NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-01-2025 2PM EDT

Episode Date: November 1, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. President Trump says he's ready to pay SNAP federal food benefits after he receives appropriate legal direction from the courts. Two federal judges ruled yesterday the government must use emergency reserves to pay for the program. In the meantime, some private groups are hoping to fill gaps in Tennessee. Cynthia Abrams from member station WPLN reports. Tennessee's state leaders have not jumped in to cover the losses. So some cities, like Nashville, are pushing food drives and directing people to local food banks.

Dollar General employee, Siever Harp, volunteered with his coworkers at a Nashville food bank. Harp said he relied on federal nutrition assistance growing up. I took for granted at the time how important those benefits are. I think this is an apolitical issue to keep our neighbors fed. 700,000 Tennessee residents rely on federal food aid. For NPR News, I'm Cynthia Abrams in Nashville. Government shutdown also affects a program that helps millions of households pay their home heating bills. In normal years, billions of dollars are dispersed to states by October or November.

For member station WBUR, Merriam Wasser, has more. The low-income home energy assistance program, better known as LIHEAP, helps more than 6 million households in the country. But this year, with no federal spending bill in place, states are entering the winter heating season without new funding. Mark Wolf leads the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, a group that represents state agencies that administer LIHEAP. People won't turn on their furnace. They'll be afraid of the bill. This has happened before. People die. They go to hospitals. These programs not only help people pay their bills, but it helps them thrive. Wolf says some states have a little money left over from last year, but it's not enough to help everyone. For NPR News, I'm Miriam Wasser in Boston.

Top diplomats from Germany, Jordan, and the United Kingdom are calling. for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan. They spoke at an annual security conference in Bahrain after a paramilitary force seized the last major city in Sudan's Darfur region, killing hundreds. NPR's Lauren Freer reports. In a speech at the annual Manama dialogue, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced another $6.5 million in British humanitarian support. In response to violence in El Fasher, the last major Darfur city to fall to paramilitary rapid support forces. That's on top of nearly 160 million. The UK is already providing Sudan so far this year, Cooper told the conference. But no amount of aid can resolve a crisis of this magnitude until the

guns fall silent. So the world must do more. She called for an immediate ceasefire, citing what she called truly horrifying atrocities in Sudan, including mass executions, starvation, and the use of rape as a weapon of war. Lauren Freyer, NPR News. This is NPR News in Washington. The Election Commission in Tanzania today declared President Samia Saluhu Hassan won this week's election with almost 98% of the vote. Demonstrations have erupted since then over the exclusion of her main challengers. The military was deployed to help police put down protests. UN officials say there are credible reports that at least 10 people died. At least nine people were killed today in a crowd surge in southern India.

It happened at a Hindu temple where thousands had gathered to observe a holy day. Authorities say an iron grill designed to keep worshippers in a line gave way. The 2025 baseball season comes down to one final game tonight in Toronto. The Toronto Blue Jays face off against the defending champion, the L.A. Dodgers, in game seven of the World Series. Steve Futterman reports. Almost everywhere you look here in down. Downtown Toronto, there are Blue Jay signs, Blue Jay logos, and people wearing team jerseys and hats.

Toronto came close to staging a ninth inning comeback in game six last night. The Blue Jays put the tying runs on second and third with nobody out, but the Dodgers held on. Toronto manager, John Schneider, sounding like a fan, says he can't wait for the ultimate baseball game. It's going to be fun. It's going to be three or four or five hours of mayhem and great baseball. for Toronto will be future Hall of Famer, 41-year-old Max Scherzer. He pitched in the last World Series Game 7 in 2019 for the Washington Nationals. For NPR News, I'm Steve Fetterman at the World Series in Toronto. And I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.