NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-01-2025 6AM EST

Episode Date: December 1, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, on Kourva Coleman, President Trump's envoy, Steve Whitkoff, is expected to leave today from Moscow. He participated in weekend talks in Florida with Ukrainian officials, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports the U.S. team says the diplomacy over Russia's war in Ukraine is complicated. Whitkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, joined Rubio in the talks with the delegation from Kiev. Rubio says they made progress, and they're working on. something that will be comprehensive to make sure Ukraine won't face another Russian invasion once this war ends. It's not just about the terms that ends fighting.

It's about also the terms that set up Ukraine for long-term prosperity. The head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustim Umyrov, said the U.S. was, quote, super-supportive. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington. President Trump says he spoke with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. NPR's Luke Garrett reports Trump continues to defend Pentagon. strikes on alleged drugboats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Trump told reporters he spoke with Maduro by phone, but did not say when. The U.S. military has carried out at least 21 strikes on what they say are drug boats in

international waters, killing more than 80 people. When asked how the call went, Trump said, I wouldn't say it went well or badly. A phone call. Trump also said he wasn't aware of the controversy around Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision to strike a boat for a second time that still had survivors on board, as NPR and others have reported. When asked about these reported orders by Heggseth, Trump said...

He said he did not say that, and I believe him. Trump said he had great confidence in Heg Seth, but he'll look into the reports and he wouldn't have ordered a second strike himself. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. Congress is not taking Hegset at his word. The House and Senate Armed Services committees are both stepping up bipartisan inquiries into the deadly strikes and what Hegseth may have done. Some lawmakers say if that occurred, the order could be considered a war crime. Congress returns today from its Thanksgiving recess to face a long to-do list that follows a record-long government shutdown. NPR Sam Granglass reports it failed to resolve a debate over expiring health subsidies.

For 43 days, Democrats withheld their votes on a short-term funding bill because Republicans would not agree to extend expiring subsidies for health plans purchased on the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Democrats extracted the promise of a Senate vote on the matter, but the outcome. is far from clear. Some House Republicans want to join Democrats in extending the subsidies. But many Republicans who have been deeply critical of the ACA subsidies are pushing for sweeping health care reforms. President Trump has talked about ditching the subsidies in favor of putting money in health savings accounts. The subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year, spiking premiums for many Americans. Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

President Trump is doubling down on his plans to stop all asylum requests from 19 countries on the U.S. travel ban list. He said this ban could last time. Speaking last night, Trump highlighted Afghanistan. The suspect in last week's deadly attack on National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., is Afghan. Today marks 70 years since Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her subsequent arrest sparked the Montgomery. bus boycott. Numerous events commemorating the historic moment are planned, as Troy Public Radio's Austin Toy reports. Seven decades later, the street corner in Montgomery, where Rosa Parks

was arrested, now boasts a museum that tells her story. When the boycott began, activist Doris Crenshaw was 12 years old. She believes that even after 70 years, the fight for equality hasn't changed. So I think we're on a cycle today that's much like what it was in the 50s or the 40s, even. Bells are set to ring at the time of Park's arrest in Montgomery, the National Cathedral in D.C. and the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. For NPR News, I'm Austin Toy in Montgomery, Alabama. Today is World AIDS Day. The UN says 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. The U.S. government is not formally commemorating World AIDS Day.

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