NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-28-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 28, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. On this 28th day of the government shutdown, the federal food aid program known as SNAP is front and center. Snap helps tens of millions of Americans to buy food, but federal money could begin running dry this weekend if Congress does not reach a deal. Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit today, seeking to force the Trump administration to use emergency money to keep it afloat. In Louisiana, officials are threatening to furlough staff who work with the program as Mel Bridges of Member Station WRKF reports. Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein said the state may have to furlough staff who work directly with SNAP or have roles supported by SNAP funding. This comes as state officials are considering alternatives to funding SNAP once federal funding runs out on November 1st. Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency over the lack of SNAP funding last week. He asked the legislature to approve state money to cover benefits to children, the elderly, and the disabled through November. The state senate is expected to vote

on the measure Wednesday. For NPR news, I'm Mel Bridges in Baton Rouge. The government shutdown has air traffic controllers facing more pressure. NPR's Joel Rose reports it today marks the first time controllers officially receive no money on payday. Air traffic controllers are still required to come to work during the shutdown without pay. Controllers say that's making an already difficult job even harder. Joe Segretto handles air traffic around New York City, some of the most complex airspace in the world. The pressure is real. We have people trying to keep these airplanes safe. We have trainees trying to learn a new job that is very fast-paced, very stressful, very complex,

now having to worry about how they're going to pay bills. The controllers' union says hundreds have had to take on second jobs to make ends meet. And some controllers are taking their message directly to the public, handing out leaflets at more than a dozen airports and urging Congress to end the shutdown. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. The layoffs, Amazon announced today, shaping up to be the biggest way of white-collar job cuts in the company's history. Amazon is laying off 14,000 corporate employees as it spends big on the AI race, as NPR's Alina Selioch reports. Amazon says it's cutting about

4% of its corporate workforce. A note to employees cites a goal of, quote, reducing bureaucracy, removing layers, and shifting resources to ensure we're investing in our biggest bets. The company has faced intense pressure from investors to tighten its finances, in part that's because it overhired during the coronavirus pandemic, and in part because it's so far delivered disappointing growth of its AI business in the race against Microsoft and other rivals. And note that Amazon is among NPR's recent financial supporters. CEO, Andy Jassy, in June, wrote to employees that generative AI would mean fewer corporate workers in the next few years.

The company will deliver its latest financial report on Thursday. Alina Seluk, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. Hundreds of thousands are without power in Jamaica where Hurricane Melissa made landfall today. Melissa has weakened somewhat, but the storm remains a powerful category for hurricane, packing 145-mile-per-hour winds. The National Hurricane Center says ongoing flash flooding and landslides will continue through the night and that Melissa will remain a major hurricane as it moves toward Cuba.

The U.S. has carried out more deadly strikes on alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegas says the strikes were launched yesterday and that four boats were destroyed. Fourteen people were killed. One survivor was rescued by Mexican search and rescue teams. There's a new $50 million fund for literary arts. It's a collaboration between seven philanthropic foundations, including the MacArthur Foundation, which supports NPR. SMPR's Andrew Limbong reports this fund could be a lifeline for literary programs hit by cuts to federal funding. Many of those federal cuts are in legal limbo, and so this new fund called the Literary Arts Fund

will be welcome news for small independent presses, writing retreat programs, book festivals, and more. Elizabeth Alexander is a writer, poet, and the president of the Mellon Foundation, which initiated the coalition of groups pooling money for the fund. The literary arts are tremendously, tremendously underfunded and can make a little bit go a very long way. Alexander says the fund was in the process of coming together well before federal spending cuts and hopes the grant money can outlast the ups and downs of government funding for the arts. Andrew Limbong and Pierre News. And I'm Jail Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.