NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-20-2025 8PM EDT

Episode Date: October 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Amazon says a problem with its cloud computing service that disrupted internet use around the world today has been resolved. The incident was the latest reminder that the internet is increasingly dependent on a handful of cloud computing companies. President Trump made a deal with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on rare earth elements today. NPR's Franco Ordonia's reports it includes investments to boost processing in Australia. Speaking alongside the Australian Prime Minister at the White House, President Trump said the two sides had been negotiating for four or five months before reaching an agreement. In about a year from now, we'll have so much critical mineral and rare earths that you won't know what to do with them. These rare earths are critical to the manufacture of countless monitored and products, from cars to semiconductors to all forms of electronics, including phones and laptops.

China, one of the greatest sources of critical minerals and metals worldwide, this month added more restrictions on their exports. Australia, which is considered to have a healthy supply, is positioning itself as a viable alternative. Franco, Ordoñez, NPR News, the White House. America's nuclear weapons facilities are taking a hit from the government shutdown, as NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports. The National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nation's nuclear weapons,

says it's furlowing approximately 1,400 employees today. The agency is responsible for overseeing thousands of warheads that are not currently deployed on bombers, missiles, and submarines. According to an energy department spokesperson, the furloughs are due to the, quote, Democrat shutdown. Around 400 employees remain on the job to provide security and safety oversight, and the office responsible for moving nuclear weapons around the country remains funded until next week. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. A new study shows that marijuana can help with chronic back pain. The German company that ran the study says it expects to get approval to market the drug,

but NPR's Will Stone reports that won't be true in the U.S. The findings come from a pair of major clinical trials on patients with low back pain, the leading cause of disability. The first showed that a blend of cannabis oil containing the psychoactive compound, THC, outperformed a placebo. The other compared it to opioids and showed cannabis had fewer GI side effects and provided better relief. The company tells NPR it's being required to repeat the studies in the U.S.

before seeking approval from regulators here. Richard Price, a spine surgeon at UC Davis, says many of his patients ask about using cannabis. It's a really good study, and it's, you know, one that we should repeat in the United States. Because cannabis is a Schedule I drug running large research trials comes with many obstacles, meaning it will likely be years before that additional research gets completed. Willstone, NPR News. U.S. stocks rallied to reach the... cusp of record highs today. This is NPR news from Washington.

Brazil's oil giant Petrobras has obtained the green light to start drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River Basin off of Brazil's northern coast. As Julia Carnaro reports, the move is being celebrated by the government, but condemned by environmentalists and by more than half of Brazilians, according to a recent survey. Petrobras is to start drilling immediately to explore the area for oil and gas on a commercial scale. The deep waters off the northern coast are Brazil's most promising oil frontier near the huge oil fields found in Guyana, but also near the delicate ecosystems of the Amazon River Basin.

The government's drive to drill in the region has sparked protests from environmental and indigenous groups. The go-ahead comes three weeks before Brazil hosts the UN climate talks COP 30 in the Amazon rainforest, contrasting with its call to action to combat climate change. In a statement, Petrobras said it, had fully met the requirements set by Environmental Agency Ibama, which took five years to grant the license. For NPR News, I'm Julia Carnero in Rio.

California authorities say metal shrapnel from an artillery shell damaged a state highway patrol vehicle during a Marine Corps exercise over the weekend. The exercise was observed by Vice President J.D. Vance. The California Highway Patrol says no one was injured in the incident. It occurred after ordinance detonated overhead during an exercise over Interstate 5. And new metal band Limp Biscuit says bass player Sam Rivers has died on Saturday. His bandmates praised him as pure magic and the soul of the sound. Rivers was 48 years old. I'm Rylan Barton.

This is NPR News from Washington.