NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-18-2025 9PM 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. 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 about Khashoggi's killing. As far as this gentleman is concerned, he's done a phenomenal job. You're mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about.

Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happened, but he knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that. You don't have to embarrass our guests by asking a question. During the meeting, Trump and the Crown Prince discussed several deals, including plans for the U.S. to sell Saudi Arabia F-35 fighter jets. Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia would invest almost $1 trillion in the United States. Ultra-processed foods are a key driver of chronic disease around the world, and governments need to act now to reduce their consumption. That's the conclusion of an expansive new series of papers published by an international team of health researchers. NPR's Maria Godoy has more.

The papers reviewed years worth of evidence linking ultra-processed foods to poor health outcomes, including an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, Crohn's disease, and dying prematurely. The researchers write that, quote, ultra-process foods harm every major organ system in the human body. These foods have rapidly displaced fresh foods and traditional diets around the world, even as diet-related diseases have been rising. The authors say government policies like soda taxes, warning labels, and limiting the use of these foods in school meals are urgently needed. The papers appear in the journal The Lancet. Maria Godoy and PR News. The city of San Jose, California is being accused of surveilling its residents, as NPR's Martin Kosti reports, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the ACLU of Northern California are suing the city over how it uses license plate scanners.

Thousands of cities have these automatic cameras that note the time and location of passing cars. But the EFF staff attorney Lisa Femmia says they're suing San Jose because it's gone further than most. They have nearly 500 cameras that blanket the city's streets, and they retain their data for an entire year. A lot of other jurisdictions in California only retain the data for 30 days. The lawsuit says local police should get a warrant before looking a license plate up in that large a database. It cites California's Constitution, but Femmia says warrantless license plate searches may also violate the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Reached for a response, the San Jose Police Department says it doesn't comment on pending litigation. Martin Costi, NPR News.

The U.S. stock market closed down today. This is NPR News from Washington. The Education Department is handing off some of its biggest grant programs to other federal agencies as the Trump administration accelerates its plan to shut down the department. In one of the most notable moves, the Department of Labor will oversee some of the largest federal funding streams for K-12 schools. Talks between Chinese and Japanese officials continued in Beijing today to ease tensions. After China criticized Japanese Prime Minister Sanei Takaeichi, she said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could let Japan invoke collective self-defense. NPR's Emily Fang has more. China's foreign ministry said it lodged a story.

strong protest at the meeting over the remarks. That's because China sees Taiwan as its territory. This week, China's defense ministry also lodged a complaint with the United States over another round of U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan. And in outrage over the Japanese leaders' comments, Chinese airlines have canceled flights to Japan, plus Chinese tour agencies have cut trips imperiling a multi-billion dollar source of tourism for Japan. Over the weekend, Beijing also sailed Coast Guard ships through Japanese-controlled China said were legitimate because it claims the islands are theirs. Meanwhile, Japan has

warned its citizens to avoid crowded areas in China out of concern for their safety. Emily Fang and Peer News. Britain's Royal Mint is celebrating Freddie Mercury with a new coin design. The coin marks 40 years since his iconic live aid performance. It features an image of the Queen frontman with a musical stave representing his vocal range. This is NPR News from Washington.

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