NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-15-2025 1PM EST

Episode Date: November 15, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Amy Held. The world's largest aircraft carrier will arrive in the Northern Caribbean tomorrow, according to U.S. military official. This as tensions rise with Venezuela. NPR's Laura Sullivan has more. The USS Gerald Ford will be joining some 15,000 soldiers and sailors already in the region. A U.S. military official told NPR the U.S. is gearing up for possible military action, saying, quote, the table is being set. High-level meetings with members of Congress and foreign leaders are continuing, along with ongoing military exercises. It remains unclear, however, if President Trump will use military force against the country. The U.S. has conducted multiple strikes on boats

in the region. President Trump has also repeatedly called on Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro to resign. Officials told NPR the arrival of the USS Gerald Ford could be just another pressure tactic on Maduro, who has put his own forces on high alert. Laura Sullivan, NPR News. The eight senators who brokered a controversial deal to reopen the federal government continue to face political backlash from Democrats. But as Kevin Miller with Maine Public Radio reports, Senator Ann Giss King says it was a necessary step.

King, who is an independent, has faced intense criticism in Maine for joining seven Democrats in voting to reopen government. As part of the deal, Republican leaders. agreed to hold a Senate vote on whether to extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The two Democratic caucuses had been demanding an outright extension. But King says the onus is now on Republicans. We're either going to be successful and get an extension of the tax credits, probably with some amendments that are negotiated, or the Republicans will say no, and then they're on record,

clearly, as being opposed to fixing this problem. King Handley won re-election last year. For NPR news, I'm Kevin Miller. Immigration lawyers in San Diego say they're seeing a sudden increase in arrests of clients at the offices of U.S. citizenship and immigration services. Many applying for permanent status or naturalization. As NPR's Martin Costi reports, the lawyers say it looks like a new ICE policy. U.S. CIS offices are bureaucratic places where detentions are rare, unlike immigration court. But lawyers in San Diego say that suddenly changed this week.

Tessa Cabrera says she was with a client who didn't have legal status but was applying for a green card. To have two ICE officers storm into an office and immediately order my client to stand up and place him in handcuffs was just unlike anything I've ever experienced. USCIS would not say whether its arrest policy has changed. In a written statement, it says, quote, apprehensions at USCIS offices may occur if individuals are identified as having outstanding warrants, being subject to removal orders, or committing fraud, crimes, or other violence. violations while in the United States. Martin Kosti, NPR News. It's NPR News. Border Patrol agents arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina today and began making

detentions in an area popular with immigrants. Member Station WFAE reports agents chase down workers. Democratic City and county leaders say they want all residents to feel safe and are calling for a peaceful community response. Heavy rain is leading to flood watches across Southern California. There's the risk of deprives. free flow, especially in burn-scar areas. The Israeli military has blocked hundreds of Israeli peace activists from reaching the occupied West Bank, where they'd planned to help Palestinians with the

olive harvest. The military says it's declared the village there, a closed military zone. NPR's Lauren Freyer has this report from Tel Aviv. Several busloads of volunteers were trying to reach the Israeli-occupied Palestinian village of Bahrain. Their plan was to act as human shields to protect Palestinian farmers from Israeli settler attacks, which have hit a record high according to the UN. This week, settlers ransacked the West Bank's biggest dairy farm and also torched a mosque. We will not stay silent while terror is conducting against Palestinians. Lior Amichai, director of peace now and advocacy groups, sent NPR this voice memo from a checkpoint where Israeli soldiers blocked their passage to Boreen.

Despite this peaceful action, the military and the police did not want us to join. the Palestinians, and prevented us from reaching it. The Israeli military tells NPR it did this for public safety after a week marred by an increase in violent incidents. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, Tel Aviv. You're listening to NPR News.