NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-25-2024 12PM EDT

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

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Read about the impact of women in music with NPR's new book, How Women Made Music, a revolutionary history from NPR Music. This stunning anthology offers original writing and illustrations, interviews and photos. And the audiobook includes 52 years worth of interview excerpts with more than 60 legendary artists. Visit npr.org slash how women made music to order now. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The presidential candidates are ramping up their campaign messaging in the final stretch

to the November election. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will both rally supporters in Texas today. NPR's Deba Sheiveram reports it's an unusual campaign stop for the candidates to make so close to the election. Trump will be in Austin to record a podcast episode with Joe Rogan before heading to Michigan for a rally. Harris meanwhile will rally in Houston with Senate candidate Colin Allred. Texas hasn't had a Democratic senator in 30

years but Colin Allred's race hasn't had a Democratic senator in 30 years, but Colin Allred's race this year against incumbent Senator Ted Cruz is tight, in part because of the focus on reproductive rights. Harris's visit to Houston will highlight the issue as her campaign tries to keep it top of mind for voters in the last stretch of the election. Her rally will also have a special guest, Beyonce, whose song, Freedom, Harris has been using as her walkout song. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News, Houston. A number of former Trump aides are warning how the former president might use the U.S.

military if he's reelected. That includes Mark Esper, who served as defense secretary during the last year of Trump's presidency. Esper spoke to NPR's Morning Edition today about Trump's recent rhetoric, especially when it comes to using the military to deport migrants living in the U.S. illegally. I don't believe that the active duty military can be used to round up illegal persons in the country and deport them, if you will. I think it violates the Posse Combatantes Act, which basically

restricts the US military, the active duty military, from performing policing actions within the United States. And so there are some exceptions here and there, but they're very specific. So I don't believe that authority exists. But I'm not a lawyer, and I think it's something that needs to be looked at. Trump fired Esper in November of 2020. Three journalists were killed by Israeli airstrikes in southeast Lebanon overnight. The guest house where they were staying came under attack at dawn and without warning. NPR's Arzu Rezvani reports more than 120 members of the press have been killed since the war broke out.

The three TV news employees worked for broadcasters Al-Manar, which is a network owned and operated by Hezbollah, and Al-Mayadeen, a pro-Palestinian and pro-Iran news channel. They and other journalists from networks including Sky News Arabia were staying in the town of Hasbaya in southern Lebanon, which until now was widely considered to be safe and hadn't been attacked before. The cars parked outside the guest house were clearly marked press. Lebanon's information minister said the attack was deliberate and called the deaths a quote war crime. The Israeli military has not commented on what prompted the airstrike.

R. Rizzi Resvani, NPR News, Beirut. This is NPR News in Washington. Gang violence continues in Haiti. Gang members opened fire on a UN helicopter today that was attempting to land in the capital. Officials say no one was injured. The attack comes five months after Haiti's main airport reopened following coordinated gang attacks that forced it to close. A powerful storm that slammed into the Philippines has triggered deadly landslides and flooding,

killing at least 65 people. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports the tropical storm is the 11th and one of the most deadly to hit the Philippines this year. Tropical storm Tramie affected more than 2.6 million people and caused some 320,000 people to flee to safety, many on the main island of Luzon. In some areas, the storm dumped up to two months' worth of rainfall in 24 hours. First responders in boats struggled to rescue some residents trapped on their rooftops by flooding.

Others used backhoes to search for people buried under mudslides. The Philippines is lashed by around 20 tropical storms a year. Anthony Kuhn in PR News, Seoul. A tropical storm made landfall along the eastern coast of India today, bringing torrential rain and widespread flooding to the region. Forecasters say the storm came ashore with wind speeds of 70 miles per hour, forcing nearly 600,000 people to evacuate. Schools in the area are closed for the day, and more than 200 trains have been cancelled.

Stocks are trading mixed on Wall Street at this hour. The Dow was down 103 points, then NASDAQ up 218. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.