NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-04-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: November 5, 2025

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. A UPS cargo plane crashed today near the airport in Louisville. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says at least three people died and 11 were injured. NPR's Joel Rose reports the aircraft crashed shortly at. after takeoff with three crew members on board. The Federal Aviation Administration says the UPS cargo plane crashed at about 5.15 p.m. local time. It was airborne for less than a minute before crashing south of the airport, according to the aviation website Flight Radar 24. The McDonnell-D-11 was headed for Honolulu.

UPS says there were three crew members on board the plane, which was 34 years old. Television images showed a wide swath of buildings on fire near the airport and a massive cloud of black smoke billowing overhead. The Louisville Metro Police Department has said there are injuries reported and issued a shelter-in-place order for the area around the crash site. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. Californians are voting on whether to temporarily replace their congressional maps, which were created by a nonpartisan commission. It's part of an effort to counter maps drawn by GOP-led states at the behest of President Trump. Supporters say Democrats can't stand by while Republicans boost their chances in Congress.

As KQED's Guy Marzerati reports, critics say, say the state shouldn't gerrymander their maps. They point to the popularity of the Citizens Commission and its success in drawing lines that don't favor either political party. And they argue that these Prop 50 maps are going to put communities with really nothing in common in the same district, all for the purpose of helping Democrats. My KQED colleague Azul Dalsra Meckman spoke with the San Francisco resident Sarah Moore. She voted against the measure.

I ultimately decided that I didn't think that it was right that states would be able to redistrict before they're supposed to be. A couple of things to note here. One, California Citizens and Commission is going to stick around. It's still going to draw our state legislative line, state Senate, state assembly. And they would resume drawing congressional districts as well after the 2030 census. KQED's Guy Marse Arati reporting. Former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at age 84. Once a stalwart of Republican politics, he became a critic of President Trump and even endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president last year. NPR's at Don Gagne reports. Dick Cheney's resume includes being a GOP congressman, presidential chief of staff,

defense secretary and vice president, always wearing his conservative politics on his sleeve. But he rejected President Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen and was appalled when a pro-Trump mob rioted at the U.S. Capitol in a bid to overturn that election. He supported his daughter, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, when she voted to impeach Trump and campaigned for her when Trump worked to defend. feeder when she ran for re-election in Wyoming. In TV spots on her behalf, Dick Cheney called Trump a threat to the Republic and a coward. Liz Cheney lost that election. It was her father's last public act in American politics. Don Gagne, it's NPR. Chrysler is recalling more than 320,000 Jeep

plug-in hybrid vehicles due to a faulty battery that can fail and lead to a fire. The recall includes nearly 230,000 Wranglers and about 92,000 Grand Cherokees with model years between 2020 and 2026. Owners are advised to park the vehicles outside and away from structures. This is a busy time of year for scientists who are trying to understand autumn leaves, as NPR's Nell Greenfield Boyce reports, the most mysterious color is red. In the fall to recover nitrogen, trees take apart green chlorophyll. This reveals yellow pigments that were there all along. But the red pigments are different. Trees make brand new red chemicals just days before a leaf is about to fall. Nicole Hughes is a biologist at High Point University in North Carolina. We still don't really know why some species

turn red and others don't. She says the red pigments do act as a kind of sunscreen, which may protect trees' ability to recoup that precious nitrogen. But some researchers think the red could be a signal to insects that lay eggs in the fall. One study found more. more aphids on trees with green and yellow leaves compared to trees that were red. Nell Greenfield-Boyce, NPR News. Jurors heard opening statements in the trial of a man charged with assault for throwing a sandwich at a federal agent in Washington, D.C. Sean Charles Dunn calls it an act of protest. Prosecutors say it's a federal misdemeanor.

The Customs and Border Protection agent testified he could feel the impact of the sandwich through his ballistic vest. I'm Rylan Barton. This is NPR News from Washington. 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. T's and Cs apply.