NPR News Now: October 2, 2025, 3AM EDT

Host: Shea Stevens (NPR News Anchor)
Length: 5 minutes
Theme: A concise update on significant national and global news stories, focusing on the U.S. government shutdown, disaster relief legal developments, an airport incident, a deadly earthquake in the Philippines, malaria prevention research in Africa, and the death of Jane Goodall.

Key Stories and Insights

1. U.S. Government Shutdown: Day Two

• Standoff in Congress

  • Republicans and Democrats continue to blame each other for the partial government shutdown, now entering its second day ([00:18]).
  • The House will not reconvene until Friday, leaving federal employees in limbo.

• Vice President J.D. Vance Addresses the Shutdown

  • Vance urges reopening the government before negotiating health care policy:

    “We need to reopen the government. Let’s fix America’s problems, let’s work together to solve them, but let’s reopen the government before we have our negotiation about health care policy. That’s what the American people demand, and that’s certainly what the president of the United States wants.”
    (J.D. Vance, 00:35)

• Federal Worker Impacts

  • Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have been furloughed, while others are working without pay.
  • Extraordinary measures may be required to manage staffing and payroll if the shutdown continues ([00:49]).
  • GOP wants a short-term spending bill; Democrats demand restoration of expiring health care subsidies.

• Scope of Federal Furloughs and Additional Layoffs

  • Andrea Hsu reports that approximately 750,000 federal employees, including large percentages from Agriculture, Defense, and Labor, are without pay ([01:14]).
  • Notably, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (funded by user fees, not Congress) announced layoffs of over 100 staff, representing 1% of its workforce, but operations continue.

2. Disaster Relief Funds Legal Dispute

• Federal judge rules that the Trump administration must continue to provide $233 million in FEMA disaster relief funds to 11 Democrat-led states, including California, New York, and Illinois, despite attempts to withhold the funds over immigration policy disagreements ([01:55]-[02:08]).
• Rebecca Hersher explains:

  “The Trump administration is trying to block those states from receiving the funds in what Democrats say is an attempt to punish jurisdictions for not cooperating [with] immigration enforcement efforts. The states sued to retain the funding. Now a judge says the money must continue to flow while the lawsuit moves through the courts.”
  (Rebecca Hersher, 02:08)

3. LaGuardia Airport Plane Collision

• Two Delta planes collided while taxiing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport ([02:46]).
• Incident details:
  • The wing of a Roanoke-bound plane clipped the fuselage of a plane arriving from Charlotte.
  • At least one injury reported; airport operations were not interrupted.
  • The incident is under investigation.

4. Fatal Earthquake in the Philippines

• A magnitude 6.9 earthquake killed at least 72 people in the city of Bogo and surrounding areas in Cebu province ([03:16]).
• Rescuers—including army, police, and volunteers—carry out searches with heavy equipment and sniffer dogs.
• Many residents remain trapped in collapsed structures.

5. Malaria Prevention Research in Africa

• Jonathan Lambert covers new findings that treating babies’ wraps with permethrin insect repellent can significantly cut malaria rates in sub-Saharan Africa ([04:04]).
  • Highlights from the study:
    • Babies in treated wraps in Uganda experienced a two-thirds reduction in malaria cases.
    • Side effects were minimal, with only a slight increase in rash risk.
  • Quote:

    “In a large study in Uganda, babies in treated wraps saw minimal side effects, a slightly increased risk of rash and great results, about a two thirds reduction in malaria compared with babies in non treated raps.”
    (Jonathan Lambert, 04:04)

6. Death of Jane Goodall

• Renowned conservationist Jane Goodall has died at 91 ([04:34]).
• Remembered for:
  • Living among and studying chimpanzees in Africa.
  • Transforming scientific understanding of chimpanzee behavior and psychology.
  • Bringing attention to the “complexity of all humans.”

Memorable Quotes

• J.D. Vance (Vice President):

  “We need to reopen the government. Let’s fix America’s problems, let’s work together to solve them, but let’s reopen the government before we have our negotiation about health care policy.” (00:35)

• Rebecca Hersher (NPR Correspondent):

  “Now a judge says the money must continue to flow while the lawsuit moves through the courts.” (02:08)

• Jonathan Lambert (NPR Correspondent):

  “About a two thirds reduction in malaria compared with babies in non treated raps.” (04:04)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Government Shutdown Updates & Vance Statement: 00:18 – 01:14
• Details on Federal Employee Impacts & Additional Layoffs: 01:14 – 01:55
• Disaster Relief Funds Ruling: 01:55 – 02:46
• LaGuardia Plane Collision: 02:46 – 03:16
• Philippines Earthquake: 03:16 – 04:04
• Malaria Study in Africa: 04:04 – 04:34
• Jane Goodall’s Passing: 04:34 – 04:56

Tone & Approach

• Direct, efficient reporting with a focus on clarity and urgency.
• Brief but impactful correspondents’ insights.
• Human interest balanced with hard news.

For Listeners:

This episode provides a rapid but thorough overview of the morning’s most important stories—domestic politics, legal decisions, global disasters, scientific advancements, and a tribute to an iconic conservationist—giving listeners all the essentials in under five minutes.