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Episode Date: October 13, 2025

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. President Trump is considering the use of the Insurrection Act after the courts blocked his deployments of National Guard troops to Chicago and Portland, Oregon. Barrett reports the rarely used 1807 law is designed to suppress rebellion. Two courts blocked Trump's deployment of National Guard troops last week, one in Oregon and the other in Illinois. When asked on NBC News if the Insurrection Act is on the table, Vice President J.D. Vance said, President's looking at all of his options. Right now he hasn't felt he needed to, but we have to remember why are we talking about this, Kristen, because crime has gotten out of control in our cities.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker tells ABC News, Trump can't use the Insurrection Act because there's no rebellion. If the Constitution means anything, the Insurrection Act cannot be invoked to send them in because they want to fight crime. Violent crime has fallen in Chicago, but the city still averages more than one homicide a day. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. With no end in sight to the federal government shutdown, many furloughed workers are struggling with how they'll get by once their paychecks stop coming. MPERS Jennifer Ludden spoke with a single mom in Colorado who's tried to prepare. Early this year, Stephanie Rogers and her two daughters moved in with her mom. It was to save money and also a hedge against mass layoffs and the chance of another shutdown.

Rogers works for the FDA and is a chapter president of the National Treasury Employees Union. She remembers the 2018 shutdown that dragged out 35 days, so this time she made a painful decision. I had to pull out of my retirement, which has some big tax consequences for next year. She says the FDA is her dream job, but she has no idea if she'll get back pay or even still have a job whenever the shutdown ends. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News. As the investigation into the cause of a deadly blast at a military munitions plant in rural Tennessee last week continues, the local church community is working to support impacted families and first responders. Justin Barney, with member station WPLN, has more.

Churches will play a big role. in the recovery from the deadly blast at the accurate energetic systems plant. The major employer was closely tied to the community. Multiple vigils, fundraisers, and collections of supplies have come together. At Hope Church Hickman, Pastor Devin Pickard asked his congregation to help with meal prep after their weekly service. You've got a lot of these folks who are working this site who, it's going to be traumatic for them. I can't begin to imagine what the things they've seen, and you cannot unsee those things. So this is the least that we can do.

His church includes congregants who lost loved ones in the blast. After the sermon, one said that it provided her with comfort during this hard time. For NPR News, I'm Justin Barney in Hickman County, Tennessee. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. In California, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is responding to a call from Swifties around the world to re-release a vintage T-shirt. Taylor Swift wore in her movie The Life of a Showgirl. Girl. From member station KQED, Nisa Khan reports.

When Liz McDonald at Monterey Bay Aquarium heard that Taylor Swift was wearing one of their vintage otter teas from over 30 years ago, she knew they had to bring it back, especially after a wave of fan messages and $13 donations to the aquarium, 13 being Swiss' favorite number. We didn't have digital files that we were able to pull up right away. And so it became sort of a huge team effort between both us at the aquarium and the Swifties online. We're also doing a lot of their own sleuthing. McDonald says the aquarium successfully found the original artwork, and they plan to re-release an eco-friendly shirt for a future campaign to support its Otter program. For NPR News, I'm Nisa Khan and San Francisco. At the weekend box office, Tron Aries took the top

spot with an estimated $33 million. The Disney sci-fi film, starring Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges comes 15 years after Tron Legacy, and it follows a battle between two technology firms facing an artificial intelligence barrier. The film cost a reporter $150 million to produce. In second place, Roofman, starring Shannon Tatum and Kirsten Dunst debuted with $8 million. That film is a blue-collar comedy, rather, about a construction worker trying to rebuild his life. You're listening to NPR News. From NPR, what it takes to report on war. Great sleep deprivation.

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