NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-21-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: November 22, 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. The Supreme Court is allowing Texas's recently redrawn map of congressional districts to go into effect for now. It's the latest move in the gerrymandering fight sparked by President Trump to try to keep Republicans in control of the House of Representatives.

As NPR's Hansilo Wong reports, Texas appealed a lower court order that had blocked it. That court found the map's challenges are likely to prove in a trial that the map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. As because multiples of how Republican lawmakers made public statements suggesting they passed it to eliminate existing districts where black and Latino voters together make up the majority. But in Texas' appeals to the Supreme Court, the state claims that lawmakers, were not motivated by race and focused instead on drawing new districts that are more likely to elect Republicans. If the Supreme Court clears the way for Texas to use the contestant map, Republicans may be able to pick up five more seats in the U.S. House, but time is running out to change the map for Texas' midterm election. The state's candidate filing deadline is in

about two weeks. Hansi Luong and PR News. President Trump and New York mayor-elect Zoran Mamdani set aside their differences and discussed their shared goals during an Oval Office meeting today. Trump says he expects to help Mamdani. not hurt him. We had a meeting today that actually surprised me. He wants to see no crime. He wants to see housing being built. He wants to see rents coming down, all things that I agree with. Now, we may disagree how we get there. When it comes to their differences on immigration enforcement, Trump said they could work them out. The meeting came after Trump called Mamdani a communist lunatic. Mamdani has called Trump a fascist. But the sit-down offered Mamdani an opportunity to talk with the most

powerful person in the world, and it gave Trump a high-profile chance to talk about affordability at a time when he's trying to show he's addressing the cost of living. A federal court is blocking the IRS from sharing data on millions of taxpayers with immigration officials. The Treasury Department says the data helps the government enforce immigration laws. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kohler-Katelli says the policy was arbitrary and violates a law that protects taxpayer confidentiality. The Trump administration has published the technical specifications for a new crash test dummy design that's based on a female body. NPR's Camilla Dominovsky reports. Women are more likely to be injured in a vehicle crash than men. And safety advocates have long

argued one reason might be that required safety tests only use dummies based on the male body. The new design is meant to help. Chris O'Connor is the CEO of crash test dummy manufacturer humanetics. It was designed around what injuries of female would have, not just what a small male would have. Humanetics and federal regulators have worked on the new design for over a decade, and there are still several more regulatory steps before the dummy will actually be required in tests. Camila Dominooski, NPR News. After a day of wild swings, major U.S. stock indexes closed up. This is NPR News from Washington. Israel's prime minister met with top security officials to assess an increase in Israeli

settler violence in the West Bank. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces increasing U.S. pressure to halt the violence. Washington is hoping Israel can contain it to avoid jeopardizing the U.S. brokered peace plan for Gaza. This weekend, artists across the country are participating in what they say is creative resistance to authoritarianism. NPR's Anastasia Zilkes reports. Fall of Freedom includes more than 600 events across the U.S., ranging from performances of Les Miserables in Portland, Maine, to a zine-making workshop in Homer, Alaska. Fall of Freedom is the brainchild of visual artist Dred Scott. He told NPR that right now, many artists in cultural institutions are feeling paralyzed by

political pressures. He wanted to provide an open-ended framework for them to use their creativity to feel less isolated. We're trying to say, no, actually, let's all stand up. They might be able to pick one or two of us off, but they can't get us all if we all collectively stand together. Marky names participating include playwright Lynn Noddage, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, and musician John Legend. Anastasia Silkus and Pierre News, New York. A Missouri judge who wore an Elvis Presley wig and played the singer's music during court proceedings has agreed to step down. St. Charles County Circuit Judge Matthew Thornhill would eventually

resign under the deal he reached with a state board to avoid a disciplinary hearing. The deal is awaiting final approval from the Missouri Supreme Court. 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 Cs apply.