NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-23-2025 5AM 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 Windsor Johnston. The entire East Wing of the White House is being demolished. NPR's Tamery Keith reports it's part of President Trump's plan to make room for a grand new ballroom. The East Wing was built during World War II and has been modified over the years.

Until recently, it housed the offices of the First Lady's staff. Explaining that it needed to be torn down, President Trump downplayed its significance. It was never thought of as being much. It was a very small building. Trump said it didn't make it. make sense to save the East Wing at the expense of the massive new ballroom he has planned. In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing strapped sheriff. Images of excavators tearing into a wing of the White House have set off alarms for groups concerned with historic preservation. The White House says preservation work was done and calls the

controversy, quote, Pearl Clutching. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Millions of Americans may lose food aid if the government shut up. down continues. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports a disruption like this has never hit the nation's largest anti-hunger program. One in eight people in the U.S. get SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps. Joel Berg, the CEO of Hunger-Free America, says it would be catastrophic for those low and moderate-income families if that aid suddenly stopped. The vast majority are children, working people, older Americans, veterans, and people with disabilities. He also says, says food banks and other charities can nowhere near make up for the loss of $8 billion in federal funding.

The Agriculture Department has told states there's not enough money for full-snap funding in November, so payments are on hold. In a statement to NPR, an agency spokesperson blamed Senate Democrats for keeping the government shut down. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News, Washington. The UN's top court has ruled that Israel must work with the world body to get aid into Gaza. NPR's Rob Schmitz reports from Tel Aviv. The International Court of Justice as President U.G. U.S.S.awa took more than an hour to read the court's opinion that Israel, because it exercises a degree of control over Gaza, is deemed by the Geneva Convention in Occupying Power.

As such, the court reasoned, Israel is bound by the Convention's Law of Occupation, which states that an occupying power must provide humanitarian aid to the civilians under its occupation. In this case, Gazans. The court went further, saying, Israel as an occupying power may never invoke reasons of security to justify the suspension of humanitarian aid and that the population of Gaza has been inadequately supplied by Israel. The court also said the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees or UNRWA has not violated any laws as Israel has claimed.

Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR News in Washington. Tropical storm, Melissa, is sweeping through the Caribbean, triggering flood and raising fears of landslides in Jamaica and southern Hispaniola. In the Dominican Republic, thousands of people were forced to evacuate to shelters. Schools, businesses, and government offices are shut down across nine provinces today. A new study shows that ants are good at making yogurt. NPR's Regina Barber has more.

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 work. Recreate new fermented foods. Regina Barber and Pierr News.

Ballerina Misty Copeland has taken her final bow. The American Ballet Theater honored the trailblazing dancer with a farewell gala last night. The 43-year-old was the first black female principal dancer in the company's 75-year history. In an interview with the Associated Press, Copeland said it was time to move to a different stage, focusing on diversity and dance through her foundation and writing books. for young readers. I'm Windsor Johnston and PR News in Washington. I'm Rachel Martin. If you're tired of small talk, check out the Wild Card podcast. I invite your favorite celebrities to open up about the big topics we all think about but rarely talk about.

Tune in this fall to hear Matthew McConaughey, Shonda Rhymes, and Padma Lakshmi. Talk about everything from grief and God to ambition and forgiveness. Watch or listen on the NPR app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you.