NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-15-2025 1AM 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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Steven. President Trump says the U.S. will disarm Hamas by force if the organization fails to do so voluntarily. As NPR's Deepa Shibaram reports, disarmament was a key stipulation in the ceasefire agreement that's still holding. It's unclear how Trump would disarm Hamas and if it would involve U.S. personnel on the ground.

Trump has said Hamas told him it would, in fact, disarm, though he later clarified that message was not directly to him, but to White House officials. We have told them we want disarm, and they will disarm. And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them. And it'll happen quickly and perhaps violently. But the president didn't put a timeline on disarmament. He says it has to happen in a reasonable period of time, quote, pretty quickly. Deepa Chivaram, NPR News, the White House. The United States and China are imposing new fees on each other's ships amid rising tensions between the two economic superpowers.

As NPR's Jackie Northern reports, The fees will be charged each time a ship docks at port. President Trump followed through on his threat earlier this year to slap fees on any Chinese-owned or operated ship docking at an American port. It's part of a broader effort to turn the U.S. into a great shipbuilding nation again. China currently produces more than half the world's vessels, the U.S., about 1%. But now China has followed suit, saying it will slap special charges on any U.S. owned, operated, flagged or built American vessel.

Analysts say the moves could cost larger shipping companies hundreds of millions of dollars and risk upending global supply chains and raising prices. Jackie Northam, NPR News. Several news organizations are rejecting the Pentagon's new media restrictions. Defense Secretary Pete Hexsef gave major media outlets until Tuesday to sign a pledge to cover only issues authorized by his team or lose access.

As NPR's David Falkinflick reports, the edict goes against what Heggs had promised when he was nominated. He came to office promising the most transparent Pentagon in American history, and it's been anything but he's only had a couple of briefings. You have almost no even background briefings by senior Pentagon officials expressing things. They have, as I've mentioned, really tightened access to where people can go to just get background briefings, have conversations where things are explained to them or unpacked for them, not even secrets, just saying, well, this is what that means or here's what that. is technically about about a certain development. And you saw Hague Seth, in fact, implement lie detector tests for senior Pentagon officials that he had thought had leaked information early in his tenure. So, you know, this is an effort by the secretary really to consolidate and control information from getting out. NPR's David Fulkenflick reporting. U.S. futures are flat and after

hours trading on Wall Street on Asia Pacific market shares are higher up 1%. This is NPR. President Trump says Republicans are eliminating programs that Democrats never should have set up. Trump says a list of the defunded programs will be released on Friday. The President's remarks came as the government shutdown entered its third week. Republicans are insisting on passage of a bill to continue current funding levels through November 21st, while Democrats say they will not support a continuing resolution until their GOP colleagues restore the health care subsidies that will expire in two and a half months. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a new president for its 17 million members worldwide, commonly called Mormons.

93-year-old Dallin H. Oaks is taking the helm at the church, as K-U-E-R's Sierra Hewlett, reports. The last president and prophet, Russell M. Nelson, died last month. His successor, Dallin H. Oaks, used to be a Utah Supreme Court justice. columnist Jana Reese says that background could influence his leadership. She says Oakes is concerned about the rise of political authoritarianism. He could serve as a reminder of justice and law and order and precedent and a lot of things that in America people have been throwing out the window. Oakes has also long been outspoken about his beliefs against same-sex marriage. Reese says it's yet to be seen if he'll continue that trajectory as president.

For NPR News, I'm Ciarah Hewlett. A truck exploded on a busy street in Ecuador Tuesday, killing one person and injuring two others. The attack occurred in the port city of Guayaquil. The cause is under investigation. This is NPR News. America's global role is shifting fast. On sources and methods, we explain how and why. I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

I've talked to spies. I've reported from war zones. I've interviewed ambassadors, generals, presidents. I want to understand what is happening around the world and how it affects us. us. Join me and my fellow reporters as we break it down for you. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.