NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-27-2025 11PM EST

Episode Date: November 28, 2025

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On the next through line from NPR, the mother of Thanksgiving. If every state should join in Union Thanksgiving on the 24th of this month, would it not be a renewed pledge of love and loyalty to the Constitution of the United States? Listen to ThruLine in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. President Trump says West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Bexstrom is dead. She's no longer with us. She's looking down at us right now. Their parents are with her.

This just happened. She was savagely attacked. She's dead. Trump made the announcement this evening during his Thanksgiving call to U.S. troops. Bextrum was 20 years old. She was one of the two West Virginia Guard members who were shot in Washington, D.C. Wednesday, in what officials call a targeted attack. The suspect is in custody and has been identified as an Afghan national who came to the U.S. during the Biden administration and was granted asylum earlier this year.

Israel has freed a Florida teen from jail after he was held for more than nine months. Civil rights groups and more than 20 Democratic Congress members had been calling for his release, and Pierre's Daniel Estrin has more from Tel Aviv. U.S. citizen Mohammed Ibrahim was detained by Israeli forces in February, and he turned 16 in Israeli custody. His family splits their time between the Tampa area and a Palestinian village in the West Bank.

Israel accused him of throwing stones at moving vehicles in the West Bank. His family says he was forced into a confession and was released in a plea bargain with a suspended sentence. His uncle, Zed Qadur, spoke to NPR. We're very happy. We are upset or sad

that it took nine and a half months for a child, a minor, a U.S. citizen, who was blindfolded and zip tied and beaten into a confession for something he didn't do. He says his nephew is now in the hospital and that he lost about a third of his body weight and contracted scabies while in Israeli prison. The U.S. State Department said it welcomed his release. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Affordability is an issue around the country. Nearly six in ten Americans say the Trump administration should focus on lowering prices. that's according to the latest NPR PBS Marist poll. As the nation heads into a midterm election next year, Myon Silver of membership WUWN, talk to people in the swing state of Wisconsin. At Victory Garden Initiative in Milwaukee's Central City, volunteers handed out free turkeys and invited people in for a Thanksgiving-style meal. People in line, like Cheryl Britton, were grateful as they relayed economic struggles over rent and food.

Britain, who's on supplemental security income and receives SNAP benefits, doesn't feel like politicians in Washington, D.C., care about what she and others are going through. The Trump administration, Democrat, Republican, liberal, white wing, left wing, back wing, horizontal wing, I don't give a freak. Get your stuff together, period. She says she wants politicians to focus less on the 1%, and more on people like her. For NPR News, I'm May on Silver. Milwaukee. This is NPR. In social media posts, some residents of Anchorage, Alaska took to calling today's Thanksgiving holiday, Shakespeare. A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck the area this morning. No reports of any significant damage. And the mayor of Anchorage says inspectors have not found any

issues with public infrastructure. An American and two Russians are safely aboard the International Space Station successfully blasting off today from Kazakhstan aboard a Russian spacecraft. They docked at the orbiting outpost about three hours after lifting off and arriving in time for a Thanksgiving meal. The crew includes astronaut Chris Williams. They're expected to spend about eight months at the ISS. A Belgian sheep dog has won Best in Show at the 2025 National Dog Show in Philadelphia. The six-year-old beat out more than 1,900 other dogs in this year's competition. NPR Shacky Northam has more on the winner.

Soleil, a pitch black dog and part of the herding group, beat out six other finalists to capture the competition, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia. Her handler, Daniel Martin, from Princeton, North Carolina, said Soleil's attitude and movement helped her clinch best in show. He said she also loves the crowd and the big arena. He called it a fantastic day. The American Kennel Club describes Belgian sheepdogs as highly trainable herders that are, quote, bright, watchful, and serious-minded. It says they crave human companionship and a born neglect. Their average lifespan is between 10 and 14 years. An American foxhound named George one reserve best in show. Jackie Northam, NPR News. This is NPR. This message comes from

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