--:-- Shea Stevens: Support for this podcast and the following message come from the University at Buffalo, where researchers have developed an AI-powered handwriting analysis tool to screen for dyslexia and other learning disorders. More at buffalo.edu slash NPR.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The Trump administration has announced two more deals with the pharmaceutical industry to lower drug costs.
--:-- Sidney Lupkin: As NPR's Sidney Lupkin reports, the latest agreements are with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, the makers of popular but expensive anti-obesity drugs.
--:-- Sidney Lupkin: The centerpiece of the deals is blockbuster drugs for type 2 diabetes and obesity, so Ozempic, Wegovi, Mounjaro, and Zetbound.
--:-- Sidney Lupkin: It expands coverage to some but not all Medicare beneficiaries with obesity. They have to have additional health conditions or a body mass index over 35.
--:-- Sidney Lupkin: People with Medicare will be able to get them for a copay of $50 a month. State Medicaid programs will have to opt in, but the lower cost of the drugs to the government, $245 per patient per month, is something that I'm hearing will likely push them toward this.
--:-- Sidney Lupkin: NPR Sydney Lupkin reporting.
--:-- Shea Stevens: A federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to ensure that federal food aid is sent out to states by today.
--:-- Isabella Gemillion: From Ocean State Media, Isabella Gemillion has the story.
--:-- Isabella Gemillion: During a brief hearing, a coalition of nonprofits and cities argued that the government had the money to send out November's benefits, but was choosing not to.
--:-- Isabella Gemillion: Trump administration lawyers countered it couldn't issue the payments because of the federal government shutdown, and that it would be too difficult to issue partial payments from its emergency fund.
--:-- Isabella Gemillion: U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. rejected that claim, ordering the government to pay the benefits in full as soon as possible.
--:-- Isabella Gemillion: Kevin Love Hubbard is one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs. There's too much harm that will occur from further delay.
--:-- Isabella Gemillion: The Trump administration is appealing the order.
--:-- Isabella Gemillion: For NPR News, I'm Isabella Jebelian in Rhode Island.
--:-- Shea Stevens: A firm that keeps tabs on pink slips says that layoff notices jumped sharply last month.
--:-- Scott Horsley: NPR Scott Horsley has details.
--:-- Scott Horsley: It was the worst October for layoff announcements in more than two decades. That's according to a monthly tally kept by Challenger Gray and Christmas, which helps companies manage job cuts.
--:-- Scott Horsley: U employers announced plans to cut more than 150 jobs in October. Tech companies and warehousing firms saw some of the biggest downsizing.
--:-- Scott Horsley: Reports like challengers are getting extra scrutiny these days because official government reports on the job market have been suspended by the federal shutdown.
--:-- Scott Horsley: For NPR News, I'm Scott Horsley, Washington.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Pope Leo XIV has met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Rome.
--:-- Shea Stevens: The two men reportedly discussed a two-state solution to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Abbas was at the Vatican to mark the 10th anniversary of the signing of the comprehensive agreement between the Holy See and the state of Palestine.
--:-- Shea Stevens: In September, the Pope told Israel's president that a two-state solution is the only way out of war.
--:-- Shea Stevens: This is NPR.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Former NFL star Antonio Brown has been arrested on an attempted murder charge stemming from a May 16th shooting.
--:-- Shea Stevens: 37-year-old Brown was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Dubai and was flown to New Jersey for extradition to Florida.
--:-- Shea Stevens: He's accused of grabbing a security officer's gun and firing two shots at someone he argued with earlier.
--:-- Shea Stevens: Brown faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, plus a fine of up to $10,000.
--:-- Shea Stevens: A paramilitary group accused of killing thousands of civilians in Sudan has agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire proposed by U mediators.
--:-- Jewel Bright: As NPR Jewel Bright reports, the move will allow aid to reach civilians.
--:-- Jewel Bright: The Rapid Support Forces says it accepted the truce to address the urgent humanitarian consequences of the war and to ensure the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people.
--:-- Jewel Bright: U.S. officials have been working with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates on a ceasefire between the RSF and the Sudanese army for months.
--:-- Jewel Bright: It remains unclear if the Sudanese army will agree to the truce. Senior army officials have said previously they would only agree to a truce that includes RSF fighters withdrawing from civilian areas and giving up their weapons.
--:-- Jewel Bright: The war in Sudan erupted more than two years ago and has killed over 40,000 people, forced at least 14 million from their homes and caused farming.
--:-- Jewel Bright: For NPR News, I'm Jewel Bright, Lagos.
--:-- Shea Stevens: U.S. futures are higher in after-hours trading on Wall Street following Thursday's losses.
--:-- Shea Stevens: On Asia-Pacific market, shares are lower, down 1% in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
--:-- Shea Stevens: This is NPR News.
