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

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

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You care about what's happening in the world. Stay informed with NPR's State of the World podcast. In just a few minutes, we take you to stories around the globe. You might hear the latest developments in world conflicts or about what global events mean for the price of your coffee. Listen to the State of the World podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens.

President Trump says the U.S. blasts, to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. As NPR's Franco-Ordonias reports, the Saudi Crown Prince is expected to meet with Trump at the White House on Tuesday. President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to discuss the fighter jets as well as security and efforts to normalize relations with Israel.

I am planning a good idea. You've got a solid ally. They've got to like us very much. Look at the Iran situation, what we did in terms. terms of obliterating, you know, we obliterated their nuclear capability. Yeah, I will say that we will be doing that. We'll be selling F-35. Experts say the sale of F-35s would change the military balance in the region while raising questions about Washington's long-held position of maintaining

Israel's, quote, qualitative military edge, which was signed into a 2008 law. Franco, Ordonias. NPR News, the White House. Security Council is backed a peace plan for Gaza, authorizing an international force for the next two years. NPR's Michelle Kellanman, reports that the U.S. is calling this a significant step for the Middle East. U.S. Ambassador Mike Walt says the world has the power to, quote, "'Douse the flames and light the path to peace. He praised the Security Council for backing a plan to set up a board of peace led by President Trump and to authorize an international force to coordinate with Egypt and Israel.

The resolution today provides troop contributing countries with the framework they need for moving forward with the international stabilization force and global financial institutions the mechanisms they need for channeling investment. The U.S. ambassador calls this resolution just the beginning. Russia, which proposed a different draft, abstained from the vote. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. An investment company owned by billionaire Peter Thiel has sold its $100 million stake in chipmaker NVIDIA. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, it's adding to investor fears that the artificial

intelligence industry is in a bubble. Peter Thiel's hedge fund selling off a massive investment in NVIDIA came after SoftBank did the same last week. Together, the moves are stoking investor concern that the AI industry is in a speculative bubble that could soon pop. Tech firms are pouring billions into AI data centers and infrastructure, the payoff is uncertain. Wall Street trader Michael Burry has become a prominent voice in the AI bubble discourse. Burry made hundreds of millions of dollars by betting against the housing market before the subprime mortgage crash and was a central figure in the book The Big Short. Burry recently revealed that his asset management company is betting against NVIDIA.

He wrote on X, Sometimes We See Bubbles. Bobby Allen, NPR News. This is NPR. For six months on the job, acting head of FEMA is resigning. David Richardson's departure comes amid criticism of FEMA's response to natural disasters. Richardson is a former Marine who's also led the countering weapons of mass destruction office at the Department of Homeland Security. He replaced acting FEMA head Cameron Hamilton.

The Trump administration is proposing to scale back federal protection of some U.S. waterways. Details from NPR's Nate Roth. For decades, courts, presidential administrations and interest groups have argued about what specific waterways qualify for federal protection under the Clean Water Act. Industry or individuals need federal permits to pollute a federally protected waterway, and many farming, ranching, and developer groups argue that the 1972 law has been too widely applied. The Environmental Protection Agency says its new proposed definition of what waterways qualify should give those groups relief. An analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council finds that 85% of the country's wetlands will no longer be protected under the new proposal. And wetlands, the environmental group points out, provide drinking water, flood protection, and wildlife habitat. Nate Rot, NPR News.

AAA is projecting nearly 82 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday. Meanwhile, U.S. domestic flight to returning to normal following brief air traffic restrictions imposed during the government. shutdown. Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled as air traffic controllers called in sick while taking on second jobs in order to pay their bills. This is NPR News. 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.