NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-17-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: November 17, 2025

NPR News: 11-17-2025 11AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, on Korva Coleman, the Trump administration's cuts to grants for the National Institutes of Health have affected hundreds of clinical trials and thousands of patients. That's according to a new analysis published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. NPR's Rob Stein reports. Since returning to office, the Trump administration has terminated hundreds of grants from the NIH for medical research. Researchers at Harvard analyzed clinical trials funded by the NIH between the end of February and the middle of August. They found 383 clinical trials involving at least 74,000 participants were affected. Studies involving infectious diseases, heart disease, and respiratory diseases were hit hardest. One out of every 37 NIH cancer trials was affected. Rob Stein and PR News.

The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted all flight restrictions on air travel in the U.S. The FAA had reduced flights by up to 6 percent last week. were trying to deal with growing staffing shortages among air traffic controllers. That was linked to the federal government shutdown. Air traveler Steve Yeager was in Denver, waiting to board his flight to Europe. The government shutdown, I thought, was really disappointing all around and showing how dysfunctional our government is. Airlines say they're confident that their operations will return to normal in time

for Thanksgiving holiday travel. NPR has learned that a former top Justice Department of Federal, told a group of prosecutors last February that the administration should target rather drug traffickers at sea. Former acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Beauvais said the U.S. should, quote, just sink the boats. Six months later, the U.S. began blowing up boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. More than 75 people have been killed. President Trump claims all were involved in drug trafficking, but no evidence has been provided. U.S. retailers are heading to the holiday hiring season with assistance from artificial intelligence.

NPR's Windsor-Johnston reports a lot of major chains are now using AI systems to scan resumes and sort applicants almost instantly. Retailers, including some of the country's biggest chain, say they're using artificial intelligence tools to sort thousands of holiday job applicants at once. The systems scan resumes in seconds, flag-qualified candidates, and even schedule interviews automatically. Labor researchers say this kind of automated screening has exploded in the last two years. They warn the speed is appealing, but the tools can misqualified workers who don't use the exact keywords the software looks for. Companies say they need the technology to keep up with demand. Stores are filling tens of thousands of seasonal jobs before Thanksgiving,

and for applicants, decisions now come in minutes instead of days. Windsor Johnston, NPR News. This is NPR. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an immigration case on asylum. President Trump wants to be able to turn away asylum seekers before they step foot in the United States. This process has been used in Republican and Democratic administrations. Opponents say people who need asylum will be unfairly denied. The U.S. Border Patrol fanned out over the weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Officials say they have arrested dozens of people and claim these are violent criminals. No evidence has been formally presented. Some Charlotte business owners closed over the weekend. Japan has sent a senior envoy to try to diffuse a deepening disagreement with neighboring China. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports that China has demanded that Japan's prime minister retract remarks about Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory. The Kyoto News Agency reports that Japanese foreign ministry official Masaaki Kanai will tell Chinese officials that,

Japan's policy towards Taiwan has not changed. Despite Prime Minister Sinai Takaichi's remarks in Parliament this month, that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute an existential threat for Japan, justifying a military response. Both sides of exchange diplomatic protests, Beijing says its premier Li Chang has no plans to meet with Takeichi at the G20 summit in South Africa, apparently due to the dispute. On Friday, China's government advised citizens not to visit Japan due to safety concerns. More Chinese have visited Japan this year than citizens of any other nation. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul. You're listening to NPR.