NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-18-2025 7AM EDT

Episode Date: October 18, 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 Giles Snyder. The O' King's rallies and communities across the country are expected to draw many Americans to the streets today. Organizers say more than 2,000 protests are planned. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott is sending National Guard troops to the state capitol ahead of this weekend's protest.

From the Texas Newsroom, Lucio Vasquez reports. Governor Abbott says, without evidence, that the Austin protest is a, quote, Antifa-linked demonstration. The Republican governor says National Guard troops, troops will be stationed at the state Capitol building to protect Texans and nearby property. This comes just weeks after Texas National Guard troops were sent to Chicago in response to a growing number of protests outside of immigration facilities. Several thousand No Kings Day protests are set to take place over the weekend throughout the country. For NPR

news, I'm Lucio Vasquez in Houston. Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Yonkin has also mobilized his state's National Guard ahead of today's No Kings protests. which are being held on the 18th day of the government shutdown. The Trump administration says most of the roughly 4,000 layoffs that have been announced during this shutdown are not blocked by a recent court order. As according to documents filed in a case brought by unions representing thousands of federal employees, NPR's Jacqueline Diaz, has more. A federal judge in California issued a temporary restraining order earlier this week,

pausing the layoffs of thousands of federal workers. And in a court filing, the Trump administration said it's following the judge's order. But the administration also made clear that it believes most of the employees who receive layoff notices can still be removed. They say that's because the court ordered pause only applies to programs or offices where the union plaintiffs have members. Jacqueline Diaz, NPR News. President Trump has added new tariffs on large trucks and at the same time ease some tariffs. on imported auto parts. Empires Camilla Dominozki reports the extra wiggle room on tariffs is specifically for parts bound for U.S. factories.

President Trump said weeks ago he'd put new tariffs on medium and heavy-duty trucks. Think delivery vans, 18-wheeler, buses. Those will kick in November 1st. This action also extends a program allowing automakers to offset some tariffs on parts. Carmakers have been very vocal. with the White House about how tariffs are hitting cars made in U.S. plants. That's because even the most made-in-America vehicle relies on some imported parts, and those have tariffs.

This extension reduces how much those parts tariffs hurt companies. Automaker stocks went up after news outlets reported that this was coming. Camila Dominooski, NPR News. And from Washington, you're listening to NPR News. Israel has identified the remains of another hostage handed over by Hamas. Officials say the body is that of 76-year-old Eliahu Amargalit. He was killed on the day of the October 7th attack two years ago. More than a dozen deceased hostages remain in Gaza,

and their handover has been a sticking point in the ongoing ceasefire agreement. Health officials in Southern California have identified three cases of a strain of impacts tied to more severe illness. MPR's Will Stone reports these are the first cases confirmed in the U.S. in people with no recent travel history. Earlier this week, the city of Long Beach reported the first case. Then, two more turned up in Los Angeles County, which has a separate health department. All three people were hospitalized and are now recovering. It's not clear how they caught this type of MPox, known as Clayd I,

which is different from the strain that surged in the U.S. in 2022. This version of the virus has fueled outbreaks in parts of Africa, in particular the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, and other nearby countries. Public health officials say they are investigating the cases, and at this point, there's no clear link between them. M. Box tends to cause rashes or unusual sores, fever, and other flu-like symptoms. Will Stone, NPR News. Los Angeles Dodgers have advanced a Major League Baseball's World Series. The Dodgers swept the National League Championship Series last night, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5 to 1.

Dodgers star Shohei Otani hit three home runs and pitch shutout ball into the seventh inning. The American League series is heading into game six tomorrow night. I'm Jail Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.