NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-15-2025 10AM EST

Episode Date: November 15, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jail Snyder. With the government reopening this week, air traffic controllers have been paid for the first time in more than a month. NPR's Joel Rose reports the Federal Aviation Administration says they have controllers received their first installment of their back pay. Air traffic controllers received about 70% of the take-home pay they earned during the shutdown, according to the Department of Transportation. They're supposed to get the rest later this month, including any overtime or shift different. pay they've earned. Those can be significant sums because many controllers work six days a week with mandatory overtime. Controllers had been required to work without pay since the shutdown began. Some took on second jobs and many called out sick, leading to staffing shortages at many air traffic

control facilities. But most controllers now seem to be back at work, with only a handful of staffing shortages reported in recent days. Joel Rose and PR News, Washington. The FAA has begun taking steps to restore flights at the nation's airport, citing improving and staffing levels at air traffic facilities. Traffic reductions at dozen major airports will be lowered from 6% to 3% this weekend. At the annual UN Climate Summit, host country Brazil's proposal for an accelerated roadmap away from fossil fuels appears to be gathering support. Developed countries such as Germany and Britain and developing nations, including Kenya, are backing a scheme that would see the world move away from coal, oil, and gas at a faster

rate. Australia's energy minister, Chris Bowen, is also on board. Renewable energy investment, double the investment of fossil fuels around the world, $2 trillion, which shows that the rest of the world understands. That's what's good for the planet is good for your pocket. And we understand that in Australia as well. The Australian government knows it. Australian industry knows it. The summit being held in Brazil, hundreds of demonstrators marched today.

The Trump administration declined to send a U.S. delegation to the summit. YouTube television subscribers can now access Disney programming again after a two-week blackout prompted by a contract dispute. NPR's Matt Bloom reports the two media companies settled on a distribution deal late Friday. Disney executives said in a statement they were restoring content in time for viewers to watch weekend programming, including college football games on ESPN. The company pulled its channels from YouTube TV. late last month after talks broke down. Disney said the streaming giant had refused to pay fair rates, while YouTube TV said Disney was proposing costly terms that would lead to higher prices. The companies didn't release specific terms, but YouTube said it preserves value in its service. Morgan Stanley

analysts estimated that the lockout cost Disney about $30 million a week. Alphabet, which owns YouTube TV and Google is a financial supporter of NPR. Matt Bloom, NPR News. This is NPR. President Trump says he will sue the BBC telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he will likely seek up to $5 billion. The BBC has apologized for a wrongly edited video of a speech Trump delivered on January 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the Capitol, but says there is no legal basis for his claim. The hearing is set for next week on OxyContin. and maker Purdue Pharma's efforts to settle thousands of lawsuits over the opioid crisis.

Yesterday, a bankruptcy judge said he plans to approve the deal, which would require members of the Sackler family to pay up to $7 billion over time. Purdue filed for bankruptcy back in 2019. Bridget Jones is to be celebrated with a new statue in London's Lester Square 25 years after the first film came out. Vicki Barker reports from London. Immortalised in bronze moments like this. Why is it there are so many unmarried women in their 30s these days, Bridget? Playing Bridget Jones actor Renee Zellweger. Well, I don't know.

I suppose it doesn't help that underneath our clothes, our entire bodies are covered in scales. Helen Fielding, whose newspaper column started it all, told the BBC Bridget is messy, funny, deeply human and deeply British. To have a character like that endure for, three decades and end up as a statue in Leicester Square is wonderful. Fielding and Zellweger will be present at Monday's unveiling. For NPR News, I'm Vicky Barker in London.

And I'm Joel Snyder. This is NPR News.