NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-02-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: November 2, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. The Trump administration says it could begin funding the nationwide SNAP program again this week. As NPR's Joe Hernandez reports, this comes in response to the rulings of two federal judges about whether the government has to use emergency funds to keep the food aid flowing. Speaking on CNN's State of the Union, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said funding could resume by midweek. President Trump wants to make sure the people. people get their food benefits. So it could be done by Wednesday.

Could be. Money for the federal program ran out on Saturday. A day before, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the government to use emergency money to fund SNAP benefits as soon as possible. The Trump administration previously argued that it could not use contingency funds to keep it afloat. Nearly 42 million Americans rely on SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The federal government has been shut down for more than a month.

Joe Hernandez, NPR News. There is no apparent movement towards resolving the government shutdown stalemate. Democrats are insisting on an extension of federal subsidies for people who get health care through the Affordable Care Act. NPR's Dominican Montanaro reports neither side seems to be feeling pressure to compromise. Polling has not pointed the finger for blame in either direction really definitively. That's unlike five years ago when we had the longest shutdown in history. This one looks like it's careening well past that. Back then, Trump got a more significant majority of the blame.

Though I will say the amount of people blaming Republicans has gone up slightly since this shutdown began. So Democrats feel good that they have a solid issue that they're talking about in health care and these subsidies that expire at the end of the year that could mean tens of millions of people see their health care prices go way up. NPR is Dominican Montanaro. Voter sentiment will be on display Tuesday when several states hold off-year elections. Virginia and New Jersey are selecting new governors. New York City is voting for a new mayor. A new analysis by wildland firefighting watchdog roofs

finds that federal land managers have fallen behind in wildfire prevention work in the country's forests. NPR's Kirk Ziegler has more on the story. 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 percent compared to. 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. This is NPR News. in Washington. Italian authorities say the bodies of two more German mountain climbers were recovered today. They were part of three groups from Germany who had been caught in an avalanche in the Italian

Alps yesterday. The bodies of three others were found yesterday. The bodies recovered today were of a man and his 17-year-old daughter. Two climbers survived. Officials in Kenya say the death toll from a landslide yesterday has risen to 26. At least 25 people. are still missing. Michael Koloki reports. Authorities say the landslide occurred in Kenya's Elgeo-Marquette County in the west of the country, following heavy rainfall in the area. Rescue efforts are focused on finding those who may be trapped in buildings that were crushed by debris. It is unclear how many people have been displaced after their homes were damaged following the tragedy. In a written statement posted on social media, the government has urged

to those living on landslide-prone slopes and low-lying areas to relocate and also warned members of the public to avoid flooded roads and rivers. October to December is a rainy season in Kenya, and this year, several parts of the country have experienced intense downpours. For NPR News, I'm Michael Koloki in Nairobi. More details are emerging about the suspects in the jewelry heist at the Louvre two weeks ago. The Paris prosecutor said today two of three suspects, now in custody, were convicted together for theft 10 years ago.

Officials say it appears the daytime robbery was. conducted by petty thieves rather than by organized crime professionals. The crown jewels worth an estimated $102 million have not been recovered. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.