NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-19-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: November 19, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The House and Senate have approved a bill to force the release of government records on Jeffrey Epstein. Republicans threw their support behind the legislation after President Trump said that he would sign it. And NPR's Claudia Grisalich report that that's far different situation than when Kentucky Republican Thomas Massey began pushing for a vote on the measure. This is something that dragged out for much of. the year, but then it came together rather quickly in a matter of days. But first, a little bit of background. Massey was working alongside California Democrat Rocana, and they started what's known as a discharge petition. Four months ago, it's an arcane procedure skips, committees, leadership to

force a floor vote with signatures from a simple House majority. And they hit that mark last week. And Trump fought them all the way until this past weekend when he reversed course and he saw that this look like it was going to pass. NPR's Cloday Grisales. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are working on several deals as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmon visits Washington. They include a defense agreement and large Saudi investments in the U.S., as NPR's Sage Miller reports. Earlier this year, the White House announced Saudi Arabia agreed to invest $600 billion in the U.S. But during his Oval Office meeting with President Trump, Prince Mohammed said he's upping it, to one trillion. Salman says Saudi Arabia plans to invest that money in technology, including

artificial intelligence. Trump also wants Saudi Arabia to sign onto the Abraham Accords. Those agreements dating back to Trump's first term normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states. Salman says his country is interested, but there's a big obstacle. We want also to be sure that it's a clear path of two-state solution. The Crown Prince is referring to Palestinian statehood. Trump says the two countries will continue to discuss the possibility. Sage Miller, NPR News. Wall Street stocks tumbled again today.

As NPR Scott Horsesie reports, investors are having doubts about the AI boom. Both the Dow and the NASDAQ dropped more than 1% today, while the broader S&P 500 index fell by 8 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 invidium 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, MPR News, Washington. U.S. futures are virtually unchanged in after-hours trading. This is NPR. A federal judge has rejected claims that social media giant META has committed anti-competition violations.

The ruling means that META will not have to spin off its Instagram and what's half-oldings. The Federal Trade Commission sued META in 2020, alleging the company had created a monopoly. But U.S. District Judge James Boseberg wrote that the FTC had not proven that claim, noting that social media is still evolving and creating news. competitors. Two nonprofits are suing San Jose, California, alleging the city is surveilling its residence. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the ACLU of Northern California are challenging the city's use of license plate scanners. Details from NPR's Martensk Kosti. Thousands of cities have these automatic cameras that note the time and location of passing cars.

But the EFF staff attorney Lisa Femia 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 Kosti, NPR News. On Asia-Pacific market, shares are mostly lower at this hour. This is NPR News. 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.