NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-29-2025 12AM EDT

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

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NPR connects you to music you love and a community to share it with. That's a mission worth celebrating. It's Public Radio Music Day. Amplify the sound of this community with a donation today at donate.npr.org. And thank you. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. President Trump is headed to South Korea, where the Apex Summit begins this week. Trump plans to meet with China's president Xi Jinping during his trip

and discuss the traffic came up fentanyl. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president was asked about Israeli claims that Hamas breached the U.S. broker Gaza ceasefire. Nothing's going to jeopardize. You have to understand, Hamas is a very small part of peace in the Middle East, and they have to behave. They're on the rough side, but they said they would be good,

And if they're good, they're going to be happy. And if they're not good, they're going to be terminated. Their lives will be terminated. The APEC summit opens Friday and is seen as a test of South Korea's new president's ability to tackle foreign policy challenges. A federal judge in San Francisco has issued an open-ended injunction against firing federal workers during the government shutdown. U.S. District judge, Susan Ilston's ruling, applies to federal workers who are represented by unions that challenged the administration. administration's plans. Democratic leaders in 25 states are suing the Agriculture Department for suspending SNAP benefits. As W.U.K. Wise Karen Tsar reports more than 42 million lower

income Americans rely on SNAP to feed their families. At least 23 attorneys general and three governors, including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, have joined a lawsuit filed on Tuesday to force the use of emergency contingency funds to cover staff. funds sitting around that the president could use to fund the SNAP program, all he has to do is be willing to do it. Bashir says the USDA can tap into more than $23 billion in Section 32 funds, which are currently being used to cover other programs like WIC. House Speaker Mike Johnson said this week, those reserve funds are not, quote, legally

available to cover SNAP. For NPR News, I'm Karen Zarr in Lexington, Kentucky. Hurricane Melissa is heading towards Cuba after wreaking havoc in Jamaica. Melissa is now downgraded to a category three storm with top winds of 130 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center is warned that Jamaica will likely experience catastrophic flooding, as the BBC's Will Grant reports. Hurricane Melissa, officially the most powerful storm ever to hit Jamaica, has now passed over the island, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

The authorities are trying to establish a full picture of the impact, but with power cut off to much of the country, information remains patchy. Once day breaks on the island, the extent of the damage beyond those initial reports will start to become clearer. However, the main airport in the capital Kingston may remain closed for another day before aid flights can begin to land. This is NPR. The U.S. Senate has voted to block tariffs on imports from Brazil. The measure would cancel the national emergencies that President Trump's side, it when he imposed 50% tariffs on the South American nation. Meanwhile, police in Brazil have

arrested at least 81 people in a crackdown on drug traffickers, and thousands of Brazilians have taken two streets to protest a proposal to grant amnesty to former President Jayao Bolsonaro. He was convicted last month for trying to stage a coup to stay in power after losing re-election in 2022. The men accused of assassinating Japan's former Prime Minister Shenzhou Abe has pleaded guilty to all charges against him. It is the first day of a high-profile trial in Tokyo more than three years after the suspect allegedly shot Abe with a homemade gun. Ashiz Valentine has the story. Tetsuya Yamagami told the court everything is true after prosecutors read out charges including murder and violation of Japan's strict gun control laws. The murder charge alone could get

the 45-year-old the death penalty. Former Prime Minister Abe was 67 when he was gunned down by Yamagami at an election rally in the western city of Nara. Abe was Japan's longest-serving prime minister. Yamagami said he killed Abe after his mother gave away the family's life savings to a church linked with high-ranking figures from Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. In March, a judge ordered the church to disband. For NPR News, Amashish Valentine in Taipei. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6 to 2 in Game 4 the World Series.

This is NPR News. It's Robin Hilton from all songs considered. Finding a new favorite song or artist is such a deep, specific joy. And it's all the more special to find that joy on public media, where people, not algorithms, invite you in. NPR is your personal portal to music discovery. Keep the door open with a donation this public radio music day. Visit donate.npr.org and thank you.