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It is the final stretch before Election Day on Tuesday and candidates are making final campaign stops and delivering closing arguments. President Trump has been campaigning for at-risk Republicans, but he has abruptly switched to virtual rallies.
A person walks past a voting sign at the East Point Library on Tuesday, the first day of early voting, in Atlanta. Megan Varner/Getty Images hide caption
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia , who oversaw planning at the Pentagon. Sylvia was also part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His removal comes as the U.S. and Israel prepare for a new potential round of attacks against Iran. Although Sylvia held a senior position in strategy, planning and policy, he was not directly involved in day-to-day operations regarding the Iran conflict.
Thousands of military veterans with VA-backed mortgages have faced higher interest rates and monthly payments since last year, after the Trump administration shut down a key part of the VA's home loan program. Before it was shut down, the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, created under the Biden administration, helped tens of thousands of veterans who had fallen behind on their payments by rolling missed payments into a new, low-interest mortgage. The mortgage industry and housing groups warned the administration not to kill the program without first creating a viable replacement. Without one, vets had to modify loans at higher interest rates. An NPR investigation found that more than 15,000 veterans experienced monthly payment increases of at least $150 after their loans were modified due to financial hardship. More than 700 veterans saw their payments rise by $1,000 or more.
by Rob Stein , NPR's science desk correspondent and senior editor
I've been doing stories about the organ transplantation system for decades. One of the most fundamental guiding ethical principles in organ donation has long been the "dead donor rule." That rule, stated simply, says: Organs should only be retrieved for transplants from a person who is dead, and death should never be accelerated to try to boost the chances their organs will be usable. To make sure that's the case, there's long been a strict firewall between the doctors and nurses trying to save patients in the hospital, and the organ retrieval teams standing by to try to procure their organs.
But over the years, I've heard many stories from family members who nevertheless felt pressured to donate their loved one's organs. So when I got a tip that the Organ Procurement & Transplantation Network, which runs the nation's organ system, was planning to relax that firewall, I instantly knew that was a big story.
I rushed to confirm the documentation that the network's board of directors had indeed endorsed the change, which would go into effect Nov. 18. I then reached out to bioethicists and others for their reaction to this major change. The revision was part of a set of new policies designed to boost donations and improve patient safety. Those changes were spurred by disturbing revelations about mistakes, including patients literally being wheeled into the operating room to remove their organs when they were still alive. Some of the changes were praised as improving safety. But many bioethicists and even some transplant surgeons and patient and organ donation advocates say relaxing the firewall between care and organ retrieval teams is dangerous. The fear is it could lead to families and caregivers discontinuing treatment too soon, and deepening distrust in the organ donation system.
I explored what these rule changes will mean for organ donors. You can read about it here .
Tom Rhys Harries in Clayface. Parisa Taghizadeh/Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: It's officially Halloweekend a.k.a. the perfect time to watch a horror movie. Clayface embraces body horror to tell the origin story of the eponymous Batman villain. Tom Rhys Harries stars as an actor who turns to AI and nanotechnology for a radical solution after a mob boss disfigures him.
📺 TV: HBO's War features Dominic West and Sienna Miller as a British couple battling it out in a high-stakes divorce. Their fierce legal teams intensify the drama.
📚 Books: Elizabeth McCracken's Seven Stories About Tammy weaves together interconnected short stories about a family's experiences with the eldest son's girlfriend.
🎵 Music: Slovakian singer Adéla has spent her life preparing for pop stardom. She has recently gained attention with her hit song "Nicole Kidman." In this interview with NPR's World Cafe , she discusses the music industry and her debut album, PRIMA .
❓ Quiz: This week brought pre-midterm drama. Plus, the rest of the world also held elections. Stay sharp — you'll nail at least three questions .
Patrick Stewart was trained as a Shakespearean actor, and he brought that gravitas to all of his roles, along with a playful sense of purpose. He was knighted in 2010. Jack Taylor/Getty Images hide caption
Patrick Stewart was trained as a Shakespearean actor, and he brought that gravitas to all of his roles, along with a playful sense of purpose. He was knighted in 2010.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen .
NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews. Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR.
