NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-26-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: November 26, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. The FBI is seeking to interview six Democratic lawmakers who appeared in a video, telling members of the military they should defy what they called illegal orders. President Trump accused them of sedition, which he said is punishable by death. Michigan Senator Alyssa Slotkin says the president is attempting to use the FBI to scare them. Another of the six, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, says that won't work. I am doing my job. I will not be intimidated. I will not be harassed. I will continue to do my job and uphold my oath, and I will never give up the ship. The lawmakers say their video statement accurately reflected U.S. law that American troops swear an oath to the U.S. Constitution, not the president.

All six served in the military or intelligence community. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona is a retired Navy captain. He's being investigated by the Pentagon for potential violations of military law. President Trump says his envoy, Steve Whitkoff, will soon head to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The plan meeting comes as President Trump says he's closing in on a negotiated deal to end the war in Ukraine. NPR's Charles Mainz reports from Moscow. A senior Kremlin aide confirmed Whitkoff would meet with Putin next week to discuss the latest U.S. efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Whitkoff seeks approval for a draft peace plan that initially offered terms favorable to Moscow, but has since been fine-tuned with input from Europe and Ukraine.

Senior Russian officials have warned those amendments could make the plan a non-starter. Whitkoff's trip also comes in the wake of a leaked transcript from a phone call with a senior Putin aide that appears to show Whitkoff providing counsel on handling Trump. While the transcript has not been independently verified by NPR, Trump is already downplaying its contents, telling reporters Whitkoff was engaged in a standard form of negotiation. Charles Bain's NPR News, Moscow. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon says it has seen no evidence that Hezbollah has been rebuilding military infrastructure near the border with Israel. Israel cites what it caused rebuilding as the reason for regular attacks in Lebanon.

Jane Aram has more on the story. Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire a year ago, while the militant group Hezbollah has held its fire. Hundreds of Israeli attacks since then have killed more than 300 people, according to the Lebanese government. Israel says, without providing evidence, it's responding to the Iran-backed group rebuilding its capability. UN peacekeeping spokesperson in Lebanon, Candice Ardeal, tells NPR that they have not seen any rebuilding. Again, we haven't seen evidence of any Hezbollah rebuilding, of moving of weapons, or anything like that. The UN says almost half of those killed in the Israeli attacks have been civilians. For NPR News, I'm Jane Araf in Beirut.

News. Around holidays such as Thanksgiving, drunken driving fatalities tend to increase. Data suggests more than a third of driving fatalities in the next five days will likely be linked to alcohol. NPR's Camilla Dominovsky reports. Holidays mean a lot more people on the road, and then on top of that, more alcohol is flowing. Stacey Stewart is the CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. In fact, Thanksgiving Eve is actually the most popular night for drinking. and it's also one of the most deadliest nights on the road. We refer to Thanksgiving Eve as Blackout Wednesday.

Stewart urges anyone going out to have a plan for getting home, like a ride share or a designated driver. And if you're hosting Thanksgiving, she recommends thinking about whether your guests have safe rides home, a little prep that could make a big difference. Camila Dominovsky, NPR News. Here's a happier Thanksgiving story. Some nonprofits are offering to let people adopt a turkey

to save it from the dinner table. They don't actually take them, but their dollars go to an annual sanctuary that provides a holiday feast for the turkey. Lynette Cook works at the Loven Arms Animal Sanctuary in Erie, Colorado. Every year around Thanksgiving, we really highlight our turkey residents that you can sponsor. They are capable of creating those bonds of friendship with human beings, with each other, with other species. And I think it's important that we recognize that. Some view the adoption option as a protest against what they call inhumane conditions in turkey farms that turkeys have feelings and should be treated with kindness. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.

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