NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-11-2025 5AM EST

Episode Date: November 11, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingley. Congress has moved another step closer toward ending the ongoing shutdown of the federal government. A resolution to reopen the government cleared the Senate last night with the minimum 60 votes needed for passage. Seven Democrats and one independent joined nearly all Republican senators to pass the measure. Here's Senate Majority Leader John Thune. This has been a very long road, quite literally the long. a shutdown in history, I am very, very happy to be able to say that we are coming to the end. The resolution funds much of the government through the end of January and some federal agencies

through the end of next September. It also ends the furloughs of federal workers and fully funds the supplemental nutrition assistance program for the next 10-plus months. The resolution must still clear the House. A federal judge is accusing the Trump administration of playing vindictive games when it comes to snap food benefits. NPR's Jennifer Ludden says a court hearing yesterday examined whether states must essentially take back payments they made to snap recipients over the weekend amid an ongoing legal battle. After a court order to issue full snap payments late last week, some states rushed to get the benefits to people. But when the Supreme Court then paused the order, the Agriculture Department said states must immediately undo those payments and threatened

penalties. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Placken says this makes no sense, especially given new moves to possibly end the shutdown. This administration is still going to the Supreme Court to fight for the right to starve Americans. A Trump administration attorney says states jumped the gun and should only send partial payments for now. Once the shutdown does end, we'll issue full benefits in 24 hours, he told the judge. Jennifer Lutton and Pierre News, Washington. President Trump says he wants to give Syria's new president a chance to succeed and describes him as a tough guy with a rough past. The U.S. and the U.N. recently lifted sanctions, allowing the Syrian leader to visit the White

House yesterday. NPR's Michelle Kellerman has more. Ahmed al-Shara once set up an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, and last year he led the insurgents who toppled Bashar al-Assad. Now he's promising to work with the U.S. on counterterrorism, joining the International Coalition to defeat ISIS, and Trump's Treasury Department is suspending U.S. sanctions. President Trump says you have to be tough in the Middle East, and he likes Al-Sherah. We want to see Syria become a country that's very successful, and I think this leader can do it. I really do. I think this leader can do it. Trump says he's also working to improve relations between Syria and Israel.

Michelle Kellerman and PR News, the State Department. Wall Street futures are lower this morning. This is NPR News from Washington. Airlines will be canceling more of their flights today at 40 major airports across the U.S. because of safety concerns tied to the government shutdown. The FAA order for airlines to reduce domestic flight capacity at those select airports rises to 6% this morning. It jumps to 10% on Friday if the shutdown hasn't ended by then.

The airports affected include ones in Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. The shutdown has resulted in staffing shortages of air traffic controllers. Thousands of airline flights nationwide have been canceled since the end of last week. Doctors say Canada has lost its status as a country that's eliminated measles. NPR's Gabriella Emmanuel reports. Canada has had over 5,000 measles cases in the past year. Jarbas Barboza directs the Pan-American Health Organization. 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. Wall Street is coming off the day of sharp gains. The Dow added 381 points. The S&P gained more than 1.5%. The NASDAQ added more than 2.5%. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.