NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-21-2025 12PM EST

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Trump breathed fresh life into efforts to end the war in Ukraine this week with news of a 28-point peace plan. But NPR, as Franco Ordonez reports, international observers, are urging caution about the proposal's practicality. Only a few details have come out, but one seen as a non-starter for Kiev involves Ukraine-seating territory to Russia, a proposal Trump has pushed before. Sam Cherup, who's at Rand, a think tank that studies security, says the details don't matter as much to Trump. He just wants to stop the fighting. For both Presidents Putin and Zelensky, the details really matter. That's why you have to have them or their representatives in the room working these issues in detail if you want to get something that will stick.

That's why Russia wants more strategic territory, and Ukraine is so adamant about needing security guarantees from Washington. Washington and its western partners, so that this type of invasion doesn't happen again. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News, the White House. The Coast Guard is taking a more firm public stance against the display of nooses and swastikas following outcry over a new policy that appeared to downgrade the severity of the hate symbols. Steve Walsh, with member station WHRO and Norfolk has details. As first reported by the Washington Post, the Coast Guard released a new harassment man which labeled things such as displaying the Confederate flag as merely divisive.

The manual also eliminates a standalone process for investigating instances of hate. The Coast Guard pushed back at the idea that the policy had been weakened, but late Thursday issued a new policy saying that nooses and swastikas and other symbols of hate must be removed from all Coast Guard facilities. The Department of Defense has been going through a similar process of reviewing hazing, bullying and harassment definitions across the military, but has not released a policy. For NPR News, I'm Steve Walsh. U.S. stocks open higher this morning on indications of an interest rate cut after the Fed meets next

month and new numbers on retail sales. Here's NPR Scott Horsley. Retail sales figures are one of many data points delayed by the six-week government shutdown. Many individual retailers have been delivering financial reports this week. The results have been mixed, but a consistent theme is that shoppers are being cautious and hunting for bargains. Stock in raw stores and the gap opened higher, after both, reported better than expected quarterly sales. With a double-digit tariff on goods from Japan, the U.S. imported less from that country in October, but Japanese firms made up for it with higher sales to the rest of the world. Japan's overall exports were up 3.7% from a year ago. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 430 points or nearly 1%. It's NPR news.

The Trump administration is boycotting, the G20 summit in South Africa, which begins tomorrow in Johannesburg. Kate Bartlett reports the administration cites the persecution of white minority farmers in South Africa, a position that has been widely rejected. It's been a blow to South Africa that the world's largest economy is snubbing the event, but on Thursday it looked like there was hope. President Cyril Ramaphosa said it looked like the U.S. might send a last month. minute delegation after all. White House press secretary, Caroline Leavitt, didn't hold back. The United States is not participating in official talks at the G20 in South Africa. I saw the South African president running his mouth a little bit. She said because the U.S. is taking over the rotating presidency of the G20 from South Africa, the embassy Charger de Fair, seen as a junior

official, would be there for the handover. However, Ramaphosa's spokesman said on X, quote, the president won't hand over to Charge. For NPR News, I'm Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg. The late-aclaimed actor Chadwick Bozeman known for starring in Black Panther and a string of other box office hits is the newest star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Oscar-winning actor, Viola Davis, who is among those to pay tribute at yesterday's ceremony. It's best to use all of life. Leave death nothing but the draggs.

Nothing but a burnt-out castle. And Chadwick was a castle. Hostman died five years ago from colon cancer. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.