NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-31-2025 7PM EDT

Episode Date: October 31, 2025

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There are a lot of books out there. Big ones, small ones, smart ones, silly ones, ones that thrill and ones that are, well, kind of a bore. But NPR's Book of the Day podcast is here to help you find your favorites. Through our author interviews, you can find out if a book is right for you in 15 minutes or less. So listen to NPR's Book of the Day podcast in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. President Trump says he wants the courts to clarify how to legally fund SNAP food assistant benefits. After two federal judges today said the administration has to continue to pay them using a contingency fund despite the government shut down.

Snap funding runs out tomorrow, but there are questions about when it could return for the more than 40 million Americans who rely on the program to eat. And here's Jennifer Ludden has more. Two-thirds of SNAP recipients are seniors, children, or they have a disability. Many do work, their incomes that were very low. You know, local officials are worried about people choosing between food and rent or medication. Some are shifting funds to help fill a gap. They're stepping up food donations or allowing flexibility if people fall behind in their bills. Again, it's just not clear how long this pause is going to last.

NPR's Jennifer Ludden reporting. Meanwhile, President Trump is calling on the Senate to end the filibuster. That's in order to end the government shutdown. The filibuster is a long-standing Senate, too. allowing the minority party to stop action on most bills unless 60 senators vote to move the legislation forward. Some Republican senators are against getting rid of the filibuster, which only exists in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson also has concerns. The filibuster has traditionally been viewed as a very important safeguard. If the shoe was on the other foot, I don't think our

team would like it. It's the 31st day of the shutdown with no end in sight. Two states are moving forward with congressional redistricting plans. A Republican-led panel in Ohio adopted new U.S. House districts trying to boost the GOP's chances of gaining two seats in next year's elections. This amid President Trump's push for Republican states to reshape districts to keep the House.

Ohio's redistricting was mandated by the state constitution because the current districts were made without bipartisan support. Meanwhile, Virginia's Democratic-led General Assembly today advanced a constitutional amendment that could allow redistricting ahead of the mid-term elections. The Toronto Blue Jays have a chance to wrap up the World Series tonight in Toronto.

Steve Futterman has more. When the series began a week ago tonight, the Dodgers were the clear favorites. Now they find themselves in a do-or-die situation. They must win game six to stay alive. While Toronto has to win just one of the next two games, L.A. needs to win both. Dodger manager Dave Roberts says his hitters are the big concern. We've got to find a way to win one game. They've just got to compete and fight in the batters box.

In the last two games, Los Angeles, with its powerhouse lineup featuring Shohei Otani, has scored a total of just three runs. Tonight, L.A. will be going with its most effective pitcher this postseason, Yoshi Yamamoto. He won game two, throwing a complete game. For NPR News, I'm Steve Fetterman at the World Series in Toronto. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington. White House tours are coming back. They resume in early December. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports,

they had been canceled indefinitely due to President Trump's ballroom project. Tours have traditionally started in the east wing of the White House, but were put on hold starting in September. It wasn't clear at the time, but it turns out the East Wing was being prepared for demolition. That demolition now complete, the Office of First Lady Melania Trump announced tour will resume on December 2nd, quote, with an updated route, offering guests the opportunity to experience the history and beauty of the people's house. The resumption of tours comes just in time for the holiday season when the White House gets all decked out and photo ready for visitors. Tamara Keith, NPR News. China says it's a Shenzhou 21 spaceship docked with the country's

space station today. China's manned space agency says the docking process was fast. It lasted around three and a half hours. That's three hours faster than previous missions. The three astronauts on board will enter the core module of the space station, and for the first time, China is sending mice to the space station to study how weightlessness affects them. China launched its first crude mission in 2003, becoming only the third nation to do so after the former Soviet Union and the United States. On Wall Street by the close today, the Dao was up 40 points, the NASDAQ up 143, the S&P 500, up 17. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News in Washington.

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