NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-15-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: November 15, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. The Pentagon says it's destroyed another small boat in the Caribbean. The attack killed all four men on board. NPR's Quill Lawrence reports this is at least the 20th boat targeted since September. Secretary of Defense Pete Higgseth posted a video of a speedboat exploding. He says it was carrying drugs on a known smuggling route. The Trump administration says it is at war with drug cartels, and therefore the military may legally kill alleged traffickers on suspicers.

alone. Critics say this is murder. At least 80 people have so far been killed and two survivors were repatriated and set free by their home countries. The latest strike comes as the U.S. has assembled a massive fleet off the coast of Venezuela in what is seen as an effort to intimidate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro has responded by mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops to resist possible U.S. military action. Quill Lawrence NPR News. Attorney General Pam Bondi has named a senior federal prosecutor to look into the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's ties with prominent Democrats, banks, and institutions. This comes after President Trump publicly called on the Justice Department to do so. MPR's Ryan Lucas reports. In a post on social media,

President Trump accused Democrats of using the controversy over the Jeffrey Epstein files to deflect from their own actions in the recent government shutdown. He also called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate former President Bill Clinton and other prominent Democrats, whom Trump alleges were involved with Epstein. In her own social media post, Bondi said she's tapping the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Jay Clayton, to take the lead on the matter. The moves come as Trump continues to face questions about his own ties to Epstein, particularly after House Democrats released a batch of emails this week that raised questions as to what Trump knew about Epstein's activities with underage girls.

Ryan Lucas NPR News, Washington. So far, the Justice Department has not begun a similar investigation in to President Trump's possible involvement with Epstein. Evacuation warnings are in place for parts of Southern California as a major storm threatens to cause flooding and turned hillsides into mud. First responders are telling residents that if they don't evacuate when they're told to do so, it may be too late. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is asking residents to be cautious.

Slow down if you're driving and plan ahead for the potential for longer travel times. And please, if you don't have to leave your home, Please don't. The evacuation orders are expected to remain in place throughout the weekend. Disney and YouTube TV have reached a deal to bring Disney channels back to the Google-owned live-streaming platform. The deal announced on Friday means channels, including ABC and ESPN, will be available once again on YouTube TV.

They were missing for almost six weeks while negotiations were underway. Stocks closed mixed on Wall Street Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial average down 309 points. The NASDAQ closed up 30 points. This is NPR News. A Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine's capital is killed six people and wounded at least 35 others. Ukraine's president says several blocks of high-rise apartment buildings in Kiev were targeted, and the goal was to harm civilians.

The attack also targeted the cities of Odessa and Kharkiv. In response, Ukraine launched its own drones and missiles at Russia. New research links high consumption of ultra-processed foods to early-onset colorectal cancer, As NPR's Alison Aubrey reports, the research suggests diet is one factor behind the increase in colon cancer among young adults. Doctors at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute analyzed data from nearly 30,000 female nurses under the age of 50. They found those who ate more ultra-processed foods, including salty, high-fat snacks, such as chips and sugary drinks, had a significantly higher risk of developing precancerous polyps. Dr. Andrew Chan is an author of the study. If you have a family history, certainly if you have a history of polyps, trying to kind of adjust what you eat is one step you can take.

Not all processed foods are unhealthy, but increasingly research shows a diet high in saturated fat, sodium and sugar, as is found in many packaged foods, increases the risk of chronic disease. Alison Aubrey, NPR News. Walmart's CEO Doug McMillan is planning on retiring early next year. In a surprise announcement, he said his successor has already been named, McMillan will step down on January 31st, and John Ferner will then take over. Ferner is the head of retailers' U.S. operations. Walmart shares fell 3% in pre-market trading after the news was announced. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.

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