NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-02-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: November 2, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rom. In many parts of the country, Tuesday is the first election day since President Trump returned to the White House. These off-year elections are often scrutinized to get insight into the voter's views on how the country is doing. Virginia and New Jersey are both picking new governors. Former President Barack Obama campaigned in both states yesterday on behalf of the Democratic candidates.

Here he is in Newark, New Jersey. I mean, I'll admit it's worse than even I expected, but I did warn you all. I did. And you know what? Donald Trump warned you, too. 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. Election officials are urging mail-in voters to check their state's deadline.

for returning ballots, so their votes get counted. NPR's Hansi Luong reports. In some states like Colorado, Georgia, Maine, and Pennsylvania, the balance of domestic mail-in voters must be received by Tuesday, November 4th, because of changes due to the U.S. Postal Service's reorganization and may be too late now for U.S.PS to deliver return balance by that deadline. Election officials say absentee voters can consider other ways of casting their balance, including stopping by an early voting site, election office, or any available ballot drop boxes.

As for voters in states that count mail and ballots that are postmarked by but arrive after election day, USB says not every piece of mail gets a postmark, and those that do may not get one until the day after it's dropped off. USB says to make sure your ballot gets a postmark on the same day you mail it, you can ask for one at a post office. Anzi Luong, NPR News. As the government shutdown drags into its second month, Americans are facing food insecurity amid delayed federal funding. Democrats say they won't vote. to reopen the government without extending health care subsidies due to expire this year. Millions of Americans are about to face much higher insurance rates since open enrollment has been

done on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. NPR's Selena Simpseduffin reports. In 2026, premium costs for these plans are going to double on average because enhanced federal subsidies are set to expire. That's the central issue in the ongoing government shutdown. Jeremy Smith works with First Choice Services in Charleston, West Virginia, an organization that helps walk people through the enrollment process. They've already gotten hundreds of calls. They are nervous, and we're just encouraging them to go through the process and look at the new plans and prices. He says people should check to see what's happening with their plan and their circumstances. There is a chance that Congress will work out a deal to prevent the premium spikes

before the end of the year. Selina Simmons-Duffin, NPR News. This is 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. A suspect is in custody, a man who is a citizen of the U.K. A second man was detained but has been released. The train was heading for London from Northern England.

Police say they boarded the train and detained the suspect within eight minutes of the the first call for help. Paleontologists in Wyoming have revealed the first reptiles with hooves in the form of mummified duck-billed dinosaurs. The Mountain West News Bureau's Hannah Merseback reports. Until now, we've only seen mammals with hooves. But it turns out the dinosaurs called Edmontosaurus and Nectins also needed them to run away quickly on dry ground, at least according to new research led by Paul Serino, a University of Chicago

paleontologist. You just needed to find an upright reptile, the size of a big mammal, and there you go. It's got hooves. Serino says this is the clearest picture of a big dinosaur out there. All thanks to the mummy form, a thin mask of clay captured the original shape and texture of the bodies. These dinosaurs were first dug up about a century ago, but the hooves were overlooked until more recently. For I'm P.R. News, I'm Hannah Mersewock in Jackson, Wyoming. In Major League Baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers did it.

It took them 11 innings, but they beat the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto to win the World Series. The first team in 25 years to win the title two years in a row. The city is throwing them a parade in downtown Los Angeles tomorrow. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.