NPR News Now – Episode Summary

Podcast: NPR News Now
Episode: NPR News: 10-25-2025 2PM EDT
Date: October 25, 2025
Host: Norah Ram

Overview

This NPR News Now episode provides a concise update on global and domestic events as of October 25, 2025. The bulletin covers President Trump’s Asia tour and possible meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, tensions in South America with U.S. military activity, developments in Ukraine, a legal pause on the deployment of National Guard troops in Portland, updates on Hurricane Melissa, power outages in Texas, coral extinction in Florida, and the World Series opener.

Key News Segments & Insights

1. President Trump’s Asia Trip & North Korea Meeting

• [00:00–00:59]
  • President Trump is traveling through Malaysia and Japan and is open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
  • No communication has occurred with Kim yet, but Trump claims "a great relationship."
  • Previous encounter between Trump and Kim was in 2019 at the DMZ after a spontaneous proposal via Twitter.
  • Trump will also attend the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, travel to Tokyo, and move on to the APEC summit in South Korea, where he is expected to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping.
  • Quote: “If Kim was willing to meet, he’d be open to it. He said that he and Kim had a great relationship and he says Kim knows that he’s coming to the region, but he hasn’t spoken with the North Korean leader.”
    —Deepa Shivaram [00:17]

2. Tensions in South America & U.S. Military Involvement

• [00:59–01:33]

  • Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accuses the U.S. of “inventing a war” in South America.

  • Maduro, through a BBC interpreter, expresses opposition to conflict and calls for peace and prosperity in the region.

  • The U.S. sends an aircraft carrier strike group to counter South American drug traffickers; recent military strikes have reportedly killed at least 40 people.

  • Quote: “They promised they would never get involved in another war, and now they are inventing a war which we are going to avoid. How? With the mobilization of the peoples of South America, because South America and the Caribbean all say no to war, yes to peace, yes to prosperity.”
    —Nicolas Maduro (via interpreter) [01:12]

3. Ukraine Update: Russian Missile Strike in Kyiv

• [01:33–02:20]
  • Russian missile attack in Kyiv kills at least two and injures thirteen.
  • Ukrainian President Zelenskyy calls on the West for air defense systems and attempts to buy 25 Patriot systems from the U.S.
  • Demonstrates continued urgency and international dimension of the conflict.

4. Court Blocks Trump’s National Guard Deployment to Portland

• [02:20–02:57]
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily halts Trump’s order to deploy National Guard in Portland amid ongoing protests.
  • The legal decision is pending further review by a larger group of judges.
  • No troops have yet been deployed despite the initial order in late September, which followed months of protests at a U.S. ICE facility.
  • Quote: “The court said it needs more time to decide whether a larger group of judges should take up the case.”
    —Dirk Vanderhart [02:36]

5. Hurricane Melissa Becomes a Threat

• [02:57–03:45]
  • Tropical Storm Melissa is upgraded to hurricane status, threatening Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, and southern Hispaniola with damaging winds (75 mph), flash floods, and landslides.
  • Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

6. Texas Storms and Florida Coral Extinctions

• [03:45–04:30]
  • Severe storms in Texas result in major power outages; at the peak, over 100,000 customers affected.
  • New research finds the extinction of two keystone coral species, elkhorn and staghorn, in Florida waters after the 2023 heatwave.
  • Scientist Andrew Baker of the University of Miami comments on the ecological consequences and efforts to crossbreed more heat-tolerant corals for restoration.
  • Quote: “There’s one or two or just a few scattered colonies in different reefs around the region, but they’re so rare and often so small that they no longer have any real ecological role to play in the ecosystem.”
    —Andrew Baker [03:56]

7. World Series Results

• [04:30–end]
  • Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-4 in the first game of the World Series.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Deepa Shivaram (on Trump and Kim):
  “If Kim was willing to meet, he’d be open to it. He said that he and Kim had a great relationship..." [00:17]

• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (via interpreter):
  “They promised they would never get involved in another war, and now they are inventing a war which we are going to avoid...” [01:12]

• Dirk Vanderhart (on Portland National Guard case):
  “The court said it needs more time to decide whether a larger group of judges should take up the case.” [02:36]

• Andrew Baker (on coral extinction):
  “There’s one or two or just a few scattered colonies in different reefs around the region, but they’re so rare and often so small that they no longer have any real ecological role to play in the ecosystem.” [03:56]

Episode Timeline

• 00:00-00:59: Trump’s Asia trip & North Korea relations
• 00:59-01:33: US-South America tensions, Maduro’s response
• 01:33-02:20: Ukraine missile strike & air defense needs
• 02:20-02:57: Federal court blocks Trump’s Portland National Guard order
• 02:57-03:45: Hurricane Melissa’s new trajectory; Texas storms
• 03:45-04:30: Coral species declared extinct in Florida; scientific response
• 04:30-end: World Series update: Blue Jays vs. Dodgers

This episode delivers a global snapshot of pressing news—from high-level diplomacy to environmental crisis—emphasizing the complex intersections of politics, conflict, nature, and cultural events.