NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-21-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. European foreign ministers are expressing concerns about a new proposal from the Trump administration for ending Russia's war with Ukraine. The 28-point plan calls for Kiev to give up all land in eastern Ukraine. The French foreign minister calls that capitulation. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports from Paris. EU foreign policy chief Kayakhalis said for any peace plan to succeed, it has to be supported by Ukraine and Europe. The U.S. Russian ceasefire blueprint is said to include highly disadvantageous terms for Kyiv, such as the complete surrender of the Donbass, even though Russian forces have failed to fully take it, and limits on the size of Ukraine's army and weapons arsenal.

The release of the lopsided plan coincides with a debate in Brussels on whether to use frozen Russian assets to back a zero-interest loan to Ukraine, and amidst intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine's cities and energy infrastructure ahead of winter. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. President Trump stands by his assertion that the six Democrats who urge service members not to follow orders deemed unlawful are traitors. He had said that was a knack punishable by death, though the White House says Trump does not want them executed. He says the lawmakers should be held accountable. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told reporters yesterday the group was urging military members to defy Trump's lawful orders.

Today, Colorado Representative Jason Crowe disputed that. Caroline Levitt lied about what we said. What we said was U.S. law and the Constitution requires that service members only obey lawful orders, which is actually something that we are trained on from the very first days of our military career. The White House, the President, Stephen Mill, and others then said the opposite of what we said and claimed that we are saying that they should disobey lawful orders. Crow is a retired Army Ranger. The other Democrats who were part of the video posted online this week also had either military or intelligence backgrounds.

Most air traffic controllers will not qualify for $10,000 bonuses for perfect attendance during the federal government shutdown. NPR's Joel Rose reports the federal aviation administration announced those bonuses late yesterday. Only 311 air traffic controllers out of more than 10,000 will qualify for the cash bonuses, according to the controller's union. Controllers were required to work without pay during the 43-day shutdown. Some took on second jobs and many called out sick as they dealt with. with the financial pressure of missing two full paychecks and part of a third. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the bonuses, originally suggested by President Trump,

are intended to reward the patriotic men and women who did not miss a single shift during the shutdown. But some controllers called the bonuses unfair and a betrayal. Their union said, quote, more than 311 of these dedicated professionals were instrumental in keeping America moving. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. From Washington, this is NPR,

news. Miss Mexico has been crowned the new Miss Universe. NPR's Rachel Treasman reports this year's pageant in Bangkok was marked by a series of scandals. Bosch was a favorite to win. She made headlines earlier this month when she walked out of a live-streamed pre-pageant event after being berated by an executive, who later apologized. In the lead-up to the final, two of the eight judges abruptly quit on the same day. One of them accused the Miss Universe organization of creating a secretive informal jury to rig the competition, which it has denied. And in the preliminary rounds, one contestant was hospitalized

after falling off the stage. As Bosch began her reign, organizers announced that next year's contest will be held in Puerto Rico. Rachel Treisman, NPR News. A fire disrupted the COP 30 UN climate talks in Belain, Brazil, yesterday, government officials say 13 people had to be treated for smoke inhalation after the fire began near the China Pavilion, which was one of several set up for events on the sidelines of the climate talks. Local volunteer Gabby Andrade was on break when the fire started. I just couldn't figure out how to get out. And I was kind of, I didn't know everybody was running, everybody was a fire, and I couldn't see any exits. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

US stocks continue to trade high with the Dow now up 737 points or 1.6%. The S&P has climbed more than 100 points or more than 1.5%. The NASDAQ is up 1.7%. It's NPR news.