NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-15-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 15, 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's 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 Rylan Barton. The Supreme Court appears ready to go. gut, a key part of the Voting Rights Act that helped root out racial discrimination. Such a ruling would boost Republicans' chances in Congress. The court heard arguments about Louisiana's

congressional map today, as NPR's at Nina Totenberg reports. When the law was passed in 1965, there were just 12 minority House members. Today, there are 134 black, Hispanic, and Asian-American House members. That could change, however, if the court removes the guardrails to redistricting that in endorsed as recently as two years ago. Indeed, if the Conservative Party majority either nullifies the redistricting provision of the law or makes it much more difficult to enforce, Democrats could lose as many as 19 congressional seats, putting control of the House effectively out of reach for the foreseeable future. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington. White House Budget Director Russell Vote told the Charlie Kirk podcast today that more than 10,000 federal workers could be fired

during the shutdown. Meanwhile, a federal judge has, for now, blocked the administration from laying off workers. NPR's Stephen Fowler has more. 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 said 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. President Trump is threatening to relocate World Cup matches set to be played next year in Boston. He says parts of the city have been taken over by unrest, though it's unclear what he's referring to. World Cup sites aren't up to Trump,

but he says he could declare the city not safe for the games. Gaza is facing a hundred. host of questions about its future less than a week into Israel's ceasefire with Hamas. As NPR's Greg Myrie reports, it's not clear when Gaza will have a formal government. At this moment, no one can legitimately claim to be in charge of the two million Palestinians in Gaza. The Hamas leadership has been eviscerated by two years of war. A ceasefire plan calls for a committee of technocrats to take over, though it's not clear when this will be established or how much authority it will have. Hamas civilian police are back on the streets, but have been clashing with

Palestinian clans, which are essentially armed gangs. Looming over all of this is the staggering challenge of rebuilding a territory where an estimated 90% of the buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Tel Aviv. The SMP 500 added four-tenths of a percent today. This is NPR News from Washington. A Ukrainian government delegation met with major American weapons manufacturers during a visit to the U.S. today. The meetings with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon came before Ukrainian President Volodemir Zelensky's meeting with President Trump later this week. Ukraine is seeking cruise missiles and air defense systems as it defends itself from Russia's invasion. New research suggests that an experimental Alzheimer's drug might help some of the people most likely to get the disease,

NPR's John Hamilton reports on a study in the journal, Drugs. People who inherit two copies of a gene called APOE4 face at least 10 times the average risk for Alzheimer's. But Dr. Susan Abushakra of the biotech firm Alzion says existing treatments often cause dangerous side effects in these people. They have an immediate need for a safe and effective approach to Alzheimer's. So Alzion has been testing a drug that appears to be safer but has yet to prove its effectiveness. In a study of 325 people with two copies of the APOE4 gene, the drug failed to help people with more severe symptoms of Alzheimer's. But in people with milder symptoms, the drug helped preserve memory and thinking and dramatically reduced brain atrophy. John Hamilton, NPR News.

Scientists from the University of Washington are testing whether underwater internet cables can monitor endangered orcas. The technology transforms cables into continuous underwater microphones that can pinpoint whale locations and track their movements. If successful, the world's 870,000 miles of existing undersea cables could become a vast ocean monitoring network. I'm Ryland Barton. This is NPR News from Washington. 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.