NPR News Now: October 6, 2025, 7AM EDT

Host: Korva Coleman
Duration: 5 minutes
Main Theme:
A quick round-up of the top news stories in the U.S. and abroad, with special focus on the sixth day of the ongoing federal government shutdown, new Nobel Prize winners in medicine, Middle East peace talks, gender differences in mammal longevity, and a dangerous storm on Mount Everest.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Federal Government Shutdown Enters Sixth Day

[00:18]

• The shutdown continues with no resolution in sight as both political parties blame one another.
  • President Trump claims layoffs are occurring as a result of Democratic obstruction.
    • Quote: "It's a shutdown. It's their shutdown, not our shutdown, it's their shutdown."
      — President Donald Trump [00:36]
• Republican Position: Want Democrats to accept a stopgap bill to reopen the government.
• Democratic Position: Insist Republicans must first reverse deep cuts to federal healthcare programs.
• The Senate will vote today on a government spending measure.

2. Conflict Over National Guard Deployments

[00:47–02:18]

• A federal judge blocked President Trump’s attempt—for the second time this weekend—to deploy National Guard troops to Oregon, citing the administration's failure to meet legal standards.
• Meanwhile, Trump has also ordered National Guard troops from Texas to deploy to Illinois and Oregon.
  • Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (Democrat) denounced it as “Trump’s invasion.”
• Quote: "Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has refused to deploy his Guard, so President Trump has taken control by federalizing them."
  — Tom Bowman [01:49]
• The deployments are intended to protect federal facilities and ICE agents where “violent demonstrations are occurring or could occur.”
• This federalization move could potentially run afoul of the law.

3. Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

[02:18–03:13]

• The Nobel was awarded to two Americans, Mary Brunko and Fred Ramsdell, and one Japanese scientist, Shimon Sakaguchi.
• Recognized for their discoveries about peripheral immune tolerance and regulatory T cells—critical for preventing the immune system from attacking healthy tissues.
• Quote: "The committee calls the immune system's security guards cells called regulatory T cells."
  — Rob Stein [02:31]
• The trio will share over $1.1 million in prize money.

4. Israel–Hamas Talks in Egypt

[03:13–03:51]

• Indirect discussions happening in Egypt to end the war in Gaza, as the second anniversary of Hamas's invasion approaches.
• President Trump and Arab nations are putting pressure on negotiators.
• Israel continues to carry out strikes in Gaza; dozens of Palestinian deaths over the weekend.

5. Study on Longevity Gap Between Female and Male Mammals

[03:51–04:35]

• Findings: Female mammals, across 528 species, outlive males by about 13% on average.
  • Human parallel: Women live 5 years longer than men on average (81 vs. 76 years).
  • Underlying factors: Genetics, especially the protective effect of two X chromosomes, and less risky behaviors.
• Quote: "The sex that spends more time caring for offspring tends to live longer."
  — Fernando Calchero (study author) [04:23]
• Public health message: Adopting preventive health behaviors associated with women may help narrow the gender longevity gap.

6. Climbers Trapped by Storm on Mount Everest

[04:35–04:57]

• Hundreds of climbers were stranded as a severe snowstorm hit their campsites on Mount Everest.
• Rescuers have reached approximately 350 stranded on the Tibetan side.
• The snowfall was reportedly heavy enough to crush tents.

Memorable Quotes

• President Donald Trump [00:36]:
  "It's a shutdown. It's their shutdown, not our shutdown, it's their shutdown."
• Tom Bowman [01:49]:
  "Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has refused to deploy his Guard, so President Trump has taken control by federalizing them."
• Rob Stein [02:31]:
  "The committee calls the immune system's security guards cells called regulatory T cells."
• Fernando Calchero [04:23]:
  "The sex that spends more time caring for offspring tends to live longer."

Notable Segments with Timestamps

• [00:18] — Government shutdown blame game & Senate vote preview
• [00:47] — Federal judge blocks Guard deployment; federalization in Illinois
• [02:18] — Nobel Prize in Medicine announcement
• [03:13] — Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations in Egypt
• [03:51] — Female longevity advantage in mammals
• [04:35] — Dangerous storm traps climbers on Mount Everest

NPR News Now continues to provide concise reporting on major national and international stories, with direct quotes from newsmakers and a sharp focus on the consequences of political and scientific developments.