NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-22-2025 11PM 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 Shea Stevens. President Trump is imposing sanctions on two Russian oil companies. NPR's Mara Liason reports that it's the first time in his second term that Trump has done more. than just threatened Russia. At a meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, Trump said the new sanctions on Russia were tremendous

and that he hoped they would help settle the war with Ukraine. But in a move that will disappoint the Ukrainian government, Trump also ruled out sending that country long-range Tomahawk missiles. It'll take a minimum of six months, usually a year, to learn how to use them. They're highly complex. So the only way of Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it, and we're not going to do that.

Ukraine has been lobbying the White House to provide Tomahawks, but Trump seems to have closed that door for good. Mara Liason, NPR News, the White House. North Carolina Republicans have approved a new congressional map in hopes of creating the state's 11th GOP seat in the U.S. House. The North Carolina newsrooms, Adam Wagner, reports from Raleigh. North Carolina's new map shifts hundreds of thousands of voters between the first and third districts in the eastern part of the state. Republicans have said their goal is to gain an advantage in the state's only swing district, one currently held by Don Davis, a Democrat. But Democrats, like State Representative Gloristine Brown,

say the new map intentionally dilutes the power of black voters. You claim that racial data was not used. You didn't need to use racial data because every single member of this body knows about the black population in the northeastern part of this state. North Carolina's governor can't veto the new map, but a lawsuit is expected. For NPR News, I'm Adam Wagner in Raleigh. A federal judge has extended her temporary restraining order indefinitely blocking the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago.

Meanwhile, federal immigration troops are heading to San Francisco, and it could be a few days before the Guard is also deployed in Portland, Oregon. A new study shows Florida's restriction on cell phones and schools has led to higher test scores and improve student behavior. behavior. Daniel Pryor has more from Central Florida public media. A report published in the National Bureau of Economic Research found suspension spiked during early adoption of Florida's 2023 restrictions on cell phones in schools. But after the first year, disciplinary actions were down. And by the second year, fewer kids were absent from class and test scores had improved. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says no phones is a win-win for students and teachers. Who wants to dedicate their life? to sitting in front of a group of kids that all have their face buried in the phone. Some 30 states and the District of Columbia now restrict cell phones in some way during school. For NPR news, I'm Danielle Pryor in Orlando.

On Wall Street stocks close lower, the Dow Jones industrials lost 344 points. This is NPR. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth says there's been another deadly U.S. military strike in the Caribbean, the eighth such attack this year. Exeth says the boat was hauling illegal drugs. Two people were killed in the strike, bringing the death toll from U.S. attacks to 34. President Trump says the military action is needed to combat drug trafficking. Ants are good at making yogurt.

NPR's Regina Barber reports on a Danish study that investigates a traditional method for making the nutritious snack. In the mountains of Bulgaria, there are people making yogurt the old-fashioned way by dropping live redwood ants into fresh milk. We added four whole ants, dropped them into the top, covered it with a cheesecloth, hiked up the mountain, and buried it inside of the ant colony. That's microbial ecologist Veronica Sinant. She's part of a research team that recreated the process to learn what kinds of bacteria living on and inside the ants were causing this fermentation. The team said the ant yogurt had a unique taste and texture, different from commercial brands. The researchers say that these traditional practices can inform future innovations and help recreate. new fermented foods. Regina Barber and PR News.

Preliminary research finds a commonly used COVID-19 vaccine can also boost immune systems to help fight tumors. The study shows improvements in the immune systems and life expectancy of lung cancer and skin cancer patients who receive COVID shots within 100 days of starting immunotherapy. The findings are reported in the journal Nature. You're listening to 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.