NPR News: 10-22-2025 4PM EDT
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
What military actions were recently reported by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the military has conducted its eighth strike against an alleged drug vessel. The strike occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Previous ones were in the Caribbean. Hegseth says the strike killed two people. In a brief video released by Hegseth, a small boat is seen moving along the water, then it explodes and is seen floating on the water in flames. Secretary Hegseth has ordered the Pentagon to severely limit its communications with Congress. This comes after he cracked down on press access, as NPR's Quill Lawrence reports.
How is the Agriculture Department responding to the government shutdown?
In a memo obtained by NPR, Hegseth instructs all defense staff, with the exception of inspectors general, to get permission before sharing information with congressional offices. The memo says unauthorized engagements with Congress, no matter how well-intentioned, may undermine department-wide priorities. But that may be hard to implement since lawmakers from both parties request information from military officials about everything from the National Guard to nuclear weapons hundreds of times each day, according to a congressional aide who was not authorized to speak publicly. The aide said this memo fits an alarming trend by the Pentagon to clamp down on public scrutiny and congressional oversight.
Quill Lawrence, NPR News.
The Agriculture Department says it will reopen about 2,100 county offices despite the government shutdown. to help farmers get access to $3 billion worth of aid. The USDA says each office will have two workers to help farmers apply for loans, crop insurance, disaster aid, and other programs. North Carolina's Republican-led legislature has passed a new congressional map that could help the GOP win another seat. It comes after President Trump called on GOP-led states to redistrict, to try and keep control of Congress.
What changes have been made to congressional maps in North Carolina?
Texas and Missouri already redrew their maps. California lawmakers are asking voters to approve a map to help Democrats. As Western Carolina University political science professor Christopher Cooper explains, lawmakers aren't hiding that this is all about politics.
I think this is sort of the Babe Ruth-y era of redistricting, right? They're calling their shot and they're putting the ball exactly where they told us they were going to. He's saying... what he wants to do. He's saying the intent, and the intent is to draw more Republican districts. And the fact that it is a purple state that has a Democratic governor, has a Democratic lieutenant governor, has a Democrat attorney general, none of that really matters if the goal is just to get more Republicans in Congress.
That's Christopher Cooper, a political science professor from Western Carolina University.
What recent legal developments involve the National Guard in Chicago?
A federal judge has extended an order that blocked President Trump from deploying the National Guard in Chicago. A federal appeals court is hearing arguments in California over Governor Gavin Newsom's challenge to the deployment of troops in Los Angeles. And the Ninth Circuit has cleared the way for Trump to federalize the Oregon National Guard. But it remains unclear if or when troops would be deployed in Portland. Stocks closed down today. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The director of the Louvre has acknowledged what she calls a terrible failure after a stunning heist in France's crown jewels over the weekend. She says she offered to resign but was refused. In testimony to the French Senate, the director said the museum had a shortage of security cameras and other weaknesses exposed by the theft.
The most widely used COVID-19 vaccines may help fight tumors in some cancer patients.
What security failures were revealed after the Louvre heist?
People with advanced lung or skin cancer lived longer if they received a Pfizer or Moderna shot within 100 days of starting a type of immunotherapy. The mRNA in these vaccines appears to enhance the immune system's response.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:18
2
What military actions were recently reported by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth?
0:18–0:50
3
How is the Agriculture Department responding to the government shutdown?
0:50–1:59
4
What changes have been made to congressional maps in North Carolina?
1:59–2:44
5
What recent legal developments involve the National Guard in Chicago?
2:44–3:39
6
What security failures were revealed after the Louvre heist?
3:39–4:43
7
How might COVID-19 vaccines impact cancer treatment outcomes?
4:43–4:53