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NPR News Now

NPR News: 10-18-2025 9AM EDT

18 Oct 2025

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.098 - 14.074 Unknown

Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theschmidt.org.

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15.117 - 30.719 Giles Snyder

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Americans across the country will take to the streets today to protest against the Trump administration. NPR's Joel Rose reports the No Kings protests are planned at more than 2,000 locations.

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30.799 - 43.217 Leah Greenberg

The organizers of the No Kings protests say they're expecting millions of people to demonstrate against what they call the Trump administration's authoritarian agenda. Leah Greenberg is with the nonprofit group Indivisible, one of the organizers of the events.

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43.248 - 49.28 Unknown

There is nothing more American than saying that we don't have kings and exercising our right to peaceful protest.

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49.52 - 69.504 Leah Greenberg

Republicans, meanwhile, are trying to portray the protesters as radical and violent. House Speaker Mike Johnson has described the event as a hate America rally, while other GOP leaders suggested the events are likely to turn violent. The organizers reject those claims as an attempt to smear the protesters and emphasize that the events are intended to be peaceful. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

69.644 - 83.103 Giles Snyder

At least two Republican governors are mobilizing their state's National Guard. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is sending guard troops to the state capitol in Austin. And a spokesman for Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin, says he has put troops on active duty in case they're needed.

83.604 - 96.362 Giles Snyder

The sale last week of Dominion voting systems caught many of the state and local governments that use the company's equipment off guard. The announcement seemed geared toward people who are skeptical of elections, which added to government concerns.

96.402 - 105.654 Miles Parks

Here's NPR's Miles Parks. NPR has spoken to voting officials in numerous states who say they found that the servicer of their elections equipment was changing hands from reading about it in the media.

Chapter 2: What protests are happening across the U.S. against the Trump administration?

106.235 - 123.781 Miles Parks

It didn't help that the buyer of Dominion Voting Systems, former Republican election official Scott Leyendecker, seemed to lean into some of the unfounded suspicions surrounding the company since Donald Trump lost the 2020 election. As of today, Dominion is gone, read the first line of the press release announcing the sale. It's unclear what's actually changing, though.

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124.301 - 136.782 Miles Parks

Company representatives in Georgia sent an email to counties there that said Liberty Vote shares the same values as Dominion. Same team, same support, different name, the company wrote. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington.

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136.802 - 153.09 Giles Snyder

A Navy admiral is leaving U.S. Southern Command because of concerns about deadly U.S. strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean. That's according to a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly, as NPR's Quill Lawrence reports.

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154.302 - 171.321 Quill Lawrence

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that Admiral Alvin Halsey would retire after 37 years in the military. But it's almost unheard of for an officer not to finish the full three years of a command like this, especially in the middle of a military buildup. Thousands of U.S. troops have moved into position off the Venezuelan coast, and the U.S.

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171.341 - 190.483 Quill Lawrence

has destroyed several vessels the White House claims were carrying narcotics. Critics say those strikes amount to execution without trial. A U.S. official told NPR that Halsey recently met with Hegseth at the Pentagon to express his concerns about these strikes and that his resignation was announced by Hegseth shortly after. Quill Lawrence, NPR News.

191.205 - 210.094 Giles Snyder

And you're listening to NPR News. Alaska's governor says damage to remote villages hit by flooding last week is so bad that many evacuees will not be able to return to their homes for at least 18 months. He's made a request to the White House for a major disaster declaration.

210.074 - 230.355 Giles Snyder

More than 2,000 people have either taken shelter in their communities or have been evacuated by military planes to Anchorage. One person was killed and two remain missing. Authorities in Cincinnati say at least 10 people were taken to the hospital last night after a third-floor balcony collapsed. Police say five have serious injuries and one is in critical condition.

230.696 - 241.289 Giles Snyder

The building is located near the University of Cincinnati. It's described as a place where a lot of students live. Photos and videos posted online show the balcony on the ground and first responders working nearby.

Chapter 3: How are Republican leaders responding to the No Kings protests?

241.349 - 249.7 Giles Snyder

Stocks gained ground this week. NPR's Scott Horsley reports that markets were boosted by some big profits at some of the nation's biggest banks.

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250.692 - 266.22 Scott Horsley

JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and other big banks all reported solid profits for the most recent quarter, thanks in part to big deal-making fees. It was a busy summer for mergers and acquisitions, and the banks that helped broker those deals all took their cut.

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266.2 - 287.972 Scott Horsley

It was a less rosy season for some regional banks that reported trouble with borrowers, but after some initial jitters, investors seemed to shrug off those concerns. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to send mixed signals on the trade outlook with China. For the week, the Dow gained 1.5 percent, the S&P 500 index rose 1.7 percent, and the Nasdaq jumped more than 2.1 percent.

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288.372 - 289.854 Scott Horsley

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

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290.275 - 293.76 Giles Snyder

And I'm Joel Snyder. You're listening to NPR News.

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