NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-25-2025 3PM EDT

Episode Date: October 25, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. President Trump is on his way to Asia on his first trip to the region since he returned to the White House. His first stop is Malaysia. He stopped in Qatar along the way to refuel and welcome the Prime Minister of Qatar aboard Air Force One. And the Prime Minister has been my friend and a friend to the world. And we've done a lot together in the last, especially in the last year. What we've done is incredible peace to the Middle East.

After visiting Malaysia and Japan, President Trump goes to South Korea for a summit. There, he may meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping or may not. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Seoul. Trade tensions have flared and both sides are trying to pressure the other one with tariffs and export controls. U.S. and Chinese trade officials are meeting in Kuala Lumpur to try to de-escalate that. If the talks fall through, a Xi Jinping-Trump meeting might not even happen, and the Chinese side has not confirmed that there will be. this meeting. NPR's Anthony Cune reporting from Seoul. Wall Street had another record-breaking week

as the federal government made an exception to the shutdown and released a crucial inflation report. NPR's Maria Aspen reports. Annual inflation was slightly lower than expected in September, the government said Friday. It's not releasing most economic data during the shutdown, but it needs this particular report to determine the cost of living increase for social security recipients. Now those 75 million people will see an extra $56 per month on average in their Social Security checks, starting in January. Meanwhile, investors welcomed the inflation report as another sign that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again next week. The Fed is trying to keep prices under control, but it's also increasingly worried about the job market. The shutdown means it's flying mostly blind, as the government has not released the most recent jobs report.

Maria Aspen, NPR News, New York. California Governor Gavin Newsom is accusing the Trump administration of, quote, rigging the state's November special election for sending Justice Department poll monitors to five California counties. Guy Mazurati of member station KQED reports. The DOJ is deploying monitors to counties, including Los Angeles, for what the department describes as routine oversight of federal law. But Newsom told KQED the move. is meant to sow doubt in election results, including the fate of Proposition 50.

The pro-democratic redistricting plan, Newsom is asking California voters to approve. They will then suggest after we win, because we will and we must, that somehow the election was fraudulent. In a statement, Los Angeles's top elections official says the presence of election observers is, quote, not unusual. For NPR News, I'm Guy Marzarati in San Jose. This is NPR News. Early voting began today in New York City to elect a new mayor. The candidates are Democrat Zohran Mamdani, Republican Curtis Sliwa, and the former Democratic governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo,

who's running as an independent. Early voting also got underway today in New Jersey, as that state selects a new governor. The other governor's race this year is in Virginia, which began early voting September 19th. Election Day is November 4th. Officials in Montgomery, Alabama, have unveiled statues commemorating two notable women from the state on the Capitol grounds, the first statues of women to be featured there. Troy Public Radio's Race England reports.

Rosa Parks' 9-foot 8-inch statue depicts her taking a step toward Dexter Avenue, where the Montgomery bus boycott was organized. The statue sculptor, Julian Knight, hopes to contribute to Park's legacy of fighting for racial equality and honor the value she held. Dear. Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. She believed in those words. The second statue unveiled depicts writer and disability rights advocate Helen Keller, inviting viewers to join her in reading a book written in both Braille and Standard Texts. For NPR News, I'm Reese England in Montgomery, Alabama. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says a TV ad criticizing U.S. trade tariffs will run during the second game of the World Series tonight. It uses the words of former President Ronald Reagan and prompted President Trump to cancel trade negotiations with Canada.

Ford said it'll pause the campaign Monday, but it will air tonight. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.