NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-18-2025 9AM EST

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Krova Coleman. President Trump is hosting Saudi Arabia's crown prince at the White House today. The Saudi prince says he's ready to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. under Trump. But NPR's Aibatrawi reports he's got a long list of asks in return. Trump says the Saudi crown prince is going to be honored on this visit. The two leaders have built a close relationship over the years and the president has praised him as a quote, great guy and described him as a visionary leader. That's despite a continued cracker. down on critics in the kingdom. This will be Prince Mohammed's first visit back to the U.S. since the killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi by the prince's aides seven years ago. The CIA says the prince had knowledge of the operation, which he denies. He returns to Washington now with power consolidated at home and top U.S. CEOs eager for more business with the kingdom. The prince wants a U.S. Defense Pact, new deals in AI, and he's eyeing the purchase of advanced F-35 jets that only Israel currently flies in the Mideast.

Ayabotrawi, NPR News, Dubai. is preparing to vote today on a measure to force the Justice Department to release all of its files on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After trying to block a vote, President Trump has now told Republican lawmakers to support the measure, but he's also called for an investigation into Epstein's alleged ties to prominent Democrats. That includes former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers. NPR's Giles Snyder reports, Summers says he is stepping away from public commitments after facing criticism for his links with Epstein. Larry Summers has not been accused by any of Epstein's victims, but the emails released last

week by the House Oversight Committee show the two remained in contact until just before Epstein's arrest in 2019 for sex trafficking minors. In a statement, Summers said he takes full responsibility for what he called a misguided decision to remain in contact and that he is deeply ashamed. NPR's Giles Snyder reporting. The federal government has reopened, but not all government assistance programs are back up and running. Tennessee has been unable to restart its utility assistance program. From member station WPLN, Cynthia Abrams, reports they're waiting for word from the Department of Health and Human Services. Typically, Tennessee receives around $72 million federal dollars each year to help residents pay their gas or electric bills. Like many

programs, it was put on hold during the shutdown. But even though the government has now reopened, the state has not received any dollars, or even any notice of how much it can expect. In the meantime, Tennessee is taking applications for assistance, like from Denise Simpson, a nursing student, and mother of two. I don't care what nobody says. You have to be super mom with assistance. It takes a village. Most of the 12,000 households who have applied in the last two weeks, including Simpson, have yet to receive any help. For NPR News, I'm Cynthia Abrams in Nashville. You're listening to NPR. An infrastructure provider for internet services is reporting problems with service. Cloudflare says it's now deploying a fix. The problem has triggered service interruptions for online platforms such as

X, chat GPT, Spotify, and others. Home Improvement Retailer Home Depot has released its latest quarterly earnings report. The company says it won't earn as much money this year as it predicted. It says consumers are worried about costs and are likely cutting back on big, home improvement projects. Home Depot is watched for indications about the condition of the U.S. economy. With Thanksgiving around the corner, shoppers are bracing for higher grocery prices. NPR's Lydia Kalitri reports that's from the turkey to the trimmings. Wholesale turkey prices jumped 40% from last year, largely due to outbreaks of bird flu hurting the country's supply. The Trump administration canceled some tariffs on items like beef and coffee last

week to combat high prices. David Ortega, a professor and agricultural economist at Michigan State University, says this move won't lower prices, but rather slow their growth. So while we may not see prices go down for the holidays, it helps in terms of moderating the price increases. Ortega recommends shoppers plan their Thanksgiving meals in advance and shop early for certain items to take advantage of sales or promotions. Lydia Kalitri? NPR news. Forecasters say Southern California will get more rain and potential flooding this week.

The ground is still saturated from powerful storms that just hit California in recent days. This is NPR. Listen to this podcast, sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR NewsNow Plus

at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.