NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-15-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

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A lot of short daily news podcasts focus on just one story. But right now, you probably need more. On Up First from NPR, we bring you three of the world's top headlines every day in under 15 minutes. Because no one story can capture all that's happening in this big, crazy world of ours on any given morning. Listen now to the Up First podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. A federal judge is temporarily blocking the Trump administration from firing more than 10,000 laid-off government employees. NPR Stephen Fowler reports.

Judge Susan Ilson of California said the Trump administration's push to fire workers during the shutdown was hastily done and illegal. During a hearing, she set efforts to lay off more than 4,000 federal workers, and the subsequent reversal of some notices was like, quote, ready, fire aim. So for now, those reductions in force and, any future ones are on hold. It's unclear for how long. The White House has painted the firings as financially necessary and a leverage point to get Democratic lawmakers to agree to a spending plan that reopens the government. Stephen Fowler, NPR News. Senate Democrats have once again rejected a Republican measure to reopen the government. As NPR's Claudio Grisales reports, there is little sign of progress towards breaking the deadlock.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune now plans to tee up a 10th vote on the Republican stopgap plan to try to force a handful of Democrats to defect. This needs to end. We can end it today. But Democrats are insisting Republicans negotiate a deal that addresses looming Affordable Care Act premium spikes. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says without that deal, Americans will have to choose plans that send this cost skyrocketed. Without hope of a bipartisan deal in hand, lawmakers are predicting that the government shutdown may not end anytime. Soon. Claude Grisales, NPR News, the Capitol.

Hamas has released two more hostage remains amid pressure to honor its commitments of the Gaza ceasefire deal. It now brings to 10 the number of bodies returned so far, as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross has the grim task of taking bodies held by Hamas and returning them to Israel. The Israeli military says one that was handed over earlier this week was not an Israeli hostage. President Trump describes it as a gruesome process. They're actually digging. There are areas where they're digging and they're finding a lot of bodies. Then they have to separate the bodies.

You wouldn't believe this. This is, and some of those bodies have been in there a long time. The U.S. Central Command is urging Hamas to disarm quickly and stop shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza. President Trump has said he wasn't bothered that Hamas has killed some of whom he calls gang members. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. President Trump says he's authorized CIA ground operations in Venezuela. U.S. forces have carried out at least five recent strikes on suspected drugboats off the South American island, killing 27 people.

The increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean has raised fears of a possible U.S. attack in Caracas. This is NPR. A New York resident has become the first person, and six years to test positive inside the United States for the mosquito-borne virus, Chikungunya. Nassau County health officials say the patient had left the region, but not the country, although three other cases in the state were linked to overseas travel.

The county health commissioner says due to cooler temperatures, the current risk of transmission is low. Chicken gunia is mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions, but thousands of cases have been reported in southern China's Guangdong. province. Netflix will stream some Spotify content under a new partnership. As NPR's Netta Ulibe reports, the new deal reflects the extent to which consumers are turning to video podcasts. Back in the good old days, meaning like five years ago, we listened to podcasts. Now we watch them. More than half of the world's top podcasts now release video versions, like the sports show

hosted by Bill Simmons. The Celtics are like, whoa. Simon's like this guy's like a really gifted video podcasts are being consumed right now 20 times faster than audio ones people often just have them on in the background the number one platform for podcasts is YouTube but Netflix and Spotify are challenging that this new deal will make 16

top video podcasts available only on Netflix and on the Spotify app starting in January including the Bill Simmons podcast Netta Ulippi NPR News U.S. futures are flat and after-hours trading following mixed trading on Wall Street. This is NPR News. 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 podcast. podcasts.