NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-26-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: October 26, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rom. Top economic officials from the U.S. and China have worked out a substantial framework for an agreement on rare earth metals and tariffs. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said today, The deal means the U.S. does not plan to impose 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods as President Trump had threatened. Besson appeared on several of the television talk shows this morning. Here he is on NBC.

President Trump gave me. a great deal of negotiating leverage with the threat of the 100% tariffs on November 1st. And I believe we've reached a very substantial framework that will avoid that and allow us to discuss many other things with the Chinese. Besson said the agreement includes substantial agriculture purchases for U.S. farmers. But he added it's not final until President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet in South Korea Thursday. The Ukrainian capital came under Russian attack again overnight. At least three people were killed and 32 were wounded.

NPR's Hanna Palmerenko reports from Kiev. Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, says Russia launched more than 100 drones across Ukraine overnight. Russian drones hit high-rise buildings in Kiev. Pavlo Petrov spokesman for the State Emergency Service in Kiev spoke from the site of the attack. The attacks on civilians in the capital is putting a heavy strain on the state emergency service who are still working on the side of previous attacks, he said. Ukraine says Russia is attempting to attack Kiev with drones on a daily basis. This is now the third attack on civilian and residential infrastructure in the capital in just the past week.

Hannah Palomarenko and Peron News, Kiev. The White House's historic movie theater has been demolished as part of the Trump administration's plans to make way for a new $300 million ballroom. NPR's Chloe Veltman has more in the story. Bill Clinton once described the White House family theatre as, quote, the best perk of the White House. The snug 40-ish seat venue provided a retreat for presidents and their guests for more than 80 years after its conversion from a cloakroom by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942. Jimmy Carter was a fan. He watched hundreds of films there starting with all the president's men. Richard Nixon saw Patton

about the controversial World War II General George S. Patton multiple times during the Vietnam War. Matt Lambros is a theatre historian. There's small moments that humanised each president that occurred in the space. Lambros says he hopes the Trump administration will build a new theatre. The White House did not respond to NPR's request for comment. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. This is NPR News in Washington. The government's shutdown is now in its 26th day with no apparent movement and the stalemate. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News, air travelers should expect more flight delays and cancellations this week.

More air traffic controllers are calling out sick because they aren't getting paid. In St. Louis, striking workers in Boeing rejected the company's latest contract offer today, extending their strike into its 13th week. The union represents roughly 3,200 workers at a plant that builds military aircraft. A 19-year-old Vanderbilt University student has won half a million dollars for kicking a 33-yard field goal. Cynthia Abrams with member station WPLN reports. It was the first time ESPN's College Game Day, which each week selects the site of a highly anticipated football matchup, had chosen Vanderbilt's campus since 2008.

Even with the school on college football's biggest stage, sophomore Tyler Wang didn't falter. The chemical engineering and economics major, who played soccer and football in high school, nailed the 33-yard attempt on his first kick while only wearing a pair of socks. Wang says he plans to use his $500,000 winnings to help his parents pay his tuition. For NPR News, I'm Cynthia Abrams in Nashville. The World Series is tied at one game apiece, the Dodgers and the Blue Jays head to Los Angeles for game three tomorrow night. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News, in Washington.