NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-27-2025 4AM EST

Episode Date: November 27, 2025

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Support for NPR and the following message come from the Kreske Foundation with Pathbreakers, a podcast about transforming communities through innovation, from revolutionizing higher education to supporting artists who are driving change. Pathbreakers is available on podcast platforms. Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Two West Virginia National Guard members are in a Washington, D.C. hospital officials say they are in critical condition after. being shot Wednesday, and what D.C.'s mayor says was a targeted attack near a metro stop, just blocks from the White House. Emin McDonald was on the street, when the shooting happened, she appreciated the quick law enforcement response. I did feel very safe, knowing that all of the, you know, military personnel and police were there, but honestly, I had no idea what was going on. NPR's Tom Bowman says the Guard members were part of the deployment to the nation's capital from multiple states,

after President Trump declared a crime emergency. They've been deployed since August, more than 2,000 troops, including 180 from West Virginia. President Trump ordered the deployment, as you remember, to help reduce crime. And they've been patrolling mostly in the tourist areas near the monuments in Georgetown. And also, they've been picking up trash, removing graffiti. And just yesterday, the government filed an appeal looking to have a ruling from a federal judge who blocked the deployment. And just after the shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Higgs has said President Trump has ordered another 500 guard troops to D.C. In a social media video, President Trump said the suspect is an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021.

He's now calling for a review of all Afghan refugees who entered the country during the Biden administration. The Georgia criminal case against President Trump and more than a dozen of his allies over their efforts to overturn the 20. 2020 election result is officially over. A state judge dismissed the case in its entirety Wednesday after a special prosecutor moved to drop all charges. Here's NPR Sam Greenglass. The prosecution was the last outstanding criminal case against the president after a pair of federal prosecutions were dropped earlier this year. In 2023, a grand jury in Fulton County charged Trump and 18 others in a sweeping racketeering case, spurred in part by Trump's call to Georgia's Secretary of State asking him to find votes. Pete Scandalakis, director of the state

prosecuting attorney's counsel, took over the case after a court disqualified Fulton County District attorney Fawney Willis over an alleged conflict of interest, stemming from an improper relationship with a special prosecutor. Scandalakis found that the alleged criminal conduct was conceived in Washington, D.C., writing the federal government is the appropriate venue for this prosecution. Sam Gringlass, NPR News. East and Hong Kong have arrested three people in connection with Hong Kong's deadliest fire in years. At least 44 people now confirmed dead and nearly 300 reported missing. The fire erupted Wednesday afternoon at a high-rise apartment complex. It's still burning and

rescuers are reported to be struggling to reach those who are potentially trapped. This is NPR News. Murder charges have been filed against three men accused of fatally shooting a rising no music artist in Los Angeles. Two have been arrested and police are still looking for the third. Prosecutors say the suspects fired multiple rounds into a parked car that Dela Rosa and two others were in after demanding money. A new assessment of African forest elephants finds there's less than 150,000 left in the world. MPR's Nate Rod reports on what's being called the most accurate estimate ever of the critically endangered animal. African forest elephants live in the dense, humid rainforests of Western and Central Africa, making them notoriously difficult

to count. The new assessment used genetic fingerprints of individual elephants found in dung samples to calculate population size, and it estimates there are just over 135,000 individuals left. Poaching and habitat loss from mining operations, human infrastructure, and agricultural development have been the largest threats to the elephants. The authors of the new assessment say the new data provides crucial information to help focus conservation efforts and give the species a chance to recover. Nate Roth, NPR News. In New York City, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade crews have been getting those giant balloons into shape as the parade prepares to step off in a matter of hours. Crews started inflating them yesterday. Officials are watching the weather. The forecast is calling for a

somewhat gusty day. Under New York City law, the balloons are grounded if sustained winds exceed at 23 miles per hour or gust more than 35 miles per hour. This is NPR News. 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.