NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-24-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: October 24, 2025

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I'm Rachel Martin. If you're tired of small talk, check out the Wild Card podcast. I invite influential thinkers to open up about the big topics we all think about, but rarely talk about. Tune in this fall to hear Mel Robbins, Malala Yusufzai, and Brene Brown, 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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Democrats and Republicans in the Senate have stalled competing bills to pay federal employees during the government shutdown. More than one million federal workers are set to miss a paycheck on Friday, as NPR Sam Greenglass reports. The Republican-backed measure would have paid essential employees working without pay, including troops and TSA agents.

Aversion by Democrats called for paying all federal employees and blocking more layoffs by the Trump administration. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollande of Maryland and Republican Senate, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin debated the dueling bills. They're illegally firing people during the shotgun. Again, Senator, I really didn't want to come and argue. Okay, well, why don't we sit down? Why don't we sit down together? I have to dispute that. As they prepare to head home for the weekend, lawmakers say they are no closer to an agreement to reopen the government.

Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington. The FBI has announced the arrests of over 30 people linked to an illegal gambling investigation. The suspects include three current in the United States. former NBA players and a current head coach. As NPR's Becky Sullivan reports, investigators are focusing on two alleged schemes involving organized crime. They named seven NBA games from a couple seasons ago, in which an NBA insider, they say, gave non-public information to gamblers, to gamble on them, basically. So in the case of one of the current active player, his name is Terry Rozier, he plays for the heat, Miami Heat now, but at the time he played for

the Charlotte Hornets, according to the indictment, he told a friend that he had planned to pullout of a game in March 2023, planned to pull out early due to an entry. That friend allegedly sold the information to gamblers for $100,000. And P.R. as Becky Sullivan report him. President Trump has announced on Truth Social that he's ending all trade negotiations with Canada. Trump cited a fake television ad using President Reagan's voice to criticize tariffs. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says this nation will now double its exports to countries outside of the U.S. Ukraine's President Volodyemir Zelensky says he welcomes the new U.S. sanctions against Russia. As NPR's Hannah Palomarinkle reports, Zelensky has also called

for more pressure on the Kremlin. President Volodymer Zelensky appealed to EU leaders to support Ukraine. At the European Council gathering, he emphasized the importance of making a decision on the use of frozen Russian assets as soon as possible. Russia brought war to our land and they have to pay for this war. In any case, one of the ways to pressure on them, to use frozen assets. Zelensky says the money from frozen Russian assets could be used on Ukrainian production of drones, electronic warfare, and missiles,

as well as European production of artillery shells, reconnaissance drones and air defense systems. Hannah Palomarenko, NPR News, Kiev. U.S. futures are flat and after-hours trading. This is NPR. Lithuania says two Russian military planes violated its airspace late Thursday. In Moscow, officials have not commented on the claim.

Coming hours after the European Union endorsed a plan to protect the bloc by the year 2030. Lithuania has been an EU member since 2004. President Trump has pardoned the founder of cryptocurrency exchange finance, who had been in prison for money laundering. The move is another shot at former President Biden, as NPR's Daniel Kurtzleben reports. Chang Peng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023. and also stepped down as the CEO of Binance. Zhao, also known as CZ, was later sentenced to four months in prison.

The prosecution was carried out under the Biden administration, which aggressively targeted the crypto industry and sought to establish guardrails to prevent the flow of crypto for criminal purposes. The Trump White House seeks to contrast Trump with Biden. Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says Zhao was prosecuted in the previous administration's quote, war on cryptocurrency. In 2024, Trump ran on pro-crypto policies, and his family runs multiple crypto-related businesses, including crypto-platform World Liberty Financial.

Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House. Virginia Democrats plan to redraw the state's congressional voting maps ahead of the 2026 midterms, according to Republican state lawmakers speaking to NPR. California plans to hold a November 4th special election to vote on a referendum calling for redistricting there. This coming after Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina heated President Trump's request to change their maps. in order to add more Republican seats in Congress. This is NPR News. 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.