NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-15-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: November 15, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Amy Held. President Trump appears to be backtracking, rolling back a number of tariffs, including on some grocery items. NPR's Jail Snyder reports Trump says not to expect more. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, as he was on his way to spend the weekend at Mara Lago, President Trump seemed to downplay his executive order, exempting tariffs on items such as coffee, bananas, and beef, saying he does not anticipate future rollbacks. be necessary. We just did a little bit of a roll back on some foods like coffee, as an example, where the prices of coffee were a little bit high. Now they'll be on the low side in a very short period of time. The exemptions, however, represent a reversal by the Trump administration after voters in this month's off-year election cited economic concerns as their top issue. Democrats scored big wins in Virginia, New Jersey, and another key races around the country. Trial Snyder, 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. Congressional Republicans released thousands of pages of documents from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. House Democrats seized on emails mentioning Trump. NPR's Ron Elving reports Trump has now instigated an investigation into his political enemies. The Attorney General has announced an investigation of several former officials and Democratic donors who Trump alleges have something to hide with regard to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, the obvious way to deal with a lot of this shadow boxing and innuendo would be to release all the Epstein files. Well, that's what candidate Trump promised a year ago, but President Trump has resisted that and driven other leaders in the Republican Party to do the same.

Republicans are increasingly calling for the release of Justice Department files on Epstein, which the White House has dismissed as a distraction. A vote is expected next week. The U.S. did not send a delegation to this year's U.N. Climate Summit in Brazil. Trump has called climate change a hoax. But delegates from California and other states are at COP 30 anyway. Laura Clifens of member station KQED reports. California Governor Gavin Newsom says there's a need. for state leaders to be in Brazil. I'm here because I don't want the United States of America to be a footnote at this conference. Newsom has been signing packs with countries and states and cities abroad on issues ranging from

biodiversity to battery storage. In a statement, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers wrote the president won't jeopardize economic and national security to, quote, pursue vague climate goals. Governors from New Mexico and Wisconsin have also been at the events in Brazil. One of their goals is to show U.S. progress on climate despite the federal headwinds. For NPR News, I'm Laura Clivens. This is NPR News. An NPR investigation reveals what appears to be an emerging trend in U.S. gun ownership. More people who identify as liberal and LGBTQ and people of color are arming themselves. This, according to gun clubs, trainers, advocates, and researchers, some new gun owners cite fear of being targeted for how they identify.

about a third of U.S. adults say they own a gun. A Native American general who helped end the Civil War has been posthumously admitted to the New York State Bar. Buffalo Toronto Public Media's Emily Watkins reports. Ely Parker, a Seneca chief, was denied admittance to the bar in 1847, despite meeting the requirements because he was not considered a citizen. In the face of discrimination, Parker went on to advocate for native land rights, draft the final terms of surrender for the civil war, become an army general,

and was then appointed the first Native American commissioner of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. On Friday, he again made history, as the first Native American to be posthumously admitted to the bar, according to the Seneca Nation. Only a few attorneys of color have been posthumously recognized this way. For NPR News, I'm Emily Watkins in Buffalo. The Vatican today announced the return of 62 indigenous artifacts, to Canada. They include a kayak, wampum belts, masks, and moccasins. It's part of the church's efforts at reconciliation for their role suppressing indigenous culture. Catholic religious

orders had helped enforce the Canadian government's forced assimilation policy. This is NPR News.