NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-13-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: October 13, 2025

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At Alt Latino, we celebrate Latin music all year round. But during Latin Music Month, we really amp it up. Once again, we're turning the Tiny Desk into El Taini and bringing you 11 hot-off-the-desk performances. Hear musical giants like Gloria Estefan in a more intimate setting. And get to know newer artists like Macario Martinez. Celebrate Latinidad with us all month long on the Alt Latino podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton.

Around 1,700 Palestinians were returned to Gaza today. They're just some of the several thousand that Israeli troops seized and held without charge during the two-year war with Hamas. Their return was part of a ceasefire deal that also saw the release of all 20 remaining living hostages back to Israel. NPR's Anas Baba reports from Khan Yunus in Gaza that the reunions were a mix of emotions. Families here are waving Palestinian flags, some wearing the traditional Kofia, mothers, wives, and also children holding flowers. The scene in front of me is it's a mix of joy and at the same time, it's a mix of survival

for those who survived this war. The freed prisoners appear totally and extremely pale here as they haven't seen the sunlight for years, same as they are very weak to walk, actually. We can see the prisoners and also the families. They are just embracing each other with a big smile and in the same time tears all over the world. the cheeks, and it's bubble and pure news.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says the government shutdown may become the longest in history. Johnson is refusing to call the House back into session. The Senate was closed today for the federal holiday, but senators aren't any closer to passing a funding bill. Johnson says he won't negotiate with Democrats until they stop making demands for extending health care subsidies. Our members are doing very productive work. We're in constant communication with them, and we are ready to come back and continue the work in our committees. and everything on the House floor. We will return to legislative session

as soon as the Democrats come to their senses and open the government. The closure has halted routine government operations and left airports scrambling with flight disruptions. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed without pay. The Trump administration is also using the shutdown to justify laying off thousands more.

A one-time Democrat who became a Trump loyalist is running to be Georgia's top elections official from member station WABE. Raul Bali reports Vernon Jones ran for Congress in 2022, repeating false claims that Georgia's 2020 election was stolen. Vernon Jones is a longtime political figure in the Atlanta area, serving as the elected CEO of one of the state's biggest counties and as a Democratic state lawmaker. Jones became a Republican in 2021 and has been one of Trump's higher profile black surrogates.

In his campaign launch ad, Jones tout some of the same things Trump wants changed with elections and voting. We need a secretary of state who will fight for. paper ballots, limit mail-in voting, and enforce strong voter ID laws. Jones is looking to replace incumbent Republican Brad Raffensberger, a key figure against Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results. Raffensberger is running for governor. For NPR News, I'm Raul Bally in Atlanta.

Stocks closed up today. The S&P 500 closed up 102 points, one and a half percent. This is NPR News. Madagascar's president says an attempted coup is underway, just a day after members of an elite army unit joined youth protests against the government and called for the president to step down. A commander of the army unit denied any coup had taken place, but said they had taken control of all of Madagascar's armed forces and installed a new leader of the military. The president's whereabouts are unknown, but there are unconfirmed reports he has fled the country. Nearly one in six bacterial infections tested worldwide are resistant to antibiotics. That's according to the World Health Organization, as NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports.

Resistance to antibiotics has risen sharply over the last several years, with over 40 percent of bacterial pathogens seeing increases, according to the WHO report. Resistance tended to be higher in countries with weaker health systems. For instance, one in three reported infections in Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, were resistant antibiotic treatment. The increase has been driven in part by misuse of antibiotics, which can spread resistance. But diminished access plays a role, too. Many lower-income countries don't have the more sophisticated antibiotics that can treat resistant infections, which can help resistance spread.

Jonathan Lambert, NPR News. The NBA is planning to revamp its all-star game, pitting U.S. players against international stars. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says the goal is to create a fun and exciting experience for fans, NBA players like Janice Anato Kumpo, who's from Greece and Nikola Yokic, who's from Serbia, support the idea, hoping it'll add intensity to the game. I'm Rylan Barton. This is NPR News from Washington.