NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-27-2025 12PM EDT

Episode Date: October 27, 2025

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Live from NPR news, I'm Lakshmi Singh. It's date 27 of the government shutdown, the second longest in U.S. history. Military paychecks and federal food services are set to stop as Congress shows few signs of a funding breakthrough. Here's NPR's Luke Garrett. The Department of Agriculture says the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP will end food assistance by November 1st. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells ABC News, funds are running out to pay the troops. We're going to be out of money on November 15th, and, you know, for a military not to get paid is a disgrace. Republicans and Democrats can't agree on how to fund the government.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tells CBS News Democrats want to negotiate. There is an urgent need to reopen the government, which is why we continue to demand that Republicans sit at the negotiating table. President Trump and Republican leaders say they won't negotiate until Democrats first vote to reopen the government. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Off a weekend of signing tariffs and critical minerals deals in Malaysia, President Trump is in Japan. There, he is due to meet with Japan's new prime minister, a diehard conservative, and the first Japanese woman to serve in that role as prime minister. Later, President Trump heads to South Korea where NPR's Mara Lison reports.

Trump is due to hold a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping. On the plane to Asia, President Trump told reporters, he said China will have to make concessions, and we will too. So the big question is, which concessions will Trump make? Will he let China buy more advanced semiconductor chips? Some national security experts say that would be dangerous. Would he soften the U.S. stance toward Taiwan and say the U.S. opposes Taiwanese independence. That's something China would like. NPR's Mara Lysin reporting.

People are getting ready in Jamaica. Hurricane Melissa. has intensified with top winds of 165 miles per hour as it nears the island. Jamaica is bracing for what forecasters say is the most powerful hurricane to ever make landfall on the island. And Pierre Zeta Peralta reports Hurricane Melissa is expected to come on shore overnight. National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Melissa is now at top of the scale category 5 hurricane. The storm is forecast to move right through the middle of the island early Tuesday morning. Jamaica's meteorological service says the island.

Outer bands of Melissa have already reached the island, and they are expecting a life-threatening storm surge of 9 to 13 feet. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the whole island should expect flash floods and landslides. While we must prepare for the worst, let us also pray for the best. Holness asked everyone to heed evacuation orders. Eidapralta, NPR News, Mexico City. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up 250 points or roughly half a percent. at 47,455. It's NPR News. Wildlife officials in Northern California say they have euthanized four gray wolves following a string of attacks on livestock. NPR's Nate Rott reports.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says they did not come to the decision easily. For months, they tried non-lethal methods of deterring the wolves from cattle in the Sierra Valley, but the wolves had become habituated to livestock as. a food source. California's gray wolf population has rebounded over the last decade, as wolves have come into the state naturally from Oregon. The wolves are still listed under the Endangered Species Act, but the rise in their population has also led to an increase in human wolf conflict, particularly in rural areas with a lot of ranching. Nate Rot, NPR News. A new study finds it is possible to boost feelings of hope and reduce stress by choosing media content that

That is inspiring. NPR's Alison Arbery reports the study included participants age 1886. One group of participants watched three to five minute videos of people succeeding against the odds. One featured a man who had survived cancer to climb Mount Everest. Another group did short meditations, explains researcher Robin Nabby of UC Santa Barbara. We were actually quite surprised at how similar the effects of the inspiring videos were to the group that meditated. Both groups felt more hope. And both had lower levels of stress 10 days later. The effects were small but significant and show how what people choose to watch can influence their well-being. Alison Aubrey, NPR News.

I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR News in Washington.