NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-27-2025 4PM EDT

Episode Date: October 27, 2025

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We all wonder about life's big questions. Why are we here? What are we to do and how to make sense of it all? On Yigods with Scott Carter, I talk with Politico's priests, actors, and atheists on how they wrestle with life's mysteries. Their stories will spark reflection, challenge assumptions, and maybe even bring you some clarity on your own journey. Listen to Yigods, part of the NPR network wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The largest labor union representing federal employees has called on Congress to end the government shutdown by passing a clean continuing resolution. NPR's Andrea issue reports close to a million and a half federal workers have been going without pay since October 1st. In a statement, the president of the American Federation of Government employees, Everett Kelly, calls the shutdown an avoidable crisis that is harming families, communities, and the very institutions that hold our country together.

He called on Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution, a move Democrats have rejected as part of their effort to force Republicans to negotiate on federal health care subsidies. Kelly wrote, there is no winning a government shutdown. Instead, they cost taxpayers billions and erode confidence. But some federal workers have urged Democrats to stand firm. They see the shutdown as a chance for lawmakers to reassert their authority over government spending and push back against the president's agenda. Andrea Shue and PR News.

In the coming hours, President Trump is expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sana E. Takaiichi, who recently made history as the first woman to lead Japan. They're both conservatives aligned on security and immigration issues. Takaiichi is likely looking to build on those similarities to strike more favorable trade terms. Last year, the U.S. East tariffs on Japan in exchange for $550 billion in investments in U.S. projects. That's equal to more than a 10. of Japan's economy. Japan is also concerned about China's growing influence in the region. Well, President Trump and Xi Jinping of China are set to meet Thursday after announcing

they have a framework of a deal on a wide range of issues including trade, critical rare earth minerals, and combating fentanyl trafficking. And Pierre's Mara Liason explains the stakes for the world's two biggest economies. China, as Trump might say, has a lot of cards. And they've been playing them. They haven't bought soybeans from U.S. farmers. They've held up these rare earth exports, and China is a big powerful country. In many ways, it's as strong as the U.S. It's soon to be the biggest economy in the world. And this is a very different power dynamic. Trump can't just unilaterally lay down the terms of a trade deal, the way he has done with smaller, less powerful countries. NPR's Mara Liason. Hurricane Melissa is now a cat five storm

nearing Jamaica. Here's NPR's Ada Peralta. The storm is forecast to move right through the middle of the island early Tuesday morning. Jamaica's meteorological service says the 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.

From Washington, this is NPR News. Indiana's Republican governor, Mike Braun, says he is scheduling a special session to redraw the state's congressional map. His announcement today follows similar moves in North Carolina, Missouri, and Texas. President Trump has urged GOP-led state legislatures to enact new districts to give Republicans an advantage in next year's midterms. And the Democratic parties responded with similar action in California and legal action in defense of minority voters whose voting power, they say, will unlawfully be diluted.

Many doctors say political attacks on science and medicine are affecting patient care, especially in rural communities. Disinformation creating growing health challenges. Here's NPR's Yuki Noguchi. Dr. Banu Symington is one of only five full-time oncologists in Wyoming and is close to retirement. She sees misinformation and conspiracy theories putting patients in peril. Some, for example, are taking an anti-parasite drug. because it was endorsed on a conservative podcast as a treatment for cancer. I have patients who are covertly taking ivermectin, and then they end up in the intensive care unit because of a complication from the ivermectin.

Experts say the shortage of doctors in rural areas is making this problem worse. But the Trump administration's changes to immigration and health policies are also making recruitment of clinicians tougher in America's rural communities. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News. U.S. stocks have ended the day higher. The NASDAQ closed up 1.8%. SMP was up 1.2%. And the Dow closed up nearly three quarters of a percent.

This is NPR News. What's more spooky than a scary, bloody, sometimes maybe even a little sexy story? This week on NPR's Book of the Day, we're talking horror. We've got interviews with longtime masters and Rice, Stephen King, and a couple of new voices, too. Listen to NPR's Book of the Day podcast on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.