NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-14-2025 5PM EDT

Episode Date: October 14, 2025

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When parents say to me, how do I get my kid where you are? You know, I say, well, the first funny answer is a study woodworking. I'm Jesse Thorne. On Bullseye, we get career advice from Nick Offerman of Parks and Rec and more. That's Bullseye. Find us in the NPR app on Maximumfund.org or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is holding.

Now President Trump is demanding a weakened Hamas to put down its weapons. I'm going to disarm because they said they were going to disarm. And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them. How will you do that? I don't have to explain that to you. But if they don't disarm, we will disarm them. They know I'm not playing games. Hamas has released the last living Israeli hostages,

but a long list of uncertainties includes when the group will return the bodies of 24 hostages believed dead. The U.N. says Israel is planning to cut aid into Gaza in half, accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire with the slow release of the bodies. And in Gaza, health officials say the Israeli military killed three Palestinians. For a six time, President Trump says the U.S. has struck a boat allegedly carrying drugs off the Venezuelan coast. He says six men were killed. The administration says alleged drug traffickers are unlawful combatants who must be met with military force. Critics say the strikes violate U.S. and international law. Major news outlets are rejecting demands from the Pentagon to sign pledges not to solicit

information that has not been authorized for release by military officials. All the major TV outlets, NPR, the New York Times, and many others say that violates the point of independent journalism. NPR's David Fulkenflik reports their journalists will have to turn in their credentials tomorrow. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the requirement at the White House. So it's common sense stuff, Mr. President. We're trying to make sure national security is respected and we're proud of the policy. Hegseth has already thrown out eight news organizations from their longtime Pentagon workspaces, including NPR, and had officials he suspected of leaks submit to lie detector tests. Hegseth was previously

a weekend morning host for Fox News. Fox is among the networks refusing to sign the pledge, joining others in saying, quote, the policy is without precedent and threatens core journalistic protections. David Falkenflick and PR News. The government shutdown is hurting some local businesses that rely on federal workers' paychecks. Macy Lipkin of Member Station KUER reports from Ogden, Utah, where the Department of Treasury is the largest employer. The Department of the Treasury is the largest employer in the city. The majority of its more than 7,000 employees work for the IRS. That agency has furloughed almost half its workforce in the shutdown and sent layoff notices to about 1,500 more. Martinez is legislative coordinator for the local chapter of the Treasury Workers Union.

He's been at the IRS for 18 years. These are not millionaires that are making money off of the government. These are folks that have taken a duty to serve the American people, have taken that oath of office. He says uncertainty and doge cuts have made his colleagues more careful with their spending. For NPR News, I'm Macy Lipkin in Ogden, Utah. This is NPR News from Washington. A man pleaded guilty today into the attempted murder of Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro in April.

Cody Balmer scaled an iron fence and used beer bottles filled with gasoline to ignite the governor's mansion. Balmer was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison, far less than he could have faced if the case had gone to trial. The United Kingdom's intelligence service is casting a wide net for top secret information. NPR's Adam Bearn has the story. For over 100 years, the bedrock of MLN. My 6's work has been face to face. This ad from the UK's Secret Intelligence Service is online now. Better known as MI6, it's launched a communication platform on the dark web.

It's called Silent Courier. The agencies encouraging people with sensitive information to get in touch. Former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, Frank Faglusey, says he hopes Silent Courier's been developed in coordination with the US. So that if someone wants to communicate intelligence to our British friends, that they're free to do it and that the Brits would, therefore, in turn, share that with us. The UK government declined to comment on that. Adam Byrne, NPR News. Leaf peeping season has arrived, but weeks of drought have muted this year's autumn colors and sent leaves fluttering to the ground earlier than usual. Chlorophyll breaks down in leaves when days shorten and temperatures drop, turning them to those autumn colors of yellow, orange, and red.

but dry weather in summer and fall can change all that because it leaves leaves to turn brown more quickly. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.