NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-17-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: November 17, 2025

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Wildcard is where big name interviews feel like conversations with a friend. I mean, I can't believe how lucky I've been. You didn't say goodbye the right way, McConaughey. She told me, I don't think you're Princeton material. I'm nothing if not open, I guess. I'm Rachel Martin. Watch or listen to Wildcard on the NPR app, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman.

President Trump now says House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files. In a social media post late Sunday, Trump said Republicans have nothing to hide from. Early in the day, he called demands for the release a hoax by Democrats. They're using Jeffrey Epstein as a deflection from the tremendous success that we're having as a party. Vermont's Trump has pushed to prevent a release of the files. Speculation continues to grow that the files show Trump in a negative light. Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth says U.S. forces have attacked. another boat in the Eastern Pacific.

In a statement on social media, he said the vessel was involved in illicit narcotic smuggling. Three men on the boat were killed and the boat was destroyed. Hegss says the vessel was operated by a terrorist organization, but he offered no proof to support that statement.

Another U.S. aircraft carrier strike group, meanwhile, is in the Caribbean. Its deployment adds to the already escalating tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela. M.P.R.'s. Joe Hernandez has more. The USS Gerald R. Ford was commissioned in 2017 and only left on its first combat deployment two years ago. It's part of a new class of advanced aircraft carriers being built for the United States military. The Ford has a number of technological advancements, including an electromagnetic

system for launching aircraft. It also has a higher price tag than its predecessors, topping $13 billion, according to the Navy. The strike group at Leeds arrived in the Caribbean on Sunday, as part of a growing effort to put pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. But it's still unclear if the Trump administration is planning any military action against the country. Joe Hernandez, NPR news. Several Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are vowing to oppose any attempt to establish a Palestinian state. NPR's Kat Lansdorf has our story. Speaking at a government meeting, Netanyahu reiterated his stance against Palestinian independence.

Our opposition to a Palestinian state on any territory has not changed whatsoever, he said. The UN Security Council is set to vote on a U.S. drafted resolution for an international stabilization force in Gaza as part of President Trump's 20-point peace plan that went into effect last month. Part of that resolution includes language that leaves the door open for Palestinian statehood, something insisted on by many of the countries expected to contribute troops to the stabilization force. Netanyahu and many Israeli leaders, have long opposed statehood, saying it would be a reward for Hamas. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Flights in the U.S. are returning to normal. The FAA says all restrictions imposed during the federal government shutdown are being removed, and normal schedules will begin on Monday morning. Thousands of flights were canceled during the shutdown because of reduced staffing by air traffic controllers. You're listening to NPR News. A Holocaust Survivor's Group is calling the auction of Holocaust artifacts cynical and shameless. The auction was scheduled to include letters from Holocaust prisoners as well as other documents. Poland's foreign minister says the sale in Germany has now been canceled.

The auction house, though, has not yet announced any cancellation. California officials are warning that a major shift in federal homelessness funding will hit the state hard and upend its focus on long-term housing. Sarah Hussaini from member station KQED reports. The Trump administration, new policy slashes how much local agencies can spend on permanent supportive housing. Here in California, housing officials say a 30% cap will undermine years of housing first progress in the state. Officials also say nationwide the change could put 170,000 seniors, foster youth, and others at risk of losing stable homes. The Trump administration is shifting

its focus to transitional housing with an emphasis on sobriety, work and treatment requirements that leaders in California say could push more people back onto the streets. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Hussaini. Now You See Me? Now You Don't. Took the top spot at North American movie theaters. This weekend, the Lions Gate Flick brought in $21.3 million in ticket sales. Worldwide, the movie scored $75.5 million. The Running Man, meanwhile, claimed second with $17 million and added another $11 million in international sales. Predator Badlands dropped to third with $13 million in ticket sales

and regretting you, finished and fourth, with $4 million. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.