NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-23-2025 3AM EDT

Episode Date: October 23, 2025

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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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. President Trump intends to demolish the entire east wing of the White House to make way for his new ballroom. Trump says that the project will cost around $300 million. That's up from the original estimate of around $200 million.

We are using little sections of footings and various other things, but that's sort of irrelevant. In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure. Trump says the ballroom will be used to host meetings and ceremonies with foreign leaders, among other things. A federal judge has extended her temporary. restraining order to indefinitely block the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago. Meanwhile, federal immigration troops are heading to San Francisco, and it could be only a few days before the Guard is also deployed in Portland, Oregon. In New York City, mayoral candidates faced off last night, and a major flashpoint was

frontrunner, Zora Mamdani's support for Palestinian rights. As NPR's Brian Mann reports, Mamdani has drawn criticism from many Jewish leaders. More than 700 rabbis across the U.S. have signed 11. 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, whose trailing in the polls, responded this way.

You're the savior of the Jewish people? You won't denounce 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 Menn-NPR News, New York. The Trump administration wants the European Union to reconsider its climate regulations for natural gas imports. As NPR's Jeff Brady reports, EU countries are importing more gas from the United States to replace supplies that came from Russia.

The European Union regulations passed last year require countries shipping gas to EU countries, have a plan for eliminating climate pollution by 2050. That complies with Paris climate agreement, which the Trump administration rejects and plans to exit. Energy Secretary Chris Wright co-authored a letter with Qatar's energy minister. Both countries are big gas exporters. They warned that if the EU doesn't abandon or revise the regulations, countries risk losing access to gas. This is part of the Trump administration's efforts to roll back former President Biden's climate initiatives, and boost the fossil fuels that are heating the planet. Jeff Brady, NPR News.

Treasury Department data shows the national debt now exceeds a record $38 trillion. The Joint Economic Committee estimates the debt has risen around $70,000 per second over the past year. U.S. futures are lower in after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR. Preliminary research finds that 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 and skin cancer patients who received COVID shots within 100 days of starting immunotherapy. The findings were reported in the journal Nature. In Iceland, authorities say that for the first time, they've confirmed the presence of mosquitoes, as NPR's Joe Hernandez reports climate change and international trade may be to blame.

The discovery was confirmed this week by the Natural Science Institute of Iceland. It was given the mosquitoes by an insect enthusiast who found them on a farm north of Reykjavik. The only place in the world now believed to have no mosquitoes is Antarctica. Officials at the Iceland Institute say the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight and appear to be able to withstand the Nordic country's climate. They say the mosquitoes are just one of a number of new insect species discovered in Iceland in recent years due to warming temperatures and the growth of international transportation.

There are more than 3,000 species of mosquitoes worldwide, but authorities say the one found in Iceland isn't considered dangerous to humans. Joe Hernandez, NPR News. The director of the Louvre in Paris has offered to resign over the weekend, heist of France's crown jewels, but the offer was declined. Laurent Descartes has acknowledged what she calls a terrible failure. Descartes says the alarms were working, and security cameras were working. running, but that the cameras have limited views of the perimeter around the museum.

This is NPR News.