NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-16-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: October 16, 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, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump warned Hamas in a truth social post, quote, If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them, end quote.

The president's comment coming at a delicate time in the peace process in Gaza. Israel has returned the bodies of 30 more Palestinians to Gaza today, bringing the total to 120, according to the Hamas Health Ministry. Under the ceasefire deal, Israel will turn over 15 Palestinian bodies for every deceased Israeli hostage returned. Hamas says it has returned all the bodies it is able to access. Here's NPR's Kerry Khan. After returning to Israeli hostage bodies late Wednesday, Hamas says it has no more accessible bodies and will require, quote, significant efforts and specialized equipment to reach more.

It's estimated that 19 dead Israeli hostages are still in. Gaza believed to be under the immense mounds of rubble and debris. More than 10,000 Palestinians are also missing, believed to be under the rubble, according to Gaza health officials. Two senior U.S. advisors who spoke to the press on condition of anonymity say they don't believe Hamas is violating the ceasefire, and intelligence will continue to be shared with Hamas to help retrieve more bodies. Gaza officials are struggling to identify the bodies returned from Israel already. none came back with names or IDs. Carrie Con, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

House Speaker Mike Johnson's voicing frustration with Democrats on day 16 of the federal government shutdown. The Speaker referred to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who revealed that Senate Democrats rejected an opportunity to vote to make the Affordable Care Act subsidies permanent. I don't like being mad, Mike. I want to be happy, I want to be the happy warrior, but I am so upset about this. Well, Congressional Democrats argue they're fighting to have soon to expire. pandemic-era health care protections restored and for a rollback on Medicaid cuts. Here's House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Hospitals, nursing homes, and community-based health centers are closing all across America because of Republican policies.

That's hurting everyday Americans. In other news, the government report shows this winter's heating cost will likely be lower for some people. More from NPR's Camilla Dominovsky. The Energy Information Administration is still releasing data despite the government shutdown. The agency forecasts 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. It's NPR News. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago are now under court order to wear body cameras. Today, U.S. District Judge Sarah Ellis, rendered her decision after expressing concern that agents were failing to comply with an earlier order to avoid using violent measures against peaceful protesters and journalists in the city. The judge says she was, quote, a little startled by televised images of clashes between agents and protesters against ISIS. heightened presence on Chicago's streets. President Trump has attempted to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago,

however, another judge blocked that effort last week. Federal health officials have clarified that pregnant women are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, but NPR's Rob Stein tells us that's as long as they first talk to a health care professional. The eligibility of pregnant women has been unclear because of conflicting messages from federal health officials. But in response to a query from NPR, an HHS spokesperson confirmed that pregnant women are eligible. The American College of Obstitutions and Gynecologists, however, goes further, saying the shots should be recommended for pregnant women, not just be an option, because COVID can be very dangerous for pregnant women. Rob Stein, NPR News. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial average down now nearly 300 points or more than half a percent.

At 45,955, the SMP is now down roughly three quarters of a percent, and the NASDAQ is down 138 points. It's NPR news. Latin music has never been bigger, but it's always been big on alt-Latino. 15 years in, we continue celebrating Latinidad through a music lens, transcending world. borders through Ritmo. Get to know artists from La Cultura on a deeper level and throw some new Latin music wrecks into your rotation. Listen to Alt Latino in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.