NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-20-2025 9PM 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 Ryland Barton. In North Carolina, Charlotte's mayor and local police say federal agents are leaving the city today. after a week of sweeping arrests in immigrant-heavy areas.

But Homeland Security has not confirmed the departure from Member Station WFAE. Eli Portillo reports. Mayor Vail said in a statement Thursday, it appears Border Patrol's operation has ended. The County Sheriff and Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed agents are leaving. Masked agents driving unmarked SUVs arrested more than 370 people against the wishes of Charlotte's leaders. Border Patrol has said it was focusing on those in the country illegally, but has not not offer detailed charges against them and has only named a handful of those detained. Federal officials have not answered questions about where they've taken them. For NPR news,

I'm Eli Portillo in Charlotte. President Trump today removed tariffs from a long list of Brazilian agricultural exports to the U.S. As NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports, the move highlights how Trump's tariff policy has treated Brazil differently than other countries. Late last week, when Trump signed an executive order removing tariffs from a long list of agricultural imports, the order did not remove steep tariffs from Brazilian goods. In a new executive order, Trump removed tariffs from Brazil's goods as well. Earlier this year, Trump imposed tariffs totaling 50% on Brazilian goods. A major reason he cited was the prosecution of former far-right Brazilian President Jaira Bolsonaro for his role in attempting to overturn the results of a 2022 election.

The tariff reversal comes as many Americans worry about affordability and as Trump's tariffs contribute to inflation. The Brazil tariffs particularly affected coffee. Around 30 percent of U.S. coffee imports come from Brazil. Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House. Federal investigators have released their preliminary report on the crash of a UPS cargo plane that killed 14 people in Kentucky. NPR's Joel Rose reports. Investigators found evidence of cracks in the plane's left engine mount. Investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board released dramatic photos of the left engine, flying up and over the wing of the UPS cargo plane as it rolled down the runway. The NTSB says the plane, a McDonnell Douglas, MD-11, got only 30 feet off the ground before crashing as it attempted to take off from the airport in Louisville, Kentucky two weeks ago.

Investigators say they found evidence of cracks in key parts of the left engine mount, even though those parts were not yet due for a detailed inspection. The three pilots on board the plane were killed, along with 11 more people on the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered all MD-11 aircraft to be grounded pending further inspection. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. New York City mayor-elect Zoran Mondani says he hopes to talk about what he calls the affordability crisis in the city during an oval office meeting with President Trump tomorrow. Trump incorrectly calls Mamdani a communist and has threatened to deport him and pull federal money from the city. This is NPR News. K-pop is turning up in force at the United Nations climate talks in vans.

Brazil, with fans hosting protests to mobilize their massive community to back climate actions. During the COP 30 conference, costumed protests have featured characters from the popular K-pop Demon Hunter's movie, while panels attended by South Korean officials strategize how to engage the K-pop fan base. New York's highest court has ruled to uphold a law for protecting state-level voting rights. As NPR's Hansi-Low Wong reports, the ruling comes as voting protections in other states are being challenged. Nine states have passed state voting rights acts, and advocates are pushing for more as critics of the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 keep chipping away at that landmark law in court.

New York's Voting Rights Act has survived for now after the state's highest court ruled that the town of Newburgh, New York, does not have the legal capacity to claim that the state law violates the U.S. Constitution. The town is facing a lawsuit claiming that its system of electing candidates as at-large representatives of one district dilutes the collective power of black and Hispanic voters. The New York ruling comes as voting rights advocates around the country are keeping watch for a U.S. Supreme Court decision that may weaken the Federal Voting Rights Act. That decision could have ripple effects on similar state laws. Hansi Luong and PR News. Children's and consumer advocacy groups are urging parents not to buy AI-powered toys during the holiday season. The toys are marketed to kids as young as two and often powered by models like OpenAI's Chat-GPT. Children's Advocacy Group Fair Play warns that AI chat.

can foster obsessive use, explicit conversations, and unsafe behaviors. 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.