NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-23-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: October 23, 2025

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Jay Stevens. President Trump is defending the deadly U.S. strikes on multiple boats suspected appalling drugs. The U.S. military hit two boats in the Eastern Pacific Wednesday, killing five alleged smugglers. And P.R. Sage Miller has more. 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 North Carolina legislature has approved a new congressional map to add one more of Republican seat in the U.S. House. The move is similar to steps taken by legislatures in Texas and Missouri and being considered in California. Christopher Cooper is a political science professor at Western Carolina University. He weighs in on the redistricting trend. I think what's different here is this is not based on a court case. So we redistrict in North Carolina the way most people watch the Super Bowl.

It seems like it's about once a year. usually, actually always, those have been in response to court decisions, right? A court says that a map is not legal for a variety of reasons, and then the General Assembly or a third party redraws it. This one's different because it is the General Assembly deciding to do this very explicitly because Donald Trump asked them to. Cooper says the redistricting efforts could turn off voters going into the 2026 midterms. Israel and Hamas are exchanging dozens of bodies apart of President Trump's ceasefire, plan. NPR's Anasbaba reports from Gaza, where the unidentified remains of 54 Israelis were buried on Wednesday. Unlike the remains of Israeli hostages identified using DNA and medical

records, the Palestinian corpses arrived with no names and no identifying data. Gaza's hold system, including lapse, has been decimated by war. Dr. Munir al-Borche, head of Gaza's hospital, says many bodies showed signs of being crushed by tanks, skulls shattered, chests flattened. Israeli authorities have not responded to requests for comment. Now families are being shown graphic images of the bodies, hoping to recognize a missing loved one. They have just five days.

After that, the remains are buried with no names, only serial numbers, like the 54 laid to rest in Gaza on Wednesday. Anas Baba and P.R. News, Gaza. You're listening to NPR. The Justice Department has reached an agreement with the University of Virginia that pauses civil rights investigations into the school. Under the deal, UVA has agreed to accept the Trump administration's interpretation of a 23 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against race-based college admissions.

The school also agreed to provide quarterly updates to show its compliance. North Carolina legislature has approved a new congressional map to add more Republican seats in the U.S. Senate. Trump administration is pouring millions of dollars into civics education with bipartisan agreements that it's long overdue. NPR's Corey Turner reports that the move comes as the U.S. prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary. The administration has awarded more than $150 million in grants to dozens of colleges, universities, and nonprofit groups to train K-12 teachers in civics and U.S. history. I think we hit bottom about four or five years ago. Danielle Allen, manages research lab at Harvard focused on civics education. She says since World War II,

the U.S. government has prioritized science, technology, and math education. We were spending about $50 per kid per year federal monies on STEM education and only five cents per year per kid on civics education. No surprise. In 2022, only about one in five eighth graders scored proficient in civics according to federal data. Corey Turner, NPR News. U.S. futures are lower in after hours trading on Wall Street following Wednesday's losses. On Asia-Pacific markets, shares are also lower. This is NPR News. 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.