NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-14-2025 1PM EST

Episode Date: November 14, 2025

NPR News: 11-14-2025 1PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

You ever get to the pharmacy and you're expecting your medication to cost 20 bucks, but instead it's 200 or a thousand. And you're like, wait, really? Like, are you sure? Is there some kind of mistake? This week on the Life Kit podcast, what to do when your prescription costs way more than you expected. You can listen in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The election interference criminal case in Georgia against President Trump and several others will move forward after a new prosecutor was appointed before today's deadline. From member station W.A.B.E. in Atlanta, Alex Helmick reports. The prosecuting attorney's counsel of Georgia executive director Pete Scandalakis said that dismissal at this point was not the right course of action and has named himself to lead the case and perform what he called a comprehensive review to determine how to proceed.

In a statement, the president's lead defense counsel, Steve Sadeau, calls the case a politically charged prosecution and says that a review of the facts will lead to dismissal. Alex Helmick reporting, Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis originally brought the massive racketeering case but was removed by Georgia Court for her personal relationship with a special prosecutor. The 43-day government shutdown, which is now over, delayed funding for a program that helps millions of Americans to pay their heating bills to buy fuel and to repair broken equipment. Sophia Schmidt with member station WHYY says it is still unclear when people will receive that assistance. 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. Ukrainian forces say they are holding on to a key city in eastern Ukraine, even as Russian forces say they're closing in, nearly two years after they first launch the air fight to occupy it. NPR, as Joannica Kisses reports that both Ukraine and Russia also see the battle is key to shaping narratives about who is winning the war. NPR spoke to four Ukrainian brigades whose soldiers are defending the eastern city of Pukrovsk, a city which Russian attacks have largely destroyed. Small groups of Russian troops have infiltrated the city leading to intense street battles.

Volodymyr Polivyi is with Ukraine's 7th Rapid Response Corps. The brigades are really exhausted. The enemy has changed its tactic. We have the infiltration of infantry groups, and they are covered by the swarms of drone. Russia is also using an elite drone unit called Rubicon, which hunts down Ukrainian drone operators. Joanna Kekisis, NPR News, Kiev.

It's NPR. Three Chinese astronauts are back on Earth. After being stuck in space for more than a week, their return vessel had been stuck by, struck, that is, by space debris, damaging it. NPR's Emily Fang with the latest. After six months on a tiny space station,

the three astronauts of China's Tian Gong space station were supposed to land back in Inner Mongolia at the start of this month. Instead, space debris crack the window of their return vessel, the Shenzhou 20. Debris can travel at thousands of miles an hour in the vacuum of space, and even tiny particles can cause big damage to instruments and spacecraft. Adding to their troubles, a new rotation of three astronauts had already come up to relieve the initial crew. So China Space agencies said the stuck astronauts landed safely back on Earth, using the new rotation spacecraft, the Shinjo 21.

The three astronauts that just landed back on Earth spent a total of 204 days in space China's record since they started their space program in 2003. Emily Fang and Pierr News. The Oakland, California Police Department says a suspect has been arrested in the shooting of college football coach John Beam, who remains in critical condition. No further details were released.

Beam was featured in the network, Netflix docu-series last chance you about junior college athletes working to improve their lives is heard through this trailer. Welcome to Lainey College. Touchdown! The 2020 season starred Beams Lainey College Eagles. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.