NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-14-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: October 15, 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. From NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Israel and Hamas are exchanging the remains of those killed in conflict under phase one of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. As NPR's Greg Myru reports, the exchanges are not yet complete and have become a point of friction. Israel handed over the remains of 45 Palestinians that were delivered to a medical complex in southern Gaza.

Late at night, Hamas gave Israel four more bodies of dead hostages, bringing the total to eight in the past two days. Under the ceasefire deal, Hamas is supposed to return all. all 28 dead hostages, and Israel will return several hundred Palestinian bodies. Hamas says it needs more time to locate all the Israeli bodies due to the heavy fighting. Some may be buried under rubble. Israel told the United Nations it is reducing the amount of aid going into Gaza on Wednesday because it believes Hamas isn't doing enough to return the Israeli bodies. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Active duty service members may be among the federal workers not getting paid this week. As Colorado Public Radio's Dan Boyce reports, Wednesday marks the first pay day since the federal government shut down. The Homefront Military Network in Colorado Springs connects service members to emergency financial assistance. Executive Director Kate Hatton says she's telling military families to be proactive. By reaching out to their landlords, for example, or their lenders or their mortgage company, They've got a car note to explain the situation and see if those lenders will work with them. Some banks catering to service members are offering no interest loans to get service members through the shutdown. USAA, for example, says it has already offered at least $150 million in loans nationwide.

For NPR News, I'm Dan Boyce in Colorado Springs. The United States has struck another vessel off the coast of Venezuela. NPR's Ada Peralta reports, It was the sixth time that the U.S.S.U's lethal force against a boat in the Caribbean. President Trump says the vessel was, quote, trafficking narcotics. Trump released a video on social media showing what appears to be a stationary vessel at sea, which is then blown up by a projectile. He says six, quote, narco-terrorists were killed.

The White House did not provide any evidence that the boat was carrying drugs. Venezuela's government has claimed that a similar attack killed civilians on a fishing boat. Last week, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said the boat that had been hit then was Colombian, carrying Colombian citizens. This isn't a war against drugs, Petro charged. He says it's an attempt to topple the Venezuelan regime and get its oil. Arapalta, NPRT, NPR News, Mexico City. On Wall Street stocks closed mixed today with the Dow Jones industrials gaining 202 points. The NASDAQ composite index fell 172 points, and the S&P 500 lost 10.

This is NPR. Some 31,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente are striking over wages and staffing. Organizers are seeking a 25% wage hike over four years, while Kaiser is offering a 21.5% salary increase. The five-day walkout affects 500 medical centers and offices in California, Hawaii, and Oregon. The striking workers include registered nurses, pharmacists, midwives, and rehab therapists. Arizona's Attorney General is threatening to sue House Speaker Mike Johnson for delaying the swearing in of the newest member of Congress. The state-certified results of a special election today, as NPR's Claudia Grisales reports.

House Speaker Mike Johnson traditionally swears in new members quickly, but he's changed that practice with Arizona Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grihalva. Grihalva won her seat three weeks ago, but Johnson is keeping the Republican-led House away from Capitol Hill, during the government shutdown fight, and now says he won't swear in Griehalva until he calls members back. Complicating matters, Griehalva plans to sign on to a bipartisan effort to force a vote in the House to release the records on financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. So the delays, adding to accusations at Johnson, is trying to avoid the Epstein vote, a claim he is repeatedly denied. Claude Riesales, NPR News.

RME-winning an R&B singer DeAngelo has died at the age of 51. The singer whose birth name is Michael Eugene Archer first gained attention in the mid-1990s with his debut album, Brown Sugar. This is NPR News. Support for NPR and the following message come from the Kreske Foundation with Pathbreakers, a podcast about transforming communities through innovation, from revolutionizing higher education to supporting artists who are driving change. Pathbreakers is available on podcast platform. Thank you.