NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-16-2025 1AM EDT

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

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The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to side with Republicans who are challenging Louisiana's redistricting map designed to create a second black district. The case seeks to further dismantle the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which has been repeatedly strengthened by Congress and upheld by the court. But NPR's Nina Totenberg reports that the current conservative court appears hostile to it. Trump administration deputy solicitor General Hashim Mupin contended that the black voters should not have gotten a second majority minority district. If they were all white, we all agree they wouldn't get a second district. The court's liberal justices all pointed out that the federal law is based on the effects of redistricting in a state like Louisiana, where, as they noted, voters are so racially polarized that even white Democrats, for the most part, don't vote for black candidates. NPR's in Innetottenberg.

The government shutdown is starting to affect the nation's air traffic control system. The FAA has reported staffing issues and flight delays in major cities since October 1st when the shutdown began. Experts say that cracks quickly emerged because the system was already strained by chronic understaffing and aging equipment. A government report shows this winter's heating costs will likely be lower in households that rely on propane or heating oil. Details from NPR's Kamila Domenoski. The Energy Information Administration is still releasing data despite the government shutdown. The agency forecast homes that heat with electricity might see costs go up 4%. Those that use natural gas might see a small decline, and heating oil and propane costs could drop significantly, some 8 to 9%.

That's just a forecast, and exactly how cold this winter is will affect actual costs. Low global crude oil prices have also been keeping gasoline prices steady all year. As cooler weather approaches, prices at the pump are dropping, and AAA and GasBuddy both predict they could fall more. Camila Dominovsky, NPR News. Defense Secretary Pete Heggseth says President Trump plans to stop Russia's three-year-old war in Ukraine. From Brussels, Terry Schultz reports on the Secretary's meeting with NATO allies. In words welcomed by his European counterparts, Pentagon Chief Hegsef told the Kremlin, it's time to come to the negotiating table. Now, if this war does not end, if there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression.

Hegeseth said the best counterweights to Russia are a lethal, capable, European-led NATO and a combat-credible Ukraine. Much of Europe's military assistance to Ukraine now goes through a program to purchase U.S. weapons. Keeve is hoping a Friday visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington will unlock the delivery of U.S.-made Tomahawk long-range missiles. Terry Schultz in Brussels. This is NPR. President Trump says the United States is preparing. for a ground operation in Venezuela to combat drug trafficking. Trump says he's authorized covert CIA operations in the South American nation, citing drug trafficking and other crime. The president also defended U.S. airstrikes on suspected drug boats and Caribbean waters off Venezuela.

At least 27 people have been killed in those attacks. The Trump administration is considering a doubling of the aid it might extend to Argentina. It had already offered a $20 billion bailout through a credit swap line. The administration now wants to add another $20 billion on top of that. President Trump made the offer contingent upon whether President Javier Miele's party wins an election that's set for later this month. Many animals have the ability to detect the Earth's magnetic field using it like an internal GPS. As NPR's neat rot reports, a new study finds that earthworms had that ability to also. Scientists have known many animals have this sixth sense for decades, but they still don't know how they do it.

As in we know eyes are used for seeing, noses for smelling, ears for hearing, but it's unclear what organ or sensor is detecting gravitational fields. Using these earthworms, we can really learn how to unravel this sense. Behavioral ecologist Yanni Vortman is the author of the new study, published in the journal Biology letters. And he says earthworms are easier to study because they don't have eyes or ears, and they're easy to acquire. If you want to sample for the earthworms, I don't know.

You can go to the next fishing store, right? Nate Rot, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News. A lot of short daily news podcast 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...

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