NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-05-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: November 5, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Krova Coleman. Democrats scored key victories in yesterday's elections. These are some of the first major votes since President Trump took office. In New York City, state lawmakers Zoran Mamdani won election as mayor. Two women, both former Congresswomen, won gubernatorial elections. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia and Mikey Cheryl in New Jersey. Mike Hayes of Member Station, WNYC, was at Cheryl's New Jersey Victory Party. Cheryl will be just the second woman governor in the state's history and the first from her party.

It's also the first time in over 60 years that either party has won three consecutive governor's terms in New Jersey. Shortly before 10 p.m., Cheryl took the stage. I just got a call from Jack Chitterelli, and I want to recognize him for stepping up. She vowed to be a governor for all New Jerseyans, whether they voted for her or not. For NPR News, I'm Mike Hayes in East Brunswick. This is day 36 of the federal government shutdown. The Transportation Department is warning it may close some U.S. airspace if the government shutdown extends into next week. NPR's Joel Rose reports such a drastic move could lead to extensive delays for travelers. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says it is safe to fly and that the Federal Aviation Administration will restrict the number of planes in the air if there aren't enough air traffic controllers to manage the system safely.

But Duffy warns that there could be severe delays if the shutdown drags on another week and controllers miss a second full paycheck. You will see mass chaos. You will see mass flight delays. You'll see mass cancellations. And you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it. Air traffic controllers are required to work without pay during the government shutdown. That's hurting morale and many have called in sick, leading to staffing shortages and extensive delays at airports across the country. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

A hospital in Gaza says that it has received the bodies of 15 Palestinians who were held by Israel. This is part of the latest exchange of human remains under a U.S. brokered ceasefire. NPR's Lauren Freire reports from Tel Aviv. Israel has returned these 15 Palestinian bodies in exchange for the remains of one deceased Israeli soldier. Forensic tests identified him as Itai Chen, an Israeli-American who's, believed to be the last U.S. citizen held in Gaza. A statement from his parents calls the return of his body bittersweet and says they got a condolence call from President Trump's special envoy, Steve Whitkoff. The Israeli military says Henn was killed in combat. On October 7,

2003, his body then taken into Gaza by Hamas-led militants. Less than a third of the Palestinian bodies returned in this ceasefire have been identified because of a lack of DNA kits in Gaza. Lauren Friar, NPR News Tel Aviv. On Wall Street in pre-market trading, stock futures are flat. This is NPR. The U.S. Supreme Court hears a case today testing whether President Trump can impose tariffs on imported goods using a law on emergency economic powers. The law does not specify that it covers terrorists.

Trump says he needs the power or the U.S. will be ruined. The FBI Agents Association says FBI Director Cash Patel is conducting a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution. On Monday, the FBI fired four agents assigned to work on Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. And the agents were quickly reinstated. Then the agents were fired again the next day. This is a busy time of year for scientists who are trying to understand autumn leaves. As NPS Nell Greenfield-Boyce reports, the most mysterious color is red. In the fall to recover nitrogen, trees take apart. green chlorophyll. This reveals yellow pigments that were there all along. But the red pigments are

different. Trees make brand new red chemicals just days before a leaf is about to fall. Nicole Hughes is a biologist at High Point University in North Carolina. We still don't really know why some species turn red and others don't. She says the red pigments do act as a kind of sunscreen, which may protect trees' ability to recoup that precious nitrogen. But some researchers think the red could be a signal to insects that lay eggs in the fall. One study found more aphids on trees with green and yellow leaves compared to trees that were red. Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News. This is NPR.