NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-17-2025 10PM EST

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

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This is Eric Glass of This American Life. Do you know our show? Okay, well, either way, I'm going to tell you about it. We make stories that hopefully pull you in at the beginning with funny moments and feelings and people in surprising situations, and then you just want to find out what is going to happen and cannot stop listening. That's right. I'm talking about stories that make you miss appointments. This American Life, wherever you get your podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. The Supreme Court has decided to make you miss appointments. This American Life, wherever you get your podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. The Supreme Court has decided to hear arguments next year on an immigration case that could decide the future of how people seek asylum. As NPR's Jimenez-Bustillo reports, the policy in question stems from the first Trump administration. In 2018, amid a rise in people crossing the southern border, the Trump administration created a policy also known as metering. Under this policy, border officers physically blocked some people from seeking asylum at ports of entry along the southern border, turning them back to Mexico. Immigration advocates sued, arguing that in order to request asylum at the border, migrants needed to physically enter. And they say the policy prevented people from seeking asylum while forcing them to wait in Mexico where they could face other dangers.

The Biden administration rescinded the policy, and now the Trump administration is asking for the option to bring it back. Arguments are slated for next summer. Hima Bustillo and Peer News, Washington. President Trump says he would sign a bill to force the Justice Department to release investigative files about convicted. sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. It's a reversal. The president and Republican leaders had previously tried to stop the effort. John Bresnahan from Punch Bowl News explains why Trump changed his mind.

The reality is this resolution was going to pass in the House. There were already enough votes because of the procedural measure they had to use to get this bill to the floor over Republican opposition. Speaker Mike Johnson was opposed to this acting in Trump's behalf. But they had enough vote. to pass it. They had four Republicans who had already agreed to pass this. There was going to be a jail break on the Republican side, and Trump was just recognizing the reality. John Breznihan from Punch Bowl News. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is resigning after

six months on the job. He's the second person to leave the position under the Trump administration, as NPR's Lauren Sommer reports. David Richardson took over FEMA at a time of turmoil for the agency. President Trump has said he wants FEMA to be eliminated as it exists today and wants states to take over preparation for disasters like hurricanes and wildfires. Richardson was criticized by lawmakers after the deadly floods in Texas this summer for not being more available as a disaster unfolded. In a statement, FEMA thanked Richardson for his service and says the agency is anticipating a report from a FEMA review council soon, which will recommend how the agency should be restructured. Lauren Summer, NPR News. President Trump says the U.S. will sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. The deal is expected to be discussed during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tomorrow. It's his first visit to Washington since he approved the murder of Washington Post columnist and prominent critic Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The Saudi government denies his role. Bin Salman has pronounced, promised $600 billion worth of Saudi investments to the U.S. U.S. stocks fell today. You're listening to NPR news.

from Washington. Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has been sentenced to death for her role in a deadly crackdown on a student uprising last year. The International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka passed the sentence today. Hasina fled to India after the uprising and was sentenced in absentia. India has declined to extradite her. The uprising began over a controversial jobs quota system and resulted in more than 800 deaths. In the months leading up to the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February, athletes are hard at work trying to qualify for Team USA.

NPR's Ping Juan reports from the stands of the U.S. Curling Olympic Team trials. In curling, players slide heavy stones over a shoot of ice. The goal is to reach a target on the other end and to keep their opponent's stones off. Cynthia Benning, a super fan from Albuquerque, New Mexico, says the game is like chess on ice. The team is always thinking like two, three moves ahead, just like you do in chess. Benning was in the stands with a sign that said curling is life, and a cowbell she rang for good shots. Her favorite team didn't make it to the finals, but she got what she came for, hours and hours of high-level curling. The winning team, captained by 24-year-old Danny Casper, heads to an Olympic qualifying event in Canada next month.

Ping Huang and PR News, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Triple A is projecting 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday. That's an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving, potentially a new overall record. I'm Rylan Barton. This is NPR News from Washington. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit wise.com. T's and Cs apply.