NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-21-2025 5AM EST

Episode Date: November 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Dave Mattingley. The Trump administration's latest peace proposal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine calls for Keev to give up all land in the eastern part of the country. NPR's Tom Bowman says the 28-point proposals being presented to Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, by U.S. officials in Kiev. It was drafted by Trump's special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, and his Russian counterpart, a business. This man Kareil Dimitriev in Miami recently, and it was leaked the Americans believe by the Russians. And I've been told about some parts of the plan by a source not authorized to speak. And again, the proposal appears to give Russia everything they want in more. Right now, the Russians control about 88% of the eastern Donbos region. And this proposal gives them all that land. The European Union has indicated it's troubled by the proposal.

Congressional Democrats are denouncing President Trump's. comments on social media, accusing a group of six Democratic lawmakers of seditious behavior punishable by death. NPR's Claudia Grisales has more. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer assailed the series of extreme truth social posts by President Trump. That includes resharing a post calling for the hanging of congressional Democrats who previously served in the military and intelligence branches. The president of the United States is calling for the execution of elected officials. This is an outright threat and it's deadly serious. The backlash comes days

after a video posted by Democratic Senators Mark Kelly, Alyssa Slotkin, and representatives Jason Crow, Chrissy Hulahan, Chris DeLuzio, and Maggie Goodlander. In it, they said military and intelligence members can refuse the administration's illegal orders. Claude Risalves, NBR News, the Capitol. Later today at the White House, New York City's incoming Democratic socialist mayor, so Ron Mumdani, is scheduled to meet with the president. That meeting was requested by Mamdani. The Trump administration is proposing to expand oil and gas drilling off California, along with regions of the Arctic and the Gulf. NPR's Kamila Domenoski says the administration is hoping 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. This is NPR News from Washington. A new survey finds more Americans are anxious about the holiday season this year as compared to 2024.

A major factor is the U.S. economy. NPR's Ritu Chatterjee reports on the results of a quarterly survey by the American Psychiatric Association. 41% of adults surveyed said they expect more holiday-related stress compared to the year before. That's significantly higher than the 28% who saw. said the same thing in 2024. The good news is that more people, 44% said that the holidays have a positive impact on their mental health in 2025 compared to 38% last year. Among the reasons for anticipating holiday-related stress, nearly half-sighted grief or missing someone as well as worries about affording holiday gifts. And three-quarters of respondents

said the economy is their main source of anxiety, with nearly half seeing they're very anxious about it. Read the Chatterjee, NPR News. The National Transportation Safety Board says it found evidence of cracks in the left-wing engine mount of a UPS cargo plane that crashed on takeoff and exploded earlier this month in Louisville, Kentucky. The crash killed the three pilots aboard and 11 on the ground. The plane's left engine fell off as the jet was attempting to get airborne. It was on this day in 1980. A fire broke out at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, killing 85 people mostly from smoke inhalation. Hundreds of others were injured. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.