NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-29-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Skiyavoni. President Trump and China's top leader Xi Jinping will meet in South Korea on Thursday, local time. They are expected to talk about further controls on fentanyl as well as ways to de-escalate a trade war, impacting American soybean farmers, technology companies that use rare earth materials, and more. NPR's Emily Fang reports. After attending the APEC summit in South Korea, Trump will head to the city of Busan to meet Xi Jinping. It's the first time the two men will meet face-to-face since Trump returned to office. And while trade talks last weekend between the two countries have defrayed the threat of higher tariffs and more export controls on rare earth minerals and metals, the two men will need to cool down a

relationship that has become exponentially more tense since Trump's first term. The U.S. and China, for example, have butted heads politically not just over trade, but also military dominance in the Pacific region. Emily Fang and Peer News. Day 29 of a federal government shutdown with more than a million federal workers furloughed and otherwise, now going without a paycheck. From members station WAMU in Washington, Jenny Abamo reports on a food distribution center in the Maryland suburb of Montgomery County. By 10 a.m., over 130 families had driven through the food line. They pull up in their cars, show their IDs, and boxes of fresh produce and bread are low. loaded into their trunks. Last Wednesday, more than 300 families received boxes at the site.

Clara Henderson is an accepted federal employee, meaning she still has to go to work, even though she's not getting paid. How am I going to pay my bills? I mean, you know, I'm good for this month, but we got next month. And it's like, the little money that I have, I'm just pinching off of it, trying to do what I can to make ends meet. But, I mean, it's just, it's awful. It's awful. Montgomery County is home to over 50,000 federal workers. For NPR News, I'm Jenny at Bamu, Bethesda. Policymakers at the Federal Reserve voted to cut its benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point today, NPR Scott Horsley reports.

The rate cut, which was widely expected, is designed to support the U.S. job market, which has shown signs of weakness in recent months. Hiring slowed sharply over the summer, and some big companies have announced large-scale layoffs in recent days. While the unemployment rate is still low by historical standards, it has been inching up in recent months. It's hard to know for sure just how soft the job market is, though. The regular monthly job tallies from the Labor Department have been suspended as a result of the government shut down. The government did issue a monthly report on inflation for September, showing prices are still climbing faster than the Fed would like.

The central banks, as it remains committed to bringing inflation back down to its target of 2%. Scott Horsley-in-Pair News, Washington. The Dow closed down slightly today. the NASDAQ gained 130 points. This is NPR news. Posting on his social media platform, President Trump today says that he has given South Korea permission to build a nuclear-powered submarine. The announcement follows trade negotiations between the United States and South Korea as Trump prepares to meet next with China's president. One of the leading artificial intelligence chatbots on the market, Character AI, says it will

sharply restrict how minors will be allowed to interact with it. The move is the latest step by an AI company to try to make chatbots safer for kids under 18. NPR's John Rewitch reports. Character AI lets users create and chat online with virtual characters. Last year, the family of a 14-year-old who died by suicide after using the platform sued the company. Other AI companies, including industry leader Open AI, have come under scrutiny for what some see as lacks safeguards for minors. Character AI has already rolled. rolled out a series of measures to strengthen guardrails. Now it says it'll introduce an age assurance function to target age-appropriate experiences.

And starting in late November, it will bar minors from having open-ended chats on the platform. The company also says it's launching an independent nonprofit focused on next-generation AI safety. It says it's making these changes in light of an evolving landscape and questions from regulators. John Rewich and PR News. Hurricane Melissa tore through Jamaica today after making landfall as a powerful category five. storm. The National Hurricane Center has it now moving at category one strength with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles an hour after dumping torrential rains over Cuba, now headed toward Bermuda. I'm Luis Ciavone and PR News, Washington.