NPR News: 10-21-2025 9AM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Vice President Vance has arrived in Israel, part of an effort by the Trump administration to bolster the shaky ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. NPR's Greg Myrie reports two other U.S. envoys are already there.
Vice President Vance is hoping to keep the truce on track and nudge Israel and Hamas to move toward the more challenging part of the deal, known as Phase 2. Vance arrived a day after Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, landed here as part of the same mission. They've already held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel and Hamas traded extensive fire on Sunday, but Gaza has been mostly calm since then. The ceasefire now calls for a new government in Gaza, an Israeli troop pullback, and for Hamas to give up its weapons. At the moment, there's no clear plan for any of these steps. Greg Myhre, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
The federal government shutdown is now 21 days old. The Senate has again failed to pass a spending bill that could bring it to an end. President Trump is expected to host Republican senators today at the White House. Senate Majority Leader John Thune could take up a bill this week that would pay some federal workers.
What efforts is the Trump administration making to support peace in Israel?
Former FBI Director James Comey is asking a federal judge to throw out the Justice Department's charges that he allegedly made false statements to Congress. NPR's Kerry Johnson reports Comey says he's only being prosecuted because President Trump demanded it.
President Trump fired Comey as the FBI director in 2017, and Comey went on to become a fierce critic. The Justice Department won an indictment against Comey for allegedly misleading and obstructing Congress under pressure from Trump, who's called him a dirty cop and a slimeball. Now Comey's moving to dismiss the case because he says it's a vindictive or selective prosecution. He says at least four top officials during President Trump's first term allegedly lied to Congress, and none of them was charged with any crimes. The president's animus against Comey is so intense that the Justice Department recently fired Comey's daughter without any clear reason. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.
The U.S. Census Bureau says that last year, female workers earned about 81 cents for every dollar earned by a male worker. Child care costs are extremely expensive. Some women may be opting to limit costs by staying home. Taylor Tedford reports on corporate culture for The Washington Post. She says the trend may be gaining steam after major companies required workers to return to the office after the pandemic.
What's kind of unique recently in contributing in all likelihood to the wage gap is that it looks like women are about three times as likely as men to leave after RTO mandates are put in place. That's return to office.
She spoke to NPR's All Things Considered. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Japan has chosen its first female prime minister. Her ruling party faces an uphill struggle to retain power. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports she has one week to prepare for a scheduled visit by President Trump.
Japan's parliament voted 64-year-old Sanai Takeichi in as prime minister just weeks after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, chose her as its president. Her predecessor, Shigeru Ishiba, quit after the LDP suffered two big electoral defeats, reducing the LDP to a minority in both houses of parliament. The LDP's longtime political ally, Komeito, walked out of their coalition. The LDP signed a new coalition agreement with the opposition Japan Innovation Party. While Takeichi is a fan of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and has broken Japan's glass ceiling, she takes a traditional view of gender roles. Even for the conservative LDP, Takeichi's selection is widely seen as a hard swerve to the right.
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