NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-02-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: November 2, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rom. Federal food assistance, known as SNAP, ended yesterday after a month-long government shutdown, affecting more than 40 million Americans. Two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to use an emergency fund to make the payments. President Trump says he will once he gets more clarification from the courts. Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said today, the administration does not plan to appeal the court's rulings, and that partial payments, could begin Wednesday, as ordered by one of the courts. But he said the Democrats should act.

It's got to go through the courts. The courts keep jamming up things. Democrats are in the middle of the Civil War, and they should just open the government. That is the easiest way to do this. Besson appeared this morning on CNN. Virginia's candidates for governor are criss-crossing the state this weekend ahead of Tuesday's election.

VPN News at Jad Khalil reports Maryland Governor Westmore campaigned in the Commonwealth yesterday. today. Moore was at a rally for veterans who support Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger. Both Maryland and Virginia have large populations of federal employees, but have taken different tax with the Trump administration amid reductions in force. Spanberger's opponent, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears, has pitched herself as the continuation of the current Republican governorship. And Moore said he wanted Virginia to reject that approach. I need you to be a proxy for

every single Marylander. I need you to be a proxy for every single person in this country, because the entire country is watching you. Virginia's elections come the year after the presidential elections, so analysts use them to test the political wins ahead of the midterms. For NPR News, I'm Jad Khalil and Manassas, Virginia. Voters in New Jersey will also elect a new governor Tuesday. New York City is voting for a new mayor. Out west, California is holding a referendum on whether to redraw the state's congressional map in a way that would favor Democrats. Governor Gavin Newsom called for the referendum after Texas approved a new map to favorite Republicans. A new analysis by wildland firefighting watchdog groups finds that federal land managers have fallen behind in wildfire

prevention work in the country's forests. NPR's Kirk Ziegler reports. The group grassroots wildland firefighters combed through U.S. Forest Service data and found specific wildfire prevention projects like thinning, overgrown forests and prescribed intentionally set fires, are down 38% compared to the last four years. This is significant because the president's executive orders after the deadly Los Angeles fires called for a ramp up in this work, as well as logging on public forests. But the report shows the agency hasn't had enough staff due to doge cuts, and it's getting exacerbated by the government shutdown. In statements to NPR, federal agency officials have defended the broader Trump cuts, saying they're part of making the federal government more efficient.

Kirk Sigler, NPR News, Boise. NPR News in Washington. British police say they do not believe a stabbing aboard a train last night was a terrorist attack. Eleven people were wounded, with two of them in life-threatening condition. Two suspects are in custody. Both are men who had been born in the U.K. The train was heading for London from Northern England. Police say they bordered the train and detained the suspects within eight minutes of the first call for help. Economists say an unprecedented decline in the number of children being born around the world

will bring serious challenges as populations age and decline in many countries. But some activists say researchers believe the trend also brings major positives. NPR's Brian Mann reports. The number of young people and workers is already falling in many countries around the world, while the population of elderly is surging, setting off a scramble to shore up pension and social safety net programs. John Davis, with a group called the Rewilding Institute, acknowledges those challenges, but he says fewer people will mean less carbon pollution, more room for wildlife. I have a perhaps unpopular view on human population.

I believe that we are too many and that we consume too much. Davis isn't alone in seeing benefits to smaller family size. Some economists say the trend will bring challenges as populations drop, but also means far more freedom and financial opportunity for many women and families. Brian Mann and PR News. They're off. The New York City Marathon is underway with more than 50,000 participants from around the world. The runners, professionals and novices alike, are to run the 26.2 mile course through the city's five boroughs. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.