NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-20-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: November 20, 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. The White House says President Trump does not actually want to execute members of Congress. That's despite Trump's post calling a video by some members, quote, seditious behavior punishable by death. In the video, several Democratic lawmakers urged military members to refuse illegal orders. The Trump administration is expected to direct the Justice Department to challenge artificial intelligence laws in dozens of states. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, it's part of a push to undo laws the tech industry views as burdensome.

A draft White House executive order viewed by NPR aims to override state AI regulatory. that have passed around the country. States have enacted more than 100 laws reigning in various aspects of AI, while Congress has not passed any. According to the Trump administration's proposed order, not enforcing those state laws would be a condition of receiving federal funding for broadband investments, and the Justice Department would be instructed to sue states over the laws. The push is being led by AI and cryptos are David Sachs, a billionaire tech investor who is leading the White House's policy on AI. Legal observers say, if it is signed, the order would likely face a legal challenge for interfering with the democratic process of state legislators.

Bobby Allen, NPR News. Indiana state police say they're investigating multiple swatting incidents against Republican lawmakers. WFY's Ben Thorpe reports it comes as Republicans are divided over redrawing Indiana's congressional maps. Lawmakers in Indiana have received pressure for months from the state's governor and even the Trump administration to redraw the state's congressional voting maps to favor Republicans. At least four Republican state senators, all either against or undecided on redistricting, have been swatted in the last week. Swatting is an intimidation tactic where a false report is used to draw police to a person's house.

One of these incidents came just hours after Trump mentioned a senator by name on social media. But motives of the swatting incidences are unknown and remain under investigation by police. Indiana Governor Mike Braun said in a statement, such tactics have, quote, no place in Indiana. For NPR News, I'm Ben Thorpe. It was a rollercoaster day in the stock market. NPR's Scott Horsley reports stock surged, only to drop by the end of the day. Investors have been questioning whether the sky-high price of tech stocks is justified

or the result of an artificial intelligence bubble. Another off-the-chart earnings report from computer chip giant Nvidia briefly calmed those worries and stock soared at the opening bell. investors were also encouraged by a better-than-expected jobs report from the Labor Department. Jitters quickly returned, however, and all the major stock indexes end of the day deep in the red. In addition to the price of tech stocks, investors are nervous about whether the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again in a few weeks. A rate cut that seemed all but certain a month ago now looks like a much closer call. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

This is NPR News. The Trump administration is proposing new oil drilling off the California and Florida coasts for the first time in decades. The plan was met with strong opposition from California governor, Gavin Newsom, and other state officials, as well as a bipartisan opposition in Florida. Tourism and access to clean beaches are key parts of the economy in both states. Ethiopia is dealing with its first outbreak of Marburg. The virus is a cousin to Ebola, as NPR's Gabriella Emmanuel reported. there have been three deaths and 32 cases, both suspected and confirmed so far. Marburg virus often spills over from bats and then spreads rapidly between people

via contact with an infected person's bodily fluid. Yap Boom of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Ethiopian authorities are going door to door in the area of the outbreak. He says the goal is twofold. One, the right information is communicated in the household and two, if there is any suspected case, they can provide testing, but also in terms of infection prevention and control. The outbreak is in the southwest part of the country. Neighboring South Sudan is also preparing its laboratories in the event that Marburg cases are found on the other side of the

border. Gabriela Emmanuel NPR News. A new advertisement inside New York City's Grand Central Subway Station is filling the air with a seasonal scent. The campaign for Bath and Body Works uses diffusers to release fragrance that riders likened to pine and fabric softeners. The company estimates that 20 to 30 pounds of fragrance will have been dispersed by the end of the month. 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.

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