NPR News Now: October 24, 2025, 4AM EDT

Podcast: NPR News Now

Host: Shea Stevens
Date: October 24, 2025
Duration: ~5 minutes

Episode Overview

In this concise news update, NPR delivers the latest headlines as of 4AM EDT on October 24, 2025. This episode covers the ongoing government shutdown and its ripple effects, political debate over health care costs and food assistance funding, agricultural trade tensions, major layoffs at Target, an Alaska Airlines IT outage, legal troubles for New York's Attorney General, a new sports betting scandal involving the NBA and the Mafia, and the acquittal of a former British soldier in the historic Bloody Sunday case.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Government Shutdown & Health Insurance Hikes

(00:18 - 00:57)

• Half a million Americans will soon miss their first full paycheck as the federal government shutdown continues.
• Millions are facing higher costs for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
• Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin voices concern for her constituents, reporting dramatic increases in health care costs:
  • "I'm already hearing from Wisconsinites who are seeing doubling, tripling, quadrupling of their costs. As my Republican colleagues start hearing from their constituents, this hopefully will elevate as an urgent issue for them."
    — Sen. Tammy Baldwin (00:40)
• Baldwin also notes that President Trump’s tax cut and spending bill proposes the largest reduction in decades to food assistance funding for low-income Americans.

2. U.S. Beef Imports and Cattle Ranchers' Concerns

(00:57 - 02:05)

• The Trump administration aims to quadruple beef imports from Argentina to lower grocery store prices, prompting pushback from U.S. cattle ranchers.
• Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller argues the primary issue is a domestic cattle shortage:
  • "We're at a 50 year low, lowest number of cattle we've had on record since we started keeping records."
    — Sid Miller (01:39)
• The administration also announced a move to permit ranchers grazing on federal lands.
• The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association warns the imports plan could destabilize domestic producers with little benefit to consumers.

3. Target Lays Off 1,800 Corporate Employees

(02:05 - 02:58)

• Target announces the layoff of 1,000 current employees and a hiring freeze on 800 open positions—together, 8% of its global corporate workforce—in a move to streamline and revitalize its business.
• New CEO Michael Fiddelke, an internal hire, aims to "simplify complexity" in Target's operations.
  • "Job cuts are meant to simplify complexity, too many layers and overlapping work that slowed decisions and ideas."
    — Alina Selyuk, summarizing Fiddelke’s memo (02:40-02:54)
• Target sales have been stagnant or declining for nearly three years.

4. Alaska Airlines IT Outage

(02:58 - 03:13)

• Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded flights due to an overnight IT outage.
• The airline implemented a "flexible travel policy," covering hotels and ground transportation for affected passengers.

5. Legal News: New York Attorney General & NBA Gambling Scandal

(03:13 - 04:13)

• New York Attorney General Letitia James faces a Justice Department courtroom appearance over alleged mortgage fraud. She denies all allegations.
• Widespread sports betting and rigged poker scandal:
  • The FBI charges over 30 people, including Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups (accused of rigging Mafia-linked poker games).
  • Miami Heat's Terry Rozier (who was previously cleared) and former Raptors' Jontay Porter (banned for life) are also named.

6. Bloody Sunday Trial Verdict

(04:13 - 04:54)

• A former British soldier (known as Soldier F) is acquitted of the murders of two unarmed civil rights protesters killed on Bloody Sunday (1972), one of the Troubles' most infamous incidents.
• The judge found evidence insufficient to convict, despite a prior public inquiry that found the victims posed no threat:
  • "A judge in Belfast said the soldiers involved had lost all sense of military discipline, but he said the evidence against Soldier F fell short and he found him not guilty on all charges."
    — Fatema Al Kassab (04:37)

Notable Quotes

• Senator Tammy Baldwin on rising healthcare costs:
  "I'm already hearing from Wisconsinites who are seeing doubling, tripling, quadrupling of their costs..." (00:40)
• Sid Miller on cattle shortage:
  "We're at a 50 year low, lowest number of cattle we've had on record since we started keeping records." (01:39)
• Alina Selyuk (on behalf of Target CEO Fiddelke):
  "Job cuts are meant to simplify complexity, too many layers and overlapping work that slowed decisions and ideas." (02:40)
• Fatema Al Kassab on Bloody Sunday ruling:
  "The judge in Belfast said the soldiers involved had lost all sense of military discipline, but he said the evidence against Soldier F fell short and he found him not guilty on all charges." (04:37)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:18 — Start of news: Government shutdown & health insurance
• 00:57 — Agriculture: Beef imports & cattle ranchers
• 02:05 — Target corporate layoffs
• 02:58 — Alaska Airlines IT outage
• 03:13 — NY Attorney General & NBA gambling indictment
• 04:13 — Bloody Sunday acquittal
• 04:54 — End of main content

This NPR News Now episode offers a vital snapshot of American and international news, highlighting economic, legal, and political challenges facing the U.S. and its allies. Each headline is delivered succinctly, with direct commentary from key players and expert reporters, maintaining the factual, focused tone characteristic of NPR's reporting.