NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-01-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: December 1, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. A federal appeals court has ruled Alina Haba is not serving lawfully as the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey. NPR's Kerry Johnson reports on the latest challenge to the way the Trump administration is installing federal prosecutors. The three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit unanimously ruled Alina Haba is disqualified from supervising cases. The court found Haba had been put into the U.S. attorney job in New Jersey. unlawful way. The Trump administration's been frustrated in advancing some of its nominees for those top prosecutor jobs, but the court said people in New Jersey and loyal workers at the Justice Department deserve some stability and clarity. Similar challenges are underway to Trump prosecutors in California, New York, Nevada, and Virginia. A court there dismissed indictments against former FBI director

Jim Comey and New York Attorney General Tish James based on the appointments issue. Carrie Johnson, NPR News. The man accused of killing, the CEO of United Health Care at last year, will begin a series of hearings today. Lawyers for Luigi Mangione are asking a New York state judge to throw out some pieces of evidence in the murder case. Mangione also faces federal charges in the matter. If he's convicted, prosecutors could seek the death penalty. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a presidential pardon. He wants to end his corruption trial without pleading guilty.

or leaving office. He says he's in court three days a week, and a pardon would be for the good of the country. NPR's Daniel Estrin says Netanyahu has been fighting the corruption charges for years. Well, it's really a pivotal moment for him. He's facing an election year coming up next year. He's facing a lot of discontent at home. There are calls in Israel to launch an official inquiry to hold him accountable for the security failures of the Hamas attack, October 7, in 2023. And at the same time, his corruption trial has shifted into higher gear. NPR's Daniel Estrin reporting. The White House is reopening for public tours after a three-month hiatus. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, the residence is decked out for the holidays, but the footprint

of the tour is much smaller than it was previously. Tours used to start in the East Wing, but it was demolished to make way for President Trump's ballroom project. The tour now sticks to the state floor of the main residence. The theme is home is where the heart is. And the official White House Christmas tree features gold stars to honor families who lost a loved one in active duty military service. Nicholas Clemens works for the first lady. There's a lot of meaning, especially with putting the gold star families here at the heart of the White House here in the blue room, showing that they're front and center. There's also a 6,000 piece Lego portrait of President Trump and another one of George Washington. Tamara Keith and

NPR News, the White House. You're listening to NPR News. Authorities in several Southeast Asian countries say about a thousand people have died from flooding and landslides. The affected countries include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Authorities in Sri Lanka say more than 350 people have been killed there and hundreds of others are missing. Sweata-Dissai reports extreme rainfall battered Sri Lanka over the weekend. In an address to the nation, the Sri Lankan president Anura Kumar Disaniaki described the weather event as, quote, the largest and most challenging natural disaster in our history. The United Nations reports that about 100,000 people remain displaced in shelters and low-lying areas remain

cut off because of floodwaters. That has complicated rescue missions conducted by military personnel from Sri Lanka and neighboring India. Extreme weather has battered parts of Asia in recent days. The worst hit has been the archipelago of Indonesia, where more than 500 people have died and many more remain missing. Another 170 people have died in extreme weather events in Thailand. For NPR news, I'm Swetta Desai. Today is World AIDS Day. The United Nations says that as of last year, more than 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV. More than 40 million people have died of AIDS-related ailments since the epidemic started. There is new concern that U.S. cuts in relief aid could jeopardize progress in this area of public health. The U.S. government

is not formally commemorating this day. This is NPR.