NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-16-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. A federal grand jury in Maryland has indicted former national security advisor John Bolton. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports Bolton is accused of mishandling classified documents. The grand jury indictment charges John Bolton with eight counts of transmitting national defense information and 10 counts of unlawfully retaining those secrets. The charges come two months after the FBI search Bolton's home and office. Court papers say agents recovered documents marked as classified, including references to weapons of mass destruction. Bolton worked for Trump for just over a year during the president's first term in office. He's since become a harsh critic of the president and warned about retribution.

The Justice Department investigation dates back to before Trump returned to office. The president says Bolton is a, quote, bad guy, but that he has not reviewed the case. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington. Republican leaders in New York will convene tomorrow to decide whether to disband the New York State Young Republicans. From member station WNYC, Jimmy Veilkind reports, the move comes after leaders of the group reportedly exchanged offensive messages in a group chat. The NYGOP Executive Committee is considering a resolution to revoke the Young Republicans' charter in the wake of the scandal. Erie County Republican Chairman Michael Cracker says he'll vote yes.

He wants the party to refocus on winning elections. Politico reported this week that, New York young Republican leader Peter Junta led a group chat that included racist comments and jokes referencing Adolf Hitler in the Holocaust. Junta and other young Republicans in the chat lost government jobs after the messages were made public. Vice President J.D. Vance has downplayed the racist and misogynistic chat as, quote, edgy jokes, but other Republicans point out these were professional geo-preoperatives, not kids. For NPR news, I'm Jimmy Vilkine to New York.

Two U.S. senators announced a deal on aviation safety today. NPR's Joel Rose reports the bipartisan agreement was spurred by the fatal mid-air collision in January that killed 67 people. The deal was announced by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, and the panel's top Democrat, Maria Cantwell of Washington State. The bill would require aircraft operators to equip their fleets with an advanced tracking technology known as ADSB, and it would limit exemptions for military helicopters. A U.S. Army helicopter was not using ADSB, when it collided with an American Airlines regional jet near Washington, DC. Family members of the crash victims called the bill a historic first step toward fixing the safety failures that led to the deadliest U.S. air disaster in decades. The deal clears the way for

the Senate Commerce Committee to vote on the bill known as the Rotor Act next week. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. The founding mother of NPR, Susan Stamberg, has died. She was an original NPR staffer who went on to become the first U.S. woman to anchor a national nightly news show. She was 87 years old. This is NPR News from Washington. French Prime Minister Sebastian Le Corneux survived two votes of no confidence today that could have toppled his fragile new government and plunged France deeper into political chaos. The votes clear the way for him to pursue what could be an even greater challenge,

passing a budget before the end of the year to try and rein in France's ballooning deficit. Le Corneux's survival also spares any immediate need for President Emmanuel Macron to design the National Assembly and call, snap, legislative elections. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo appears to be largely under control, as NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, prompt vaccination and infection control have significantly slowed the spread of the deadly disease. Since the Ebola outbreak began in late August, 45 people have died from the disease. At least 64 more have been sickened by the virus, which can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding. But for nearly three weeks, no new cases have been reported, according to the World Health Organization.

Officials say the rollout of Ebola vaccines to contacts of cases, as well as to health care workers, helped slow the spread. More than 18,000 people have been vaccinated so far. The outbreak will be declared officially over if 22 more days pass without a new case. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News. California Governor Gavin Newsom says the state will begin selling affordable insulin under its own label, Starting in the new year, insulin pens will be available at recommended price of $11 per pen or a maximum of $55 for a five-pack. It's one part of California's effort to lower prescription drug costs with generics. From Washington, you're listening to NPR News.