NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-17-2025 7PM 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 U.N. Security Council has back. act of peace plan for Gaza, authorizing an international force for the next two years. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports 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 control.

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 and PR News, the State Department. President Trump has changed his mind and is now urging congressional Republicans to release files related to the sex trafficking investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

It comes after lawmakers pushed through previous attempts by Trump and Republican leaders to stop the effort. California Democratic Congressman Ro Kana discusses the vote on a bill to force the Justice Department to release the files, which could take place tomorrow. It did surprise me, but he saw the math. He caved to the coalition that Massey and I have built over the past five months. Look, this is one of the most. horrific crimes in American history. You had Jeffrey Epstein who had a rape island. You had rich and powerful men who basically abused underage girls or knew about that abuse and said nothing. Supporters of the efforts say the release could show that other people were aware or

complicit in Epstein's crimes. Novo Nordisk is dropping the price of its blockbuster obesity drug Wagovi again, at least for patients paying without using their insurance. NPR's Sidney Lupkin has the details. People buying Wagovi directly from Novo Nordisk will now be able to get it for around $350 a month. Until the end of next March, the company will offer the first two-month doses at around $200 a month. That's down from about $500 a month. And patients can get the same discount from Costco, Good RX, Weight Watchers, and Roe, according to the company. The lower price is only available to patients not using their health insurance. Novo Nordisk's announcement follows the Trump administration's deals with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly earlier this month. The deals included

lower direct-to-consumer costs of the company's blockbuster obesity drugs. But even the discounted prices will still be too high for many patients. Cidney Lubkin, NPR News. The Federal Aviation Administration says it has lifted all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed during the government shutdown they had been in place since November 7th. This is NPR News. Police in Nigeria say, gunmen have abducted 25 girls from a high school in the country's northwest. At least one member of staff at the school was killed in the attack. Police say the raid happened early today and that the girls were taken from their dorms. Armed groups have been targeting school children in the region since 2014. The Trump administration is proposing to scale back the number of

U.S. waterways that are protected under the Clean Water Act. NPR's Nate Roth reports. 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 Roth, NPR News. A federal judge has ruled that a former Alaska Airlines pilot who tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 will serve no additional prison time. Joseph Emerson was sentenced to time served, plus three years of supervised release. Emerson was riding in the extra seat in the cockpit of a flight from Everett, Washington to San Francisco, and had to be subdued by the crew. U.S. stock market fell today. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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