NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-13-2025 11PM EST

Episode Date: November 14, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The Trump administration is planning a special immigration enforcement operation in Charlotte, North Carolina. As Nick Della Canal of member station, WFAE reports, Border Patrol agents could arrive in Charlotte as soon as this weekend. The Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office says Border Patrol agents will arrive in Charlotte in the coming days, but details are still vague, including how many federal agents and for how long. Charlotte City Councilman-elect J.D. Maswera Arias, an immigrant from Colombia, who did not always have legal status himself, says the government should be more transparent. If there is an operation or presence of Charlotte, the public has the right to know what's happening and why it's happening. Latino advocacy groups say the announcement has already sparked fear with families staying home and immigration help hotlines lighting up.

For NPR News, I'm Nick Della Canal in Charlotte, North Carolina. The government shutdown delayed funding for a program that helps millions of Americans pay heating bills by fuel and fix broken heaters. But WHOYY Sophia Schmidt reports that many families won't get that assistance right away. Several states have delayed their low-income home energy assistance programs, or LIHEAP, while they wait for federal funding. Mark Wolf heads a group that represents the state agencies involved. He says it usually takes the federal government about a month to release LIHEAP money after Congress passes a funding bill. But that was before the Trump administration fired the staff that administered the program this spring. And for families that use delivered fuels, heating oil

and propane, that could put them in a precarious situation because they have to pay the vendor to get fuel delivered. The Department of Health and Human Services says it will work swiftly to administer the funds. For NPR News, I'm Sophia Schmidt in Philadelphia. A federal judge is weighing arguments over the appointment of the U.S. attorney who secured indictments against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General, Letitia James. The story from NPR's Ryan Lucas. Attorneys for both James Comey and Letitia James say that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan was unlawfully appointed.

Because of that, they say, the separate indictments against Comey and James should be found invalid and dismissed. The Justice Department, meanwhile, argues that Halligan's appointment is valid and legal, and any perceived problem with it is at most, quote, a paperwork error. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Curry was assigned to hear challenges to Halligan's appointment. Curry heard a little more than an hour of arguments from defense attorneys and prosecutors. She did not rule from the bench, but she did say she plans to issue her ruling by Thanksgiving. Ryan Lucas NPR News, Alexandria, Virginia. On Wall Street stocks clues sharply lower, the Dowled industrials tumbled 797 points.

The NASDAQ lost 536 points. You're listening to NPR. Regents at the Texas A&M University have adopted a policy that requires prior approval before professors can discuss topics on race and gender in class. The change comes months after a video of a student confronting a professor over a gender identity lesson went viral. The BBC has apologized to President Trump over a 2021 documentary

on the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. The British media organization edited Trump's remarks to supporters ahead of the attack. Trump's legal team gave the BBC until Friday to make a public apology or face a $1 billion defamation suit. The music of two annual celebrations collides on this week's billboard charts as the Halloween rush gives way to Christmas music.

And if you think the Christmas season starts earlier each year, NPR Stephen Thompson reports, that there is data to back you up. The new charts cover the weekend of Halloween, so they're full of spooky music, Ghostbusters, somebody's watching me, Monster Mash, and Michael Jackson's thriller, which re-enters the top ten.

But a fair bit of Christmas music also re-enters this week's charts as fans started streaming their favorites while pumpkins were still on their doorsteps. Michael Boubley's album, Christmas is one of four holiday records re-entering the album's chart, while two holiday classics make their way back to the Hot 100. They're by Mariah Carey and Wham. Stephen Thompson, NPR News. U.S. Futures are flat and after-hours trading. This is NPR. This message comes from WISE,

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