NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-22-2025 10PM EDT

Episode Date: October 23, 2025

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. The U.S. carried out another lethal strike against a boat that the Trump administration says was transporting drugs. As NPR's Sage Miller reports, Trump defended the repeated attacks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Ruta earlier today. Trump believes the strikes are necessary because they're preventing drugs from entering the U.S. Every one of those boats that gets knocked out is saving 25,000 American lives, not to mention the torn up families all over the country. Drug policy experts say those numbers are overstated, given overall drug death stats in the U.S. The administration has not shared any details regarding evidence used to target the boats or what was on board. Trump argued the U.S. is allowed to carry out the attacks because they're happening on international waters.

It's the eighth known strike targeting vessels the administration says are carrying narcotics since Trump took office in January. Sage Miller, NPR News. The Trump administration has announced sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies. It comes after efforts to end the war. in Ukraine have repeatedly failed. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking for more foreign help, and Trump canceled a meeting

with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war. Hopefully he'll become reasonable and hopefully Zelensky will be reasonable to. You know, it takes two to tango, as I say. The Treasury Department said the sanctions are a result of, quote, Russia's lack of serious commitment

to a peace process. Mayoral candidates in New York City met for their final debate tonight. A major flashpoint was leading candidate Zoran Mandani's long-standing support for Palestinian rights, which has drawn criticism from many Jewish leaders, NPR's Brian Mann reports. More than 700 rabbis across the U.S. have signed a letter accusing Zoran Mamdani of denying Israel's legitimacy and accusing the Jewish state of genocide during the war in Gaza.

On the debate stage, Mamdani, who would be the city's first Muslim mayor, promised to fight anti-Semitism. I will be the mayor who doesn't just protect Jewish New Yorkers, but also celebrates and cherishes them. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who's trailing in the polls, responded this way. You're the savior of the Jewish people? You won't announce globalize the Intifada, which means kill Jews. There's unprecedented fear in New York. New York is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel.

Mamdani has won endorsements from some Jewish leaders in the city. Brian Mennon, PR News, New York. Tesla reported a 37% drop in income this quarter compared to last year. Tesla delivered almost 500,000 cars. likely boosted by customers taking advantage of the Federal Electric Vehicle Tax Credit, which ended in September. This is the third quarter in a row that the automaker has reported a drop in profits. Tesla attributed the slide in part to higher tariffs, raising the costs of production. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

Peru's new president declared a state of emergency in the capital in the latest attempt to stem a surge and gun violence. President Jose Hades said the emergency in Lima will last 30 days. He's considering deploying soldiers and restricting freedom of assembly and movement. Peru has seen an increase of killings, violent extortion, and attacks on public places in recent years. Doctors have new tools to evaluate a person's biological age compared to their chronological age, which is based on a person's date of birth. NPR's Alison Aubrey reports that President Trump's doctor now estimates that the 79-year-old has the cardiac age of a 65-year-old. Using the results of an electrocardiogram, doctors can use AI to

estimate a person's cardiac age. Physician Douglas Vaughn of Northwestern University explains the tool has been developed by using millions of EKG results and machine learning to detect very subtle changes and patterns that track with heart disease risk. So I'm a cardiologist. I can't tell your age. I have no clue what your age is based on how we learn how to read an electrocardogram. But this tool does things that the human eyes can't do. He says the tools are still being studied for accuracy and may become part of preventive medicine to detect disease earlier in life. Alison Aubrey NPR News. The Agriculture Department says it will reopen about 2,100 county offices despite the government shutdown to help farmers get access to $3 billion worth of aid. The USDA says each office

will have two workers to help farmers apply for loans, crop insurance, disaster aid, and other programs. This is NPR News. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit wise.com. T's and Cs apply.