NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-13-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: November 14, 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 Trump administration is planning to send Border Patrol agents to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a special immigration enforcement operation. Nick De La Canal of member station WFAE, reports agents could arrive 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 Columbia who did not always have legal status himself, says the government should be more transparent. If there is an operation or presence in 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 Delac Canal in Charlotte, North Carolina. The government shutdown delayed funding for a program that helps millions of American households pay for their heating bills by fuel and fix broken heaters. Now the government is back open, but from member station WHYY, Sophia Schmidt reports many families won't get 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.

It could take a while to make up for all the economic reports we missed over the last six weeks during the government shutdown. The White House says it might just skip some of the October reports and go straight to work on November's data. NPR's Scott Horsley reports, that's uncharted territory for how the government measures the economy. It's never happened before, and it's not at all clear it will happen this time. The government did skip a few minor reports after the 2013 shutdown, but we've never had a major economic indicator that was just left blank forever. Even during the early months of the pandemic, when government price checkers couldn't go out to supermarkets and scan the 40,000 grocery items they usually do, they found workarounds. NPR's Scott Horsley reporting, states are working to restore full snap benefits to millions of people after the government shutdown.

Some state officials say full November benefits should be available to spend on groceries by tomorrow. About two-thirds of states had issued only partial or no benefits before the shutdown ended last night. The U.S. stock market tumbled to one of its worst days since this spring today. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The parents of two babies who were sickened in an infantile botulism outbreak linked to recalled by-heart-infant formula are suing the company. The families allege that their four-month-old daughters developed the rare and potentially deadly disease after drinking recalled by heart formula. The babies are among 15 infants in a dozen states who have contracted the disease during the outbreak that began in August. Kenya's government says hundreds of its citizens are fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Officials say some of the men were lured to Russia with false promises of jobs and thousands of dollars in payments. NPR's at Jewel Bright reports. Kenya's foreign ministry says more than 200 Kenyans are fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine. Officials say many were tricked into traveling to Russia with promises of jobs, housing and payment of up to $18,000. The foreign ministry says they've received distressed messages from a number of men who are either imprisoned in Ukraine or trapped on the front lines, and efforts are on the way to bring them home. Kenya's president William Ruto spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymy Zelenskyy last week and both men agreed to work together to secure the return of Kenya nationals.

Ukraine's government estimates that more than 1,400 people from at least three dozen African countries are currently in the country fighting for Russia. Drew Bright, MPR Newslegas. Major League pitcher and slugger Shohei Otani has won the National League MVP award for the second time in a row with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Otani has won four MVPs over the past five years. Only Barry Bonds has more with seven. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe.

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