NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-28-2025 11PM EDT

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. A federal judge in San Francisco has indefinitely halted many of the Trump administration's mass layoffs tied to the government shutdown. As NPR's Andrea Shue reports, the decision pauses at the layoffs of thousands of federal employees. U.S. District Judge Susan Ilston sided with a group of federal employee unions. She found they're likely to show that actions taken by the Trump administration since October 1st, to fire thousands of federal workers are illegal. In court, the attorney for the government pushed back, arguing that the executive branch has the authority to conduct layoffs before, during, and after a shutdown, and that it's good policy to end programs that don't align with

the president's priorities. The union's attorney called the government's arguments absurd and asserted that a lapse in appropriations does not justify permanently eliminating positions. Andrea Shue and PR News. Hurricane Melissa is now heading toward eastern Cuba after passing over Jamaica. The storm is now packing top winds of 130 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center says damaging winds and flash flooding will continue in Jamaica, where the storm made landfall Tuesday. NPR's Rebecca Hersher has more.

Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica as a massive Category 5 storm, with wind speeds as high as 185 miles per hour. That's powerful enough to tear apart. buildings and downmost trees. Melissa is weakening as it moves northeast, but not by much. The National Hurricane Center warned of a, quote, life-threatening situation for Jamaican residents. Forecasters advised people to move into interior rooms and hide under a mattress, if possible, to protect from falling trees and collapsing structures. This is the first time a hurricane has hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm. Climate change makes large, powerful storms more likely, because

as heat is like fuel for hurricanes. Rebecca Hersher, NPR News. Israel's military launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza today after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating the U.S. brokered ceasefire. NPR's Rob Schmitz has the story from Tel Aviv. Israel said the strikes were retaliation for Hamas opening fire and shooting a rocker-propelled grenade at Israeli troops near Rafa

in southern Gaza and Israeli-held territory. Hamas denied taking. part in that attack. Israel said the other violation of the ceasefire happened Monday when Hamas handed over body parts that Israel said were the partial remains of a hostage who was recovered earlier in the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called that a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement, which requires Hamas to return the remaining deceased hostages in Gaza as soon as possible. Hamas says Israel is seeking to fabricate false pretext to attack Gaza. Rob Schmidt and Pierre News, This is NPR.

Amazon says it is eliminating roughly 1,400 jobs in its corporate workforce, the largest job cuts in the tech industry since 2023. The online retail giant cites the need to shift its spending to focus on artificial intelligence. UPS says it has eliminated as many as 48,000 jobs so far this year. That announcement is included in a regulatory filing coming months after the delivery company said it was cutting costs as part of a suite. keeping turnaround. UPS is also reporting better than expected earnings and projects revenue of $21.42 billion for the year. The image of gun ownership in the United States used to be

white, rural, and Republican. As NPR's Frank Langford reports, the 2024 election changed that. When Charles was growing up, his mother wouldn't even let him have a water pistol. Charles, who's black and asked that his last name not be used, is now a doctor in Maryland and owns a pistol and shotgun. He says he bought them to defend his family if supporters of President Trump eventually target people of color like him. What I'm talking about is protecting myself from a situation where there may be some kind of chaotic civil unrest and the streets become something we don't recognize. In a statement, the White House dismissed NPR's reporting. It said instead, NPR should focus on dangerous language from Democrats that it says drives

violence against Republicans. Frank Langford, NPR News. U.S. futures are little changed and after hours trading on Wall Street following today's games. This is NPR News.