NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-23-2025 7AM 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 Corva Coleman. Secretary of State Marco Rubia will be the latest.

Trump administration official to go to Israel when he arrives later today. Vice President Vance is already there to support the Gaza ceasefire backed by the U.S. And Vance came after Trump dispatched two top envoys to the region. Before boarding his plane, Rubio said the Trump administration believes the ceasefire is going to succeed. We understand there's more work to be done, but we feel very positive about the trajectory it's on, even though we are well aware that there are going to be some real tests ahead. Rubio is also looking at how an international stabilization force could help keep the peace in Gaza, but it's not clear other countries want to send their troops there.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth says the U.S. military has struck two more boats in international waters. This time, the two separate attacks were in the eastern Pacific Ocean instead of the Caribbean Sea. This makes nine known such attacks that have left about 40 people dead. President Trump insists they were all involved in drug trafficking, but he's never provided any evidence. And Pierre 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. Sage Miller, NPR News. A federal judge is extending her order blocking President Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Illinois. The issue is now headed for the U.S. Supreme Court. From member station WBEZ, Anna Savchenko, reports. U.S. District Judge April Perry originally blocked the Trump administration's order to send troops to Illinois earlier this month. Her order was temporary and was set to expire Thursday.

But Justice Department lawyers have now agreed to continue to abide by the order while they wait for the Supreme Court to hand down a ruling. The Supreme Court could overturn Perry's order. Paul Gowder, a law professor at Northwestern University, says that would, quote, contribute to a dangerous pattern of permitting the president to violate the law. A ruling from the High Court that sides with the Trump administration could allow troop deployments immediately. For NPR News, I'm on this option, in Chicago. Separately, the Coast Guard says it will host federal immigration agents at a Coast Guard base in the San Francisco Bay Area. President Trump has said he wanted to target the city to reduce crime.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie opposes this action. Lurie says he has signed an emergency directive to prepare the city for possible federal troop deployment. You're listening to NPR News. President Trump says the full east wing of the White House is going to be torn down to build his new ballroom. This contradicts his promise last summer that the construction would not interfere with the White House. Historical experts are urging the president to pause and allow historians a role in this project. Britain's King Charles is visiting Pope Leo at the Vatican today. In a historic moment, they prayed together in the Sistine Chapel.

King Charles is also the head of the Church of England. It is the first time in modern history, the head of the Anglican Church and the head of the Roman Catholic Church have publicly prayed together. A new study finds that people who eat meat in the U.S. have greater climate emissions than all of the emissions generated in the country of Italy. Meat eaters in large U.S. cities have a particularly large climate impact. NPR's Julius Simon reports on the study in the journal, Nature. The study finds in some U.S. cities your stake may be considered. contributing even more to greenhouse gas emissions. In a Wisconsin city like Milwaukee, the researchers find the beef you eat is likely sourced from a dairy cow, which makes less emissions, but

in a Texas city, the beef is likely from a more greenhouse gas intensive feed lot. Of all foods, beef has the biggest overall climate impact. Demand for beef dries deforestation and cattle release powerful greenhouse gases like methane. Researchers find one of the easiest ways to reduce your daily carbon footprint is to switch your burger for really anything else. Keep the fun toppings, though. Julia Simon, NPR News. And I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News from Washington.