NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-21-2025 10PM EST

Episode Date: November 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green says she's resigning at the beginning of January. Her announcement comes after she clashed with President Trump over the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. But as NPR's Stephen Fowler explains, it's about more than that. It's also worth noting that it's because this split has been a long time coming. Marjorie Taylor Green has been at the forefront of criticisms this year of Republicans who haven't always agreed with Trump 2.0 policy planks on the foreign policy front, that includes the bombing of Iran in support of Israel's war in Gaza. Domestically, there's been rifts over some of the

tariff policies and the subsequent walkbacks the administration's done. NPR's Stephen Fowler reporting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says his country faces one of its hardest moments in history. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports he's being pressured to sign on to a peace deal widely viewed as favoring Russia. Neither Ukraine nor the Europeans knew anything about the 28-point plan, which would require Kyiv to surrender significant territory, reduce the size of its military, and relinquished weapons. Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice, said Zelensky,

either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner. Zelensky has been trying to negotiate in good faith with the Trump administration, But Ukrainians call this deal a plan for capitulation. European leaders are scrambling to come up with a response. They say a just peace can only happen with Ukraine and the EU at the negotiating table. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Lviv, Ukraine. The UN climate conference is wrapping up its final days of negotiations in Brazil. NPR's Julius Simon reports that the draft deal released early today does not mention fossil fuels.

More than 20 countries have written a letter rejecting the draft. They say they cannot support an outcome that does not include a roadmap to transition away from fossil fuels, the single biggest driver of global warming. The country's calling for fossil fuel wording include France, Germany, and Panama. Juan Carlos Monterey is Panama's special representative for climate change. Every year, we try to rethink a pathway to a green economy, but we try to avoid talking about fossil fuels. It's really, really stupid. It's like trying to deal with a patient that has COVID, but not treating the patient for COVID. Negotiations are supposed to end today, but delegates expect delays.

Julia Simon, NPR News, Belain, Brazil. The fiery crash of a UPS plane in Louisville, Kentucky, could spell the end of the airliner involved, the MD-11. The plane has been exclusively hauling cargo for more than a decade. The fate of these planes won't be determined until after UPS, FedEx, and Western Global. See how expensive the repairs the FAA orders will be. The plane's average more than 30 years old. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. President Trump says he's giving $10,000 bonuses to air traffic controllers who worked through the government shutdown,

but the administration says only 776 of the nearly 20,000 air traffic controllers and technicians who had to work without pay during the shutdown will receive them. The monthly consumer confidence report is near its low. lowest level in the history of the survey conducted by the University of Michigan. The sentiment in November did not improve from October, as NPR's Alina Selyuk reports. November saw the long government shutdown, which dampened how consumers feel about the economy. It disrupted access to food aid, air travel, and paychecks for many federal workers. Researchers say the sentiment did lift slightly when the shutdown ended, but overall, people

continue to feel down about the cost of living. Inflation had ticked up 3% in September compared to last year. And we don't have any updated data since then because of the shutdown. Similarly, the latest data on the jobs market is from September, showing a mixed picture. Hiring picked up after a lackluster summer, but unemployment also inched higher to 4.4%. It's the highest level in four years. Alina Selukh, NPR News, Washington. Rain is drenching parts of Southern California leading to new flash flood warnings.

The heavy rains also threatened to bring mudslides in areas recently ravaged by wildfire. Pope Leo the 14th has revealed he uses a different wordal start word each day. He divulged his strategy playing the popular New York Times online game during an online encounter with American young people. 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 C's apply.