NPR News: 10-15-2025 10PM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. A federal judge in San Francisco has paused the Trump administration's latest rounds of mass layoffs during the government shutdown. For now, the order applies to over 30 agencies. NPR's Andrea Hsu has more on the case brought by federal employee unions.
U.S. District Judge Susan Ilsten said the unions are likely to prove that the Trump administration acted illegally in firing employees during the shutdown. She ordered a pause to the layoffs already underway and a halt to any new layoffs until a second hearing on October 28th. The government's attorney, Elizabeth Hedges, argued that the court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case and that the restraining order is not warranted because the plaintiffs have not demonstrated irreparable harm. Ilston did not find those arguments compelling and instead pressed Hedges to explain why the government believes the layoffs are legal. Hedges declined, saying she was not prepared to discuss the government's position on the merits at this time.
Andrea Hsu, NPR News.
The Supreme Court seems poised to undercut the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was upheld by the Supreme Court in the decades after it was enacted, but the current conservative court appeared skeptical of the landmark law during arguments over a Louisiana congressional map today. As NPR's Nina Totenberg explains.
Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the court's decision two years ago, downplayed the importance of that ruling, suggesting that he didn't see his decision as controlling the outcome in today's case. At issue was a redistricting nap drawn by the Louisiana legislature after the decennial census.
What recent legal developments are impacting federal employee layoffs?
After years of litigation, the state, with a 30% black population, agreed to draw a second majority black district. Normally, that would have been the end of the case, but a self-described group of non-African American voters intervened at that point to object to the legislature's redistricting.
NPR's Nina Totenberg reporting. Federal health officials have clarified the eligibility of pregnant women to get vaccinated against COVID-19. NPR's Rob Stein reports.
The Health and Human Services Department says pregnant women fall into the same category as any other healthy adult. They're eligible for a COVID shot as long as they first discuss the decision with a health care professional. The eligibility of pregnant women has been unclear because of conflicting messages from federal health officials. But in response to a query from NPR, an HHS spokesperson confirmed that pregnant women are eligible. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, however, goes further, saying the shots should be recommended for pregnant women, not just be an option, because COVID can be very dangerous for pregnant women. Rob Stein, NPR News.
Most US stocks rose today. This is NPR News from Washington. Alaska is dealing with one of the biggest emergency responses in decades after the remnants of a typhoon hit coastal villages over the weekend. The storm brought record surges, sweeping away homes and leaving 1,500 residents in makeshift shelters. The Trump administration cut federal grants that were meant to help small, mostly indigenous villages prepare for such disasters. The army in Madagascar has seized power days after the president fled, citing threats on his life. Kate Bartlett reports the move comes after weeks of anti-government protests.
A colonel in an elite army unit has announced the military has taken over the country. His statement came minutes after members of parliament voted to impeach President Andre Rajalina. Madagascar's youth took to the streets last month, demanding Rajalina resign amid anger over water and electricity shortages crippling the country. Over the weekend, the CAPSAT military unit announced they had sided with the protesters.
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