NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-13-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: October 13, 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 Nora Rahm. It's an historic day in the Middle East as the last of the living hostages Helway Hamas were freed today

in a ceasefire deal. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv on the reunions that 20 freed hostages had with their families. Videos show the moments freed hostages first saw their families. The mother of 23-year-old Barr Cooperstein

threw herself onto her son reciting a Jewish prayer in tears. 32-year-old Avina Tan Orr returned from captivity today and greeted his girlfriend, a former hostage, with a scream and kisses. Hamas said it was returning only a few of the deceased Israeli hostages' bodies today. Israel said a deliberate delay would violate the ceasefire deal. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. President Trump is flying back to the U.S. after spending the day in the region.

First in Israel, where he spoke to the Israeli parliament, and then in Charmel Sheik, Egypt, where he met with leaders from more than 20 countries on the future of Gaza. He called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East. All the momentum now is toward a great, glorious and lasting peace, and our commitment to fulfilling the 20-point plan we developed together will be the crucial foundation for achieving that bright future, and it's being worked on right now as we speak.

Still to be decided, who will govern Gaza after the war, war, how it would be rebuilt, and Israel's demand that Hamas disarm. A powerful autumnal storm is pounding the coastlines of New Jersey and New York, with strong winds and heavy rain. Bruce Conweiser reports that states of emergency have been declared in both states. Sunday evening, New York Governor Kathy Hochel declared a state of emergency across eight New York counties. A similar declaration was made in New Jersey. The storm is expected to pound the region throughout today. A major concern is Monday's high tides. The combination of heavy rains, whipped by strong winds, could lead to severe coastal flooding. As of early Monday morning, more than 7,000 New Jersey customers were without

electricity. In and around New York City, more than 10,000 were without power. Rail service in New Jersey has been disrupted, and there are major delays at Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia airports. For NPR News, I'm Bruce Confeiser in Greenbrook, New Jersey. The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded today. It will be shared by Joel Moker of Northwestern University, Peter Howitt of Brown University, and Philippe Agion of the College of France and the London School of Economics. They're being honored for their research on how technology can drive sustained economic growth and bring about higher living standards. Wall Street rebounded today with the major indexes moving higher.

At last check, the Dow was up 501 points, the S&P 500 was up 90, and the NASDAQ up 448. This is NPR. There are reports from Madagascar that the president has fled the country after weeks of protests. The demonstrations, led by young people, began over water and power shortages, but expanded to broader dissatisfaction with the government. Soldiers from an elite military unit joined the protest Saturday. A new study finds that 9- and 10-year-olds who spend increasing amounts of time on social media scored lower on reading and memory tests years later

compared to children who use little or no social media. NPR's Retude Chatterjee reports on the study in JAMA. Researchers used data from a study following more than 6,000 kids through adolescents. By the time the kids were 13, 37% used social media for an hour a day. About 6% used social media more than three hours a day. Even the low-level social media users scored one or two points lower in learning and memory tests than kids who used little or no social media over the years. And the high-level social media users scored four to five points less.

Study author Dr. Jason Nagata is a pediatrician at the University of California, San Francisco. These differences can also build over time. So even one to two points in this two-year period can snowball over a decade. That can really be a big difference in this critical learning period. Rithu Chatterjee and PR News. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation today designed to protect children from negative effects of artificial intelligence. It requires platforms to remind users they're interacting with a chatbot and not with a human. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News, in Washington.