NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-18-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: November 19, 2025

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This message comes from Bayer. Science is a rigorous process that requires questions, testing, transparency, and results that can be proven. This approach is integral to every breakthrough Bayer brings forward. Innovations that save lives and feed the world. Science Delivers.com Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Congress has passed a bill to force the Justice Department to release all of its files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein within. 30 days. It now heads to President Trump's desk. Here's Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley. Let's together push the president to release these files immediately. They've had plenty of time to redact the names. Let's see no further administrative delays or cleverness. And let the chips fall where they may. May there be justice for the victims. May there be accountable, accountability for the perpetrators. The bill is a rare win for Republicans willing to defy Trump on an issue that is deeply divided the party. He campaigned on releasing the files,

then opposed it, and then finally over the weekend urged his party to vote in favor of it. President Trump welcomed Saudi crown prince Muhammad bin Salman to the White House today. It's his first Washington visit since the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents. U.S. intelligence determined the crown prince approved the operation. Trump dismissed questions to bin Salman about Khashoggi's killing. saying the journalist was, quote, controversial. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben explains. Even before Khashoggi came up, at the start of the meeting, Trump praised the crown prince on his human rights record. And then when a reporter asked about Khashoggi, as you heard, President Trump got angry and, shockingly, didn't condemn the killing and dismemberment of a journalist from an American news outlet.

Rather, Trump called Khashoggi, who was Saudi, controversial. Now, the Crown Prince did answer after that, and he said the killing was a painful incident and that his country has taken steps to make sure nothing like that will ever happen again. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben, stocks tumbled again today with the Dow falling nearly 500 points. NPR's Scott Horsley reports, investors are having second thoughts about the durability of the artificial intelligence boom and the overall health of the U.S. economy. Both the Dow and the NASDAQ dropped more than 1% a day, while the broader S&P 500 index fell by a eight-tenths of a percent. Much of the market's growth this year has been driven by a small

number of big tech stocks, and investors are wondering if those lofty valuations are justified. One clue could come Wednesday when computer chip giant Nvidia is set to deliver its latest earnings report. Home Depot lowered its profit forecast for the year after a lackluster quarter. Investors will be watching reports from other big retailers this week for signs of how consumer spending is holding up. That depends in part on the strength of the job market. We'll get an update on September jobs on Thursday. That report was delayed by the government shutdown. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. Federal immigration agents are expanding their operation in North Carolina to Raleigh. Raleigh's mayor says crime is lower compared to last year, and that public safety is a

priority for her and the city council. You were listening to NPR News from Washington. A jury has ordered Massachusetts state police to pay nearly $7 million after finding that it discriminated against female and minority troopers. The verdict comes after a 2016 lawsuit filed by five current and former state troopers who said leadership, hand-picked candidates for coveted assignments shutting women and people of color out of opportunities. The state police say they have reformed their promotion system. On Monday, workers at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art petitioned the National Labor Relations Board to approve a bargaining unit. It would make the Met one of the largest unionized museums in the country, Jeff London.

and reports. Approximately 1,000 hourly workers and salaried staff would join local 2110 of the United Auto Workers, which represents employees at other New York cultural institutions, among them the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, and the Guggenheim. The UAW cited long-term pay inequities, lack of job protection and ever-increasing workloads as reasons for unionizing. For its part, a spokesman for the Met citing other unionized workers stated, quote, we respect the right to seek union representation. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. An Australian prisoner is challenging a state's ban on vegemite in prisons, claiming that denying him the yeast spread violates his human rights. Andre McKechnie has taken his case to the Supreme Court

of Victoria, arguing that the ban breaches his right to enjoy his culture as an Australian. 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.