first phase of President Trump's peace plan came one month after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a strike in Qatar targeting senior leaders of Hamas. It failed, but it was a pivotal moment. Netanyahu came to the White House shortly after, and President Trump said, I have a peace plan. I've worked out with Arab countries. They're on board. They're going to bring Hamas on board. You better be on board, too. That's NPR's Daniel Estrin. This is day 10 of the government shutdown with Republicans and Democrats. continuing to blame each other for the funding impasse.

Stop-cap spending bills in the Senate, one from the GOP and another from Democratic lawmakers, failed once again yesterday to get the 60 votes needed for passage. Social security checks are still going out during the shutdown, but agency employees say they can't help people with questions or related issues, as NPR's Ashley Lopez reports. Benefit verification letters are a service provided by the Social Security Administration, that act as a sort of income verification that is key to obtaining aid like housing assistance, fuel assistance, and help from nonprofits.

But during the shutdown, the agency says people can only use either the automated phone service or online portal to get their letters. Christine Lazott, a claims representative for the agency in Auburn, Maine, said those systems don't work for everyone. This is the most vulnerable population. These are elderly people who've never used a computer. Agency employees say they're dealing with an uptick of frantic and upset callers. as they work without pay.

Ashley Lopez, NPR News. Dominion Voting Systems has been sold, as NPR's Miles Parks explains. Dominion voting systems is maybe the starkest example of how 2020 upended the elections world. More than half of all states used their equipment to process votes, and there was never any evidence to support the bogus conspiracy theories pushed about Dominion by people like Trump campaign attorney Rudy Giuliani. Fox News settled the defamation lawsuit with the company in 2023 for close to 800. million dollars. Still, many election experts said it was only a matter of time before the company

would be sold since its reputation was so tarnished. The acquiring company, Liberty Vote, is run by a Republican former local election official who started a separate company that makes the most widely used voting check-in equipment in the country. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington. This is NPR News from Washington. The northern leeward islands are getting hit with strong winds and rain from Tropical Storm Jerry. The storm is expected to pass to the north of the islands this morning and potentially strengthened into a hurricane by tonight. North Korea is hosting foreign leaders for a series of events, including today's military parade. Pyongyang is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the country's ruling workers' party.

NPR's Anthony Kuhn has more from Seoul. Leader Kim Jong-un presided over mass games, artistic performances, and a ceremony marking the anniversary at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium on Thursday. In a speech, Kim pledged to build North Korea into an affluent land and a socialist paradise. He praised the country for developing both its economy and its international prestige while under the threat of foreign aggression. Foreign leaders attending the celebration include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian ruling party chief Dimitri Medvedev and Vietnamese ruling party chief, Olam. North Korea is expected to display its latest missiles and other weapons in a military parade. Anthony Kuhn, in PR News, Seoul. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a step closer to getting back to the World Series. They advance to the National League Championship Series last night by

beating the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in 11 innings. A throwing error to home plate with the bases loaded allowed the winning run to score. The Dodgers won the divisional series three games to one. They will play the winner of the divisional series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs and the NLCS. L.A. is the defending World Series champ. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.