NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-07-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: November 7, 2025

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I'm Rachel Martin. If you're tired of small talk, check out the Wild Card podcast. I invite influential thinkers to open up about the big topics we all think about, but rarely talk about. Tune in this fall to hear Mel Robbins, Malala Yusufzai, and Brene Brown, talk about everything from grief and God to ambition and forgiveness. Watch or listen on the NPR app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. President Trump is taking steps to lower the cost of obesity drugs. NPR's Frankl Ordonez reports that Trump announced a deal with two pharmaceutical companies to allow some people to get drugs like OZMPIC for as little as $149 per month.

Speaking from the Oval Office, President Trump announced the deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk for their GLP1 drugs that treat diabetes and obesity. These are two companies that behind the groundbreaking weight loss drugs that have helped millions of Americans struggling with obesity, live better, longer lives, everything else. These are the two companies that really broke around. The deal includes coverage by Medicare and Medicaid, which could mean new customers for the companies, and the administration says about 10% of Medicare enrollees will be eligible. The drugs will also be available to purchase online in a direct-to-consumer marketplace

that the Trump administration plans to launch, called Trump RX. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News, the White House. Major U.S. carriers have already begun flight cancellations in keeping with the FAA's new restrictions. The agency is cutting domestic trips by 10% at 40 major U.S. hubs during the government shutdown. As NPR's Joel Rose reports, the FAA is trying to address staffing shortages at air traffic control towers.

The official explanation from the FAA is that it's necessary for safety. The government shutdown is clearly taking a toll on air traffic controllers who are required to work without pay. Some of them have taken on second jobs. Many are calling out sick. And overall, the air traffic control system had been working fairly well

during the shutdown until this past weekend when we did see some staffing shortages at dozens of facilities around the same time. And peers Joel Rose reporting. The man who tossed a sandwich at a federal agent during President

Trump's law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C., has been found not guilty of assault. Sean Charles Dunn became a symbol of resistance when a recording of the August 10th incident went viral. A Virginia jury has awarded $10 million to a former teacher who was shot by a six-year-old student in 2003. From member station, WHRO, Toby Cox, says more. A jury cited with Abby Zwerner's claims that former administrator, Ebony Parker, ignored multiple warnings that the first grader had a gun.

Lead counsel, Diane Tuscano, says the verdict is a step forward in Zwerner's healing. When the city of Newport News and its schools failed to protect their teachers, students, and citizens, we held them accountable through the courts. Now it's time for the city to ensure Abby receives the justice this verdict represents. Zorner was shot in the hand and chest. She spent weeks in the hospital and underwent multiple surgeries. The child's mother was sentenced to prison in 2023 for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges. For NPR news, I'm Toby Cox. This is NPR.

A decommission boiler tower at a power plant in Southeast South Korea has collapsed, killing at least one person and trapping five others. A search for the missing was temporarily halted early Friday because of concerns that the rubble was unstable. The cause of the collapse is being investigated. Brazil's Congress has voted to exempt tens of millions of poor and middle class workers from paying income tax. As Kerry Kahn reports, the reform bill also increases taxes on the rich. in keeping what the leftist president's main campaign promises. The bill allows Brazilians an exemption from taxes, raising the limit the poor and middle class

can make to the equivalent of about $900 U.S. dollars a month. Previously, only those making less than about $500 a month were exempt. To make up the difference in lost income, the government will increase taxes on Brazil's top earners and their dividends. Supporters say it's common sense legislation, those who have less, pay less, those who have more, pay more. President Luis Anasio Lula de Silva is set to sign the bill handing him a major political victory

as he plans to run for re-election next year. Congress is still also looking to tax new outlets, including fintech companies and betting operators. Kerry Conn, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro. Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will not seek another term in office. The 85-year-old Democrat has represented her San Francisco district since 1987.

In 2007, she became the first woman to serve a speaker. Pelosi has been a powerful force in getting federal funding for Democratic priorities, including passage of the Affordable Care Act. This is 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. T's and Cs Apply.