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

Episode Date: November 15, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Amy Held. President Trump has removed tariffs on a list of items, including several groceries, reversing some of his sweeping import taxes. This, after Democrats won big in last week's elections, on platforms focused on affordability. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has more. The long list of items that tariffs will be removed from includes foods like fruits and vegetables, beef, and coffee. American importers paid those terns.

tariffs, with many passing costs onto U.S. consumers. Removing these tariffs could therefore lower the higher prices the tariffs caused. The tariffs that will be removed are the sweeping country-by-country tariffs Trump first introduced in April, calling them reciprocal tariffs. Recent polls have shown Americans' approval of Trump on the economy, typically a strong issue for him, has slipped. Consumer confidence has also declined. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News. A senior administration official tells NPR, Trump will soon travel around the country, with a message. While some things have improved, there is more work to do to help people feeling economic strain. North Carolina Governor Josh Stein is urging calm ahead of the expected

arrival of Border Patrol agents in Charlotte as soon as this weekend. A demonstration is planned this afternoon. As Nick De La Cannell from Member Station WFAE reports, some immigrant businesses are already feeling the impact. Inside a Latin bakery on Charlotte's east side, workers say business has dropped sharply. Owner Manilobenta Corps says news that Border Patrol agents are coming has driven people indoors. No, everybody's hitting, man. Nobody's coming out. His parking lot was empty during what's usually prime time, and the bakeries already had a tough year. Easy, easy, easy. We can make 50 kinsanera cakes between spring and summer. This year, we just have one kinsanera. Border patrol agents are expected this weekend or early next week. Governor Stein is

urging residents to not be provoked and to record any inappropriate behavior by agents with their phones. For NPR News, on Nick Delac Canal in Charlotte. It was a mixed week for the stock market, NPR's Scott Horsley reports, relief at the end of the government shutdown was tempered by concerns that tech stocks might be overvalued. The six-week government shutdown was a drag on the U.S. economy. The White House estimates it shaved about $90 billion off a fourth quarter GDP. Some of that will be made up now that the government's reopened, but some of the loss will be permanent. We'll also get a better handle on the economy once the government number crunchers who were idled by the shutdown start churning out reports again. We'll get a report on the September job market next Thursday, almost seven weeks behind schedule.

Tech stocks lost ground during the week as investors worried the artificial intelligence boom may be overdone. The tech-heavy NASDAQ slipped about half a percent, while the S&P 500 index rose about a tenth of a percent, and the Dow climbed more than three-tenths. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. This is NPR News. An atmospheric river is dropping inches of rain across Southern California leading to flood risk and the chance of landslides across areas recently ravaged by wildfires. Los Angeles Fire Chief Jamie Moore says they're monitoring the most vulnerable areas. When we see a heavy saturation on burn scars or in certain areas that are of concern,

it starts ramping things up. And we need to be able to react proactively to those changes so that in the event that something does start happening, we're already there. Evacuation warnings are already in effect in parts of Ventura County. The Vatican today announced the return of more than 60 indigenous artifacts to Canada. As Dan Carpenshuk reports, the return is part of the reconciliation process acknowledging the Catholic Church's historic role. suppressing indigenous culture.

The 62 artifacts include a 100-year-old Inuit kayak, Wampum belts, war clubs, masks, and beaded moccasins. Pope Leo turned them over to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops during an audience at the Vatican. A statement by the church said the pieces were a sign of dialogue, respect, and fraternity. They were part of a controversial collection that sparked a debate over cultural items taken from indigenous peoples during colonial periods,

and the church's role in helping the Canadian governments forced assimilation policy, which some historians have called cultural genocide. The items will first go to the Canadian Museum of History, where they will be identified, and then a decision will be made about where they should ultimately go. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpenchuk in Toronto. You're listening to NPR News.