NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-28-2025 4AM EST

Episode Date: November 28, 2025

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Hey everyone, it's Mike and Ian. We're the hosts of How to Do Everything. And on this week's episode, a listener calls us wanting to cure her car sickness. Now, some shows might call a doctor, but we call Kevin Bacon and Kenny G. And they actually sort of help. Sort of. Listen to the How to Do Everything podcast on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News, I'm Jail Snyder. President Trump says that one, of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot near the White House Wednesday has died. One of the guardsmen that we're talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person,

started service in June of 2023. Outstanding in every way, she's just passed away. I'm talking about 20-year-old specialist Sarah Bextrum during his Thanksgiving call to U.S. troops Thursday. He's a 24-year-old staff sergeant Andrew Wolfe is fighting for his life. CIA Director John Ratcliffe says a man accused of shooting the two National Guard members in D.C. Previously worked with the CIA in Afghanistan. NPR's Greg Myrie reports that he came to the U.S. shortly after the U.S. military withdrawal. CIA Director Ratcliffe said the suspect came to the U.S. in September 2021. This was the month after the American military completed its pullout from Afghanistan and the Taliban took control of the country.

The suspect identified as Ramanula Lockenwal, age 29, worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, in the southern city of Kandahar. This is according to the statement by Ratcliffe. Roughly 200,000 Afghan immigrants and refugees have come to the U.S. in the past four years. President Trump has called for the examination of the U.S. every Afghan who entered the country when President Biden was in office. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Washington. President Trump did not mention the D.C. attack in a long message he posted to social media late Thursday, but he did vow to freeze immigration from what he called third world countries.

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, NPR's Daniel Estrin has more from Tel Aviv. U.S. citizen Mohamed 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, Zied Kudur, 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. And you're listening to NPR News. The search and rescue mission in Hong Kong is nearing an end.

Officials say they expect to wrap up operations today after the city's worst fire and decades tore through a massive apartment complex. Seven of eight towers were engulfed by flames. The death toll is rising. Authorities now say at least 128 people are confirmed dead. Dozens remain missing. Three men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. If you've ever wondered where household cats are

originated from. A new study gives us the closest answer yet, as NPR's Nate Ropp reports. The new study used ancient DNA from archaeological cat remains to find that domestic cats likely originated in North Africa thousands of years ago. Lead author Marco de Martino, a researcher at the University of Rome, Torveigata, says what was most surprising to him was how recently cats moved from there. The earliest domestic genomes arrived in Europe roughly around 2,000 years ago. Likely spread by traders and migrating people, either for utility. Cats love killing rodents and mice or companionship, or possibly, much like today, for both.

Nate Roth, NPR News. The holiday season is now turning toward Black Friday, which remains the biggest single shopping day of the year in the U.S. The day after Thanksgiving marks the official start of the holiday shopping season, which typically accounts for about. a third of retail profits. This year's kickoff comes as President Trump's tariffs on imported goods that raise costs for both retailers and consumers. I'm Giles Snyder. 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.