NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-30-2025 11PM EST

Episode Date: December 1, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. The investigation continues into the Afghan National suspected of shooting two National Guard members Wednesday in the nation's capital. Homeland Security Secretary Christine Noam told ABC's this week that the problem began with President Biden. Well, the investigation is still ongoing and we're allowing our partnership with the FBI and DOJ to continue to reveal all of the sources of motivation. But we do believe this individual when they came into the country, we know he was unvetted. He was brought into the country by the Biden administration through Operation Allies Welcome and then maybe vetted after that but not done well based on what the guidelines were put forward by President Biden.

No evidence has been offered so far to share that he was not vetted properly. The Trump administration, meanwhile, granted the suspect asylum early this year, according to a group that assists with resettlement of Afghans who helped the U.S. in Afghanistan. Another House member is retiring from Congress and joining a record number of lawmakers calling it quits on Capitol Hill. NPR's Luke Garrett has more on that reports. Republican Representative Troy Nell says he wants to spend more time with his family and will not be running for re-election in 2026. He made the call over the Thanksgiving holiday, Nell said in a statement Saturday. That same day, another Nells, launched his campaign for Texas's 22nd Congressional District. Troy's identical twin brother, Trevor, is now seeking the House seat representing the southwestern portion of Greater Houston.

In a Facebook post, Trevor Nels said he'd follow in his brother's footsteps. So far, this Congress, a record 10 senators and 42 House members have announced their retirements from their current seats, plus several more have died or resigned. The GOP holds slim majorities in both the House and Senate ahead of the 2026 midterms. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. A new report by the UN says Gaza's economy has collapsed to a fraction of what it was before the war. About 80% of the population is now unemployed in nearly everyone. has been pushed into poverty and are reliant on aid. And Pierre Zaya Betrawe has more.

The report by the UN agency that tracks global trade and development says this is the world's worst economic crisis on record in decades. It says Israel's bombardment of Gaza wiped out electricity, farmland and homes. That's as Israeli restrictions on aiding goods into Gaza simultaneously pushed inflation to nearly 240%. The UN report says Gaza's GDP per capita now stands at just $161 a year. In contrast, this figure, which economists used to compare standards of living and economic growth, stands at $60,000 a year in Israel. The report says Gaza's economy today has shrunk by nearly 90% of what it was before the war, and that it'll take decades of ceasefire and reconstruction before the economy returns to what it was in 2023. Aya-Baltrowi

and Pierre News, Dubai. Travelers, at the end of the Thanksgiving holiday today, we're finding hundreds of flights delayed and canceled into an out of Chicago following a winter storm underway in the Great Lakes region. You're listening to NPR News. Voters in Switzerland decisively rejected a referendum that would have required women to do national service or other civil duties, as men currently do. More than 84% of voters Sunday rejected what was labeled the Citizen Service Initiative, not one of the country's 26 cantons, which are similar to U.S. states, voted in favor. POW is a new animated short film being distributed to schools this month. The goal is to show

students a slice of modern Native American life. And Pierce Caden Mills spoke with the film's creator. Pao follows a native kid at a powwow with his family. But he's not really into it. The powwow just feels like his parents' thing. Pao is inspired by my experiences, really being dragged by my mom to powwows when I was a kid on the Tulalip Reservation, where I for sure sat in the bleachers playing Game Boy. That's writer-director Joey Clift.

He's a member of the Cowlitz Indian tribe and a comedian and TV writer. Cliff says he wanted to create the sort of representation he wishes he had as a kid. The only native representation that I really saw growing up were like Looney Tunes cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny and a Cowboy hat shooting at 1800s native stereotypes, you know. Cliff hopes Powell will be able to expand narratives about native people and show that Native American stories deserve to be told authentically. Caden Mills, NPR News. Zootopia 2 is in the record books. The Disney sequel earned $96 million over the weekend from North American theaters.

and $156 million over the five-day holiday. When you add in international sales, the movie is already made $556 million, making it the highest international opening ever for an animated movie. Wicked for Good, meanwhile, was in second. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News.