NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-10-2025 9PM EST

Episode Date: November 11, 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. The Senate has begun its final votes to end the longest government shutdown in history tonight. A small group of Democrats and one independent struck a deal with Republicans to temporarily fund the government. through January. Some other Democrats are criticizing their colleagues for not holding out for concessions related to extending health care benefits. The shutdown could last a few more days as House members return to Washington. They've been on recess since mid-September. Across the country, more than 40 million people depend on food assistance, and while there could be an end in sight for the government shutdown, SNAP recipients continue to face confusion and delays. And a Pope of

member station KOSU visited a food pantry in Oklahoma, home to one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the nation. Emparo Espinoza has been going to the Middel Food Pantry in Midwest City for about six years. Espinosa likes coming here. The people are nice. But a month ago, she says there wasn't a wait. You could see the need to get food because of what happened with the government. And I think that's very sad that we are suffering the consequences of the people that should take care of us.

Last month, many here were getting food aid through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, including Espinoza. This month, Espinoza has not yet received her $21 through SNAP. She says the program helps her afford certain things. But for others, she knows it is a lifeline. For NPR News, I'm Anna Pope in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Two Democratic members of Congress are asking the House Appropriations Committee to restart funding for state broadcaster Radio Free Asia. NPR's Emily Fang reports the broadcaster was forced to stop all news operations last month after the Trump administration canceled its funding. Radio Free Asia broadcasted tens of millions of listeners around Asia, including in China, and RFA broke investigative stories about human rights abuses in China, including Beijing's mass incarceration of ethnic minorities such as the Uyghurs.

But RFA has now cut all of its bureaus and largely stopped broadcasting due to funding shortages after their congressional funding was slashed. by the Trump administration. Now, two Democratic representatives, Raja Krishnamorthy of Illinois and Young Kim of California, have argued in a letter sent to the Appropriations Committee that this is ceding space to China's state media outlets. And they pushed for renewed funding to RFA in order for the U.S. to, quote, remain competitive in the global information ecosystem. Emily Fang and Peer News. President Trump has pardoned his former personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, former chief of staff, Mark Meadows and others accused of backing his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The preemptive pardons are largely symbolic.

They apply only to federal crimes, and none of the recipients were charged in a federal case. Major U.S. stock indexes recovered most of their losses from last week today after a rally from tech stops. This is NPR News. The Supreme Court will decide whether a former Louisiana inmate can sue prison officials who shaved his dreadlocks in violation of his Rastafari religious beliefs. The justices heard arguments today. Louisiana officials argue the law can't be used to hold those who violate inmates' rights financially responsible. Canada has lost this status as a country that has eliminated measles. This happened after there is a sustained transmission for 12 straight months. NPR's Gabriella Emanuel reports.

Canada has had over 5,000 measles cases in the past year. Jarbos Barboza directs the Pan-American Health Organization. He's He says it is now the only country in the Americas in which measles is endemic. Nevertheless, the country continues to make significant efforts to control its current outbreak and remains firmly committed to achieving elimination again. In the past, both Brazil and Venezuela lost measles elimination status, and then we're able to regain it with vaccination campaigns and active strategies to find cases. The U.S. has had significant measles outbreaks since January.

Gabriella Emmanuel and PR News. Cleveland Guardian's pitcher Luis Ortiz appeared in court on charges, accusing him and his teammate, Emmanuel Clase, of taking bribes. Prosecutors allege they helped betters in their Native Dominican Republic win prop bets placed on pitches they threw. According to an indictment, they took several thousand dollars in payoffs for bets placed on the speed and outcome of certain pitches. Lawyers for the pitchers said their clients are innocent. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Wences. Washington. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you

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