NPR News: 10-19-2025 9PM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Hurst. Colombia used to be a key U.S. partner in the war on drugs, but now President Trump is accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being a leader in the illegal drug trade. Reporter John Otis has more.
For months, Trump and Petro have exchanged insults, prompting Washington to revoke Petro's U.S. visa. Now, tensions are rising over Trump's policy of attacking alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea. Petro accused Trump of murder after claiming that one of the victims was a Colombian fisherman. On Sunday, Trump took to social media to call Petro, quote, an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs. He also threatened to cut off U.S. aid to Colombia. Petro quickly responded by describing himself as the main enemy of Colombian traffickers and by saying that Trump was uninformed about his country. For NPR News, I'm John Otis in Bogota, Colombia.
Tomorrow's the deadline for a handful of universities to agree to a list of commitments that align with the Trump administration's political priorities in exchange for preferential access to federal funds. And here's Alyssa Nedwurney reports. So far, six schools have indicated they won't be signing.
The White House sent the so-called Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education to nine colleges, both private and public, on October 1st.
What recent accusations has President Trump made against Colombia's President Gustavo Petro?
It would require schools to freeze tuition for five years, limit international student enrollment, and require standardized tests for admissions, among other things. The University of Virginia is among the schools to decline. UVA's interim president said they wanted, quote, On Friday, the White House held a meeting with college leaders to discuss the compact. On X, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the meeting was, quote, positive and an important step. The White House did not provide details on how they will incorporate feedback or make changes to the compact. Alyssa Nadworny, NPR News.
Despite the ongoing government shutdown, the Labor Department will be reporting the latest inflation data later this week. NPR's Rafael Nam reports Social Security recipients have a lot riding on it.
The government has paused all economic data but is making one exception. The Labor Department will report the latest inflation data on Friday. The reason for the exception is that every year the Social Security Administration uses the inflation data for July, September, and October to determine what's called the Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA. Like the full name implies, COLA determines how much Social Security benefits need to be adjusted for the following year. That also means the Federal Reserve will at least have this critical data before its policy meeting later this month. Rafael Nam, NPR News.
You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Limp Bizkit, says Sam Rivers, the bass player and a founding member of the new band, died yesterday. He was 48 years old. There's no word on the cause of death, and Pierre Chandelier's duster has more.
Rivers' bandmates, including frontman Fred Durst, paid a tribute to him on social media, calling him, quote, a true legend of legends. He was impressed by Rivers' ability to play a five-string bass.
He really did have an impact on the world and his music and the one that's going to keep on giving.
Rivers left Limp Bizkit in 2015 after suffering with liver disease and later rejoined the group in 2018. His final concert appearance was in August at a festival in the UK. Shondalese Duster, NPR News.
At the weekend box office, Universal Pictures' Black Phone 2 took the top spot, with an estimated $26 million in ticket sales. The horror film's sequel stars Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames. Globally, the film has made $42 million and cost a reported $30 million to produce. In second place, Tron Eris, with $11 million in its second weekend.
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