NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-01-2025 4PM EST

Episode Date: December 1, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi, saying. The White House is acknowledging that a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in the Caribbean happened on September 2nd and specify that Navy Admiral Frank Bradley carried out the order. NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports. Defense Secretary Pete Higseth ordered the first strike on the boat and a subsequent strike that killed all survivors on board, as NPR has previously reported. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt defended that second strike at her latest briefing. With respect to the strikes in question on September 2nd, Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes. Admiral Bradley worked well within his authority and the law, directing the engagement to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have said that the second strike may have constituted a war crime.

Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News, the White House. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey updated the public today on U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, a 24-year-old who was one of two National Guard members shot last week in Washington, D.C. Andrew remains in serious condition. We did have some positive news that we were told that Andrew was asked if he could hear the nurse who asked the question to give a thumbs up, and he did respond. U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Bextram died. She was 20 years old. They were shot near the White House.

Authorities say the gunman is an Afghan national who resettled in the U.S. in recent years as part of a program assisting Afghans who helped U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan. The shooting prompted the Trump administration to halt all asylum requests. A U.S. appeals court says President Trump's former lawyer, Alina Haba, is disqualified from being the top New Jersey prosecutor

it upheld a lower court ruling today. Today, Cyber Monday caps the busiest shopping weekend of the year. New data suggesting record spending. Research at the Credit Card Network MasterCard shows sales at stores in online were 4% higher on Black Friday than the same time a year ago. And Piers Alina Sullyuk reports at that rate, holiday spending is on track to top a trillion dollars for the first time. The MasterCard Economics Institute says online sales grew more than 10% compared to last year.

There were big jumps in spending on clothes, jewelry, and electronics. Adobe Analytics, which tracks online transactions, forecasts that spending on Cyber Monday will peak in the late evening hours, with shoppers expected to spend $16 million every minute. In surveys, shoppers say they are concerned about tariffs, inflation, and economic uncertainty, but they are also eager for great holiday deals. Retailers are luring shoppers with some of the deepest discounts of recent years, offered earlier in the season. Alina Selyuk, NPR News. It's NPR. The World Health Organization is now recommending GLP-1 drugs as a tool for long-term treatment of obesity in adults combined with healthy

eating and more physical activity. The recommendation excludes pregnant women. New guidelines published today in the medical journal JAMA state that the GLP-1 therapies can help address obesity and associated health risks. The WHO also notes more long-term data about the drug's efficacy and safety are needed. A survey of centenarians by United Healthcare finds. People who make it to 100 are more socially engaged and physically active. NPR's Allison Aubrey explains that despite the challenges of aging, many report feeling decades younger than their actual age.

There are about 100,000 centenarians in the U.S. That's expected to quadruple by mid-century. Dr. Rhonda Randall of United Health Care says about four and five report frequent get-togethers with friends and family, and many also prioritize movement. 46% of people over the age of 100 are saying they're doing some type of strength training on a weekly basis. 36% say they participate in some kind of stress relief activity like meditation. Many say they focus on a healthy diet, and almost one in three have tried chat GPT, or another AI platform showing curiosity about new technology. Alice Norbury, NPR News.

The Dow's closed down. 427 points are nearly 1%. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.