NPR News Now — October 23, 2025, 9AM EDT

Host: Korva Coleman
Duration: 5 minutes

Episode Overview

This NPR News Now episode rapidly covers major U.S. and international news stories from the morning of October 23, 2025. Key topics include U.S. diplomatic efforts in Israel, scrutiny of Jared Kushner’s business ties, congressional map battles in North Carolina and California, Reddit’s lawsuit against an AI company, new U.S. military actions in Central America, Coca Cola’s latest product shift, and a labor agreement averting a Broadway strike.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S. Diplomacy and Middle East Developments

• [00:18] Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels to Israel to support a U.S.-backed ceasefire for Gaza.
• Rubio criticizes Israel’s parliament for a vote moving toward annexation of the West Bank, a decision also denounced by Vice President Vance at the end of his trip to Israel.
• Multiple Trump administration officials, including Jared Kushner, are currently in Israel for high-level meetings.

Ethics Questions Surrounding Kushner

• [00:57] Franco Ordoñez reports on ethical scrutiny regarding Jared Kushner's involvement in current Mideast diplomacy given his business interests.
• Daniel Shapiro (former U.S. ambassador to Israel):

  “I don't think there's any question that Jared Kushner's involvement in that critical phase, given the relationships he has and given the experience he's had working with these governments previously, helped produce a result fairly quickly that brought about the good outcome.” (01:17)

• Shapiro notes the region’s blurred lines between business and politics, which has aided Kushner’s negotiations.

2. State-Level Redistricting Battles

• [01:42] North Carolina legislature approves a new congressional map designed to give Republicans an additional U.S. House seat.
• [01:55] Roll call highlights partisan split:

  “All those in favor will say aye. All those opposed no. No ayes have it.” (E)

• North Carolina joins other states using redistricting for political advantage, while California will vote on a map that could give Democrats five extra seats, in response to moves by Texas.

3. Reddit Sues AI Company for Data Theft

• [02:00] Reddit files suit against Perplexity AI, accusing it and other companies of large-scale, unlawful scraping of user data.
• Bobby Allen (reporter):

  “Reddit says AI search engine Perplexity and other data scraping companies engage in industrial scale unlawful collection of comments from millions of the site's users.” (02:32)
  “Lawyers for Reddit compare the actions to would-be bank robbers who can't get into a vault, so they break into an armored truck instead.”

• Perplexity denies wrongdoing; the issue reflects wider industry controversy, with lawsuits from major publications over AI data practices.
• Reddit says other chatbot developers have secured licensing agreements, while Perplexity has not.

4. U.S. Military Strikes in Central America

• [03:14] The Trump administration announces two more military attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific, killing five; prior attacks occurred in the Caribbean.
• President Trump claims these attacks target drug smugglers, but no evidence is provided.

5. Coca Cola’s New Cane Sugar Bottle

• [03:51] In response to pressures from the Trump administration, Coca Cola will introduce a U.S. cane sugar version of its flagship drink in glass bottles.
• Marlon Hyde (reporter, WABE):

  “For Coke drinkers looking to avoid high fructose corn syrup, they now have a new option... Coke already offers products in the US that use cane sugar, like Mexican Coke, except the sugar is imported from Mexico.” (03:51)

• The move is part of a trend to offer alternative sweeteners and comes after administration influence.

6. Broadway Musicians Union Reaches Agreement

• [04:31] A tentative contract deal is reached between the union for Broadway musicians and theater producers, averting a strike that could have shuttered nearly two dozen shows.
• The new deal includes wage increases and follows recent agreements with other Broadway unions.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Ethics of Diplomacy/Business Overlap:

  “It's fair to question whether those like Kushner should be doing diplomacy with countries they're also doing business with.”
  (Daniel Shapiro, 00:57)

• Redistricting Vote Call:

  “All those in favor will say aye. All those opposed no. No ayes have it.”
  (North Carolina House Speaker, 01:55)

• AI Data Theft Analogy:

  “Lawyers for Reddit compare the actions to would-be bank robbers who can't get into a vault, so they break into an armored truck instead.”
  (Bobby Allen, 02:32)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Rubio/Vance/Kushner/Israel diplomacy: 00:18–01:42
• Redistricting (North Carolina/California): 01:42–02:00
• Reddit sues Perplexity AI: 02:00–03:14
• U.S. military strikes in Central America: 03:14–03:51
• Coca Cola cane sugar launch: 03:51–04:31
• Broadway union contract: 04:31–04:56

This five-minute news bulletin captures major U.S. political maneuvers, ethical scrutiny at the intersection of diplomacy and business, escalating AI legal battles, military actions claimed to target drug trafficking, market shifts in the beverage industry, and pivotal labor negotiations on Broadway. If you missed the newscast, these highlights keep you informed on the day’s rapidly evolving stories.