NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-21-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: October 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The U.S. Senate has once again defeated a proposal to reopen government at least through November 21st. Majority Leader John Thune says the debate over health care subsidies can wait. I have made it clear from the beginning that Republicans are willing to have a discussion about how to address it. In fact, I'm perfectly willing to guarantee Democrats a vote. but none of that is going to happen until Democrats reopen the government. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says now is the time to discuss health care subsidies which expire in just over two months. The ACA premium crisis is not a fix-it-later issue like Republicans keep pretending it is.

It's a fix-it-now issue because very soon Americans are going to have to make some really difficult choices about which health care plan they choose for next year. Meanwhile, the government shut down. has not impeded plans for a new White House ballroom. As NPR Stemmer Keith reports, demolition is already underway on parts of the East Wing. The construction is privately funded through donations, so a White House official says the government shutdown didn't delay the groundbreaking. Last week, during a dinner at the White House for large dollar donors, President Trump pointed out toward the East Wing of the White House and explained.

Everything out there is coming down and we're replacing it with one of the most beautiful ballrooms that you've ever seen. demolition is happening now. And you're going to see a ballroom, the likes of which I don't think will, I don't think it'll be topped. Trump now says the ballroom will hold 999 people, an increase from the 650 originally announced. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Some parents may have to scramble for alternatives at the end of the month when funding for Head Start programs runs out. The early education program for preschoolers is funded nearly entirely by the federal government. Palestinian health officials say Israeli airstrikes had killed nearly four dozen people in Gaza. Sunday's attacks came after Israel

said that militants have killed two soldiers in the territory. As NPR's UNISPaba reports, the attacks have created doubt about whether the Gaza ceasefire can hold. Gaza's health ministry says that since the ceasefire began a little more than a week ago, more than 80 Palestinians have been killed and more than 300 injured by Israeli fire, including those from Sunday'sirstrikes. A carpenter in Gaza, who once worked in Israel, says he expected this violence. He says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking for any reason to restart the war and appease his far-right ministers. He says we have suffered for two years and died in every way imaginable and unimaginable.

But Kassab also sees signs that President Trump is applying pressure to keep the ceasefire agreement holding. Anas Baba and Pira News, Gaza City. U.S. futures are flat and after-hours trading on Wall Street following Monday's gains. This is NPR. President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have signed a deal to share critical minerals. The move comes after China imposed stricter export rules on its rare earth minerals. 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 that won't be true here 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. Amazon's cloud computing service disrupted Internet use worldwide Monday, affecting social media, gaming, streaming, financial platforms, and more. Amazon says that the outage was resolved by evening.

The incident is a reminder that much of society relies on only a handful of companies for reliable internet technology. On Asia-Pacific markets, shares are higher. You're listening to NPR News.