NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-02-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: November 2, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. The Trump administration says it could begin funding the nationwide SNAP program again this week. As NPR's Joe Hernandez reports, it 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 that people get them. 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. Another transfer of human remains took place today in Gaza. Israel's prime minister's office says the Red Cross has transferred three bodies, believed to be those of hostages taken on October 7, 2023. It's a latest exchange under a U.S. brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. And here's Lauren Freire has more from Tel Aviv. Hamas's armed wing says it located these three bodies hours earlier in a tunnel in southern Gaza. They're

going forensic tests to make sure they are indeed the bodies of Israeli hostages. That turned out not to be the case with three other bodies transferred from Gaza earlier this weekend. For every hostage body returned to Israel, 15 Palestinian bodies are to be returned to Gaza in exchange. But Israel accuses Hamas of delaying these transfers. Hamas says recovering bodies has been difficult, though, because of the extent of destruction. If tests do show these latest remains, are those of hostages. That means eight hostages remain in Gaza, all of them deceased. Lauren Freyer and PR News Tel Aviv. On Wall Street, investors will be focused on a slew of company earnings. MPL's Rafael NAM has more on those results that they come back as stocks are hitting record highs.

Investors would usually be paying close attention to the latest jobs data, which would have come out this week. But the government shutdown has halted the release of all official data. And as a result, investors will now miss their second consecutive monthly employment report. There are a lot of earnings reports coming out at a time when markets are on a tear, including from companies such as Uber and Lyft. Meanwhile, McDonald's results could provide a good glimpse into consumer behavior. Finally, Tesla shareholders on Thursday will be voting on CEO Elon Musk's proposed pay package. Raphael NUMM, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. People are having fewer children and living longer.

In the U.S., population shifts can mean caring for parents and grandparents, and that could become even more challenging. And the caregiving industry is already in trouble with a workforce shortage. And Pierce-Christian Wright reports on one family's caregiving journey. Maurice White and Renee DeVine are among millions of families, Caregivers whose lives center around caring for aging loved ones. They've taken care of White's mother for 25 years. She's 104. My name is Evelyn Z. White. The couple has cared for 12 family elders over decades. Maurice White, who's 75, says he wouldn't have it any other way, but it's not easy.

Every week or every month something changes. Mom had been fixing her own food, and then it got to the point where it started to be an issue. Caregiving families everywhere understand the challenges, plus the cost of care keeps rising, and cuts to Medicaid and waiting lists for home and community-based care leave some families struggling. Those in the care field say support systems need to be reimagined. Christian Wright and PR News. Washington State wants to switch out diesel engines for electric ones with a new $25 million grant funded by a past settlement with Volkswagen over violating the Clean Air Act with illegal emissions. The goal is to reduce air pollutants harmful to human health by getting rid of diesel exhaust that can cause health problems like

asthma and cancer, applications for the grant money are open until January. I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.