NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-04-2025 10PM EST

Episode Date: November 5, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Democrats won a trio of high-profile elections in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia today. Zoran Mamdani will be the next mayor of New York City, according to a race call by the Associated Press. He's the first Muslim in person of South Asian descent to hold the position. The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist defeated former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa on Tuesday's election. Momdani's promises including making the city's buses bear free, providing universal child care and lowering the cost of living by raising taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. More than 2 million people cast ballots in the race for the first time since 1969. Abigail Spanberger will be the next governor of Virginia, according to a race call by the Associated Press. VPM's Jihad Khalil is out of her victory party in Richmond.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger is a former congresswoman and CIA officer. She was elected to Congress in 2018 and chose not to run for re-election in 2024 in order to run for governor. Spamberger is on track to win Virginia by a wider margin than Vice President Kamala Harris. Spanberger's campaign combined a focus on affordability issues with a vow to counter the presidency of President Trump. Virginia is often seen as a bellwether following the presidential election, which Spamberger acknowledged. Tonight, we sent a message. Her opponent, Lieutenant Governor Winsom Earl Sears, ran on the record of current Republican Governor Glenn Yonkin. She also spent a significant amount of airtime attacking policies accommodating transgender students.

For NPR News, I'm Jad Khalil in Richmond, Virginia. Democrat Mikey Sherrill will be the next governor of New Jersey. The sitting congresswoman defeated former Republican Assemblyman Jack Chittarelli, according to a race call by the Associated Press. It's the first time since the 1960s that New Jersey voters have elected a governor from the same party. three times in a row. Cheryl will replace Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, who is term limited. At least four people are dead after a UPS cargo plane crashed today near the airport in Louisville, Kentucky. NPR's Joel Rose reports the plane caused a fiery explosion when it crashed shortly after takeoff. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the UPS cargo plane crashed at about 5.14 p.m. local time.

Anybody who has seen the images in the video know how violent, this crash is. Bashir said the fate of the three UPS crew members was not immediately known. He said the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 was bound for Honolulu with about 38,000 gallons of jet fuel on board. Video footage of the crash appeared to show the left engine on fire as the plane struggled to lift off from the runway, followed by a massive explosion. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Stocks fell on Wall Street today, pulled down by the road.

by tech companies that have been the main drivers of the markets rally this year. This is NPR news. The COVID-19 vaccine season is starting slowly for Pfizer with U.S. sales of its Commerities shots sinking 25%. That's after federal regulators narrowed recommendations on who should get them. Experts say interest in COVID-19 shots has been declining, and that could continue amid confusion about whether the shots are necessary. Investors may be starting to worry that the stock market's fantastic run is a little too good to be true as NPR's Maria Aspen reports stocks closed down today. Wall Street has been hitting record highs, despite worsening economic data, ongoing uncertainty

about tariffs and the federal government shutdown. But big companies are reporting big profits, and investors are particularly optimistic about the tech giants powering the AI boom. These companies dominate the NASDAQ and the broader S&P 500 index. meaning that if tech stocks are having a great run, so is the overall market. But the opposite also holds true. And some investors are increasingly worried about what happens if the tech bubble pops. On Tuesday, the CEOs of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley both urged investors to be ready for an eventual market sell-off. Hours later, the NASDAQ closed down more than 2%.

Maria Aspen, NPR News, New York. Scientists have spotted the brightest flare, yet from a black hole likely created when a star wandered too close to a black hole and broke apart. It was first spotted by the Palomar Observatory in California. Almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center. From Washington, you're listening to NPR News. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit wise.com.

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