In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.

In a post on social media, President Trump says he's directing the Defense Department to

issue paychecks to active duty military next week during the government shutdown.

Most other government workers won't be paid. Meanwhile, NPR has learned the Trump administration laid off dozens of

employees at the nation's main mental health agency. MPIR's Jeff Brumfield has more.

Current and former employees at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

told NPR, more than

a hundred staff have been laid off as part of a government-wide reduction in force. The sources

who were not authorized to speak publicly about the agency said the layoffs came late

Friday as the nation's government shutdown dragged on. The agency is responsible for overseeing

the new 988 suicide prevention hotline. It also

gives out billions in grants for mental health and addiction services. The mental health agency has

not been a favor of the Trump administration. Earlier this year, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy

Jr. told Congress that he intended to fold its duties into a new program he calls

the Administration for a Healthy America. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. Most Americans don't approve of

the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics. That's according to a recent survey by the New York

...