NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-23-2025 8AM 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, on Khorovac Coleman, President Trump has imposed sanctions on Russian oil companies. in an effort to stop Russia's war in Ukraine. This came as Trump met NATO's Secretary General yesterday at the White House. Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky is meeting members of the European Council,

who also imposed fresh sanctions on Russia. With all Europe, with the United States together, we have the pressure on Putin, stop this war. Pressure, it meant sanctions packages, long-range, air defense, and, of course, financial support. President Trump's sanctions are some of the strongest. U.S. has taken against Russia since Moscow launched the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Israel today. He is the latest Trump administration official to go to Israel this week to support the Gaza ceasefire. Israel and Hamas are exchanging dozens of bodies as part of the ceasefire deal. The unidentified remains of 54 Palestinians

handed over by Israel were buried yesterday. And Pierre-Anas Baba has more from Gaza. And a note, following report contains graphic descriptions. 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-Borch, 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 comments. 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 Pia News, Gaza. The University of Virginia has reached an agreement with the federal government that would pause ongoing civil rights investigations. NPR's Alyssa Nadwarni reports, the Justice Department has been looking into the school's use, of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs

and its handling of anti-Semitism on campus. The agreement between Virginia's public flagship and the DOJ comes after months of negotiations and will suspend the five remaining investigations into the university's admissions practices and DEI programs. The deal doesn't require UVA to pay anything or give up academic control or freedom, which makes this agreement different from deals

that the White House has made with Brown University and Columbia, University to reinstate federal funding in exchange for agreeing to specific political priorities. Instead, UVA agrees to follow civil rights law regarding race and report quarterly to the DOJ to demonstrate it is following those rules. The university's interim President Paul Mahoney said the deal represented, quote, the best available path forward. Alistin Adwarni, NPR News. You're listening to NPR. This is day 23 of the federal government shutdown. Most federal workers are furloughed except for essential workers, such as air traffic controllers and members of the U.S. military.

But the Agriculture Department says today it will reopen more than 2,000 farm service agencies across the country. These staffers help farmers apply for loans, crop insurance, disaster aid, and more. The Trump administration says there's about $3 billion in program aid available for which American farmers can apply. Big tech company META says it is cutting about 600 jobs in its artificial intelligence unit. There are still thousands of meta staffers working on AI projects. Did you know that ants are good in making yogurt? NPR's Regina Barber reports on a study in Denmark that investigates a traditional method for making this 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, NPR News. And I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News, from Washington.