NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-24-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

NPR News: 10-24-2025 12PM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. One of President Trump's most prominent critics, New York Attorney General Letitia James, is pleading not guilty to charges related to allegations that she lied on mortgage documents. James appeared before a federal judge in Norfolk, Virginia, this morning, and thanked supporters. I want to thank each and every one of you. I want to thank you for your prayers. I want to thank you for your each. emails. I want to thank you for your support. Her trial set for January. The New York AG led the prosecution of a civil fraud case against

Trump. Last year, she won a more than $450 million penalty against a president and appeals court later overturned the financial penalty. It is day 24 of the government shutdown and across the country close to a million and a half federal workers are going without pay. The Senate block dueling bills Thursday meant to pay. pay federal employees. Republican Senator Ron Johnson introduced one measure to pay employees who have to work despite the shutdown. It failed along mostly partisan lines. And Republicans block counter proposals from Democrats that would have paid all federal workers, including the ones on furlough. Here's NPR's Andrews. These are civilian employees of the government all over the country. And roughly 700,000 of them are furloughed, meaning they're not working and not getting paid. And close to that many are working, but also not getting paid. This includes, you know, air traffic controllers, also people working at the Social Security Administration. NPR's Andrew Hsu reporting social security recipients, meanwhile, will see their benefits increased 2.8% or about $56 a month starting January. The agency's last cost of living adjustment was lower about 2.5%.

In a social media post, President Trump announced that trade talks with Canada are off. NPR's Tamara Keith reports Trump is upset about an ad run in the United States by the province of Ontario criticizing his tariff policy. The ad uses selectively edited audio and video from a 1987 radio address delivered by then president Ronald Reagan to make a case against tariffs. But over the long run, such trade barriers hurt every American worker and consumer. Tariffs are central to President Trump's economic and foreign policy agenda, and he suggests, the ad was meant to interfere with a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which will soon hear a tariff case. Trump's Post says all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says they'll continue trade talks when the U.S. is ready.

Tamara Keith, NPR News. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 560 points or 1.2%. From Washington, it's NPR News. A financial plan to back reparations loan to Ukraine with frozen Russian state assets was not approved in the end by European leaders meeting in Brussels. And Pira-Zlner-Bearsley reports Belgium, where most of the monetary assets are held, felt it was asked to bear too much risk. The elaborate scheme to use Russian state assets, cash and bonds, to back a $160 billion loan for Ukraine, could have set a dangerous precedent, said detractors, by undermining faith in Belgium's financial. financial system or even leading other countries to seize European assets. Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Waver called for the financial risk to be shared.

Christine Berzania is a specialist in defense and transatlantic security with the U.S. German Marshall Fund. Belgium wants guarantees that the risk will be spread against all of the countries. After all day talks, EU leaders failed to placate Belgium's concerns. Eleanor Beardsley and Piernoos, Paris. Areas of Jamaica, Haiti and Hispaniola have been bracing for Melissa. Here's NPR's Map Loom. While a wind shear prevented Melissa from strengthening in recent days, that's now dropping off.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say that, combined with warm Caribbean waters, will help fuel the storm as it moves north. Residents of Jamaica and Southwest Haiti are being warned to prepare for several feet of rain and damaging winds over the coming days. Flash floods, mudslides, storm surge, and power outages are also big concerns. That's NPR's Matt Bloom, reporting. U.S. stocks are trading higher, mostly up 1%. The Dow's climbed 565 points.

It's NPR News.