NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-20-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: November 21, 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 Trump administration is planning to open new stretches of the ocean to offshore drilling in California, the Arctic, and the Gulf of Mexico. As NPR's Camilla Dominovsky reports, the Trump administration says the move is meant to make the U.S. energy dominant for decades to come. The proposal calls for auctioning off leases in the eastern Gulf and the untouched high Arctic in Alaska, as well as up and down the California coast, which hasn't seen new drilling in decades. Oil and gas groups welcome the move as opening up investments. Environmental groups have denounced it as high risk and low reward. Wade Crowfoot, the California Secretary for Natural Resources, called into a press conference. from the California coastline and spoke with waves crashing behind him.

Expanding offshore oil drilling is a danger. The plan will be open for public comment for 60 days. Camila Dominovsky, NPR News. The U.S. and Russia have drawn up a plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine that calls for major concessions from Kiev, including giving up the Donbass region and the eastern part of the country. The plan blindsided European diplomats who have called for themselves and Ukraine to be consulted. NPR's Tom Bowman explains the response from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

After the meeting with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll for an hour or so, Zelensky released a statement that was pretty conciliatory, saying they agreed to work on the plan's provisions to end the war. Another U.S. official, not authorized to speak publicly, tells us that Driscoll and Zelensky agreed, get this, on an aggressive timeline for signature. So it seems this is all moving quite quickly, despite the concerns of European allies. NPR's Tom Bowman reporting, the Labor Department says U.S. employers added 119,000 jobs in September more than expected, but job growth in the summer was weaker than first reported. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the new numbers were delayed by the six-week government shutdown. The report shows hiring was uneven in September. Health care and hospitality continued to add workers, but factories and warehouses shed jobs. The unemployment rate inched up to 4.4% while the workforce grew. Job gains for the two previous months were revised down by a total of 33,000 jobs. While the information in today's release is somewhat stale,

it's the last jobs report the Federal Reserve will get before its next decision in December on interest rates. Snapshots of the October and November job market have been delayed by the government shutdown. Some of the October figures, including the unemployment rate, were not gathered at all. Scott Horsley, in Pair News, Washington. Trump administration is threatening to withhold nearly $75 million in funding if Pennsylvania doesn't revoke what the administration claims are illegally issued commercial driver's licenses to immigrants. The move follows similar actions against California. Stocks fell after an early surge today. This is NPR News from Washington. Federal investigators say a UPS cargo plane that

crashed in Louisville, Kentucky two weeks ago, had cracks in the left wings. engine mount. The National Transportation Safety Board says the MD-11 plane only got 30 feet off the ground. Three pilots on the plane were killed in the crash, along with 11 more people on the ground. A child advocacy non-profit called Fair Play is warning people against buying AI toys this holiday season. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports. Fairplay's advisory says play things like AI-powered plushies and robots collect sensitive data and disrupt human relationships, among other. the harms. Rachel Franz is a fair play program director. These can have long and short-term impacts on development and it's ridiculous to expect young children to avoid potential harm here. In an email

to NPR, the Toy Association, which represents toy manufacturers, said toys sold by responsible manufacturers and retailers must adhere to more than a hundred strict federal safety standards and tests. The trade group urges caregivers to shop only from reputable sources. Chloe Valm NPR News. Law enforcement agencies have dismantled a criminal network trafficking stolen cultural goods across Europe. The group attempted to sell thousands of ancient artifacts stolen from museums. Around 20 people faced charges of antiquities trafficking and money laundering. More than 3,000 artifacts were recovered. The operation is hailed as the largest of its kind, with seized items valued at over 100 million euros. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to 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.