NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-02-2025 4AM EDT

Episode Date: November 2, 2025

NPR News: 11-02-2025 4AM EDTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman. Snap is not the only federal assistance program that is being impacted by the government shutdown. A program that helps lower-income Americans pay their energy bills has also been suspended indefinitely, as lawmakers in the White House struggle to reach an agreement to fund the government. Mark Wolfe is executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association in Washington. He says as the weather gets cold, the law. of federal aid will be devastating. Where middle-income people are complaining about their average electric bill going up by 10%.

They can pay the bill. But for a low-income family, you have to give up something else to pay it. The suspension in the low-income home energy assistance program comes as energy bills for home heating increasing across the country by more than 7% year over year. Open enrollment has begun for health care.gov, the affordable care. Care Act marketplace. It's where small business owners and others who do not get health benefits through their jobs shop for health coverage. This year, open enrollment is getting a lot of attention. NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin reports. In 26, 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 and PR News. It's the last weekend of campaigning in California where voters are considering whether the state should redraw its congressional map to potentially pick up five seats for Democrats.

Cap Radio's Laura Fitzgerald reports. Democrats in California are working hard this weekend to turn out voters in support of Proposition 50, the redistricting measure, before Tuesday's special election. Debbie Rousher organized volunteers in Oakland. There's a lot at stake because this is going to potentially tip the balance in whether Democrats can win. back the House in 2026. Deborah Massey, a Democrat, spent the morning knocking on doors, asking voters to support Prop 50. She says redistricting is a chance for Democrats here to push back against the Trump administration. I'm terrified about our future and I can't just sit back and watch. Republicans oppose Prop 50, saying it sidelines the state's independent redistricting commission. Recent polls show around

60% of California voters support the measure. For NPR News, I'm Laura Fitzgerald in Berkeley. 10 people were stabbed Sunday morning on board a train headed to London. This is NPR. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the World Series champs defeating the American League's Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling game 7. The final score, 5 to 4 in 11 innings. Steve Futterman is at the Rogers Center in Toronto. Heartbreak here in Toronto as the L.A. Dodgers come through in the ninth inning to tie the game and then L.A. wins it in the 11th. The game-winning hit, a solo home run by Will Smith. The Dodgers had never led throughout the entire game until the 11th, and the Dodgers become the first repeat World Series champions since 2000.

The Dodgers planned a parade Monday in Los Angeles. Economists say an unprecedented decline in the number of children being born around the world will bring serious challenges. NPR's Brian Mann reports. The number of young people and workers has already fallen. 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. challenges as populations drop, but also means far more freedom and financial opportunity for many women and families. Brian Mann, NPR News. Ukraine says it hit a critical pipeline that provides fuel for Russia's military. I'm Dan Ronan, NPR News in Washington.