NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-02-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: December 3, 2025

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Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez has been released from prison following a pardon from President Trump. Hernandez was sentenced last year to 45 years for aiding drug traffickers. As NPR's Greg Mirey explains, it comes as the Trump administration is striking alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. He did officially pardon the Honduran president, former president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, who's now been released from prison in West Virginia. He was convicted in the U.S. last year, sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in the smuggling of an estimated 400 to 500 tons of cocaine into the U.S. over an extended period. Hernandez sent a letter to Trump recently

saying he was a victim of political persecution by the Biden administration, and Trump appears to have accepted this without offering any evidence that there were problems with the legal case. And critics are asking why Trump is waging this major military campaign to fight drugs while releasing a former Honduran president convicted of a major role in drug trafficking. NPR's Greg Myrie reporting tonight, Tennessee voters will determine whether a congressional district stays red or flips blue. Mariana Bakial from member station WPLN spoke with voters at the polls. This district was not a battleground last year. President Trump won here by 22 points. But many Voters are dissatisfied with the economy under Trump, like Lisa Tony from Nashville.

She says she voted for Democratic candidate Afton Bain because she's worried about tariffs and also price of groceries and just living. But some Republican voters say the economy is fine, like Becky Browning from Cheatham County. Some food prices are down. I can tell a difference. And I feel safe with this administration. Republican Matt Van Epps is still favored to win this race, but both parties will be keeping a close eye on the margins. For NPR news, I'm Mariana Baca Yao in Nashville. A winter storm that caused hundreds of crashes and left one driver dead in Missouri is now hitting the northeast, as NPR's Atovia Smith reports, parts of New England are expecting 9 to 10 inches of snow.

Heavy snow bands may dump at least 6 inches in large swaths of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, and another storm may hit later this week. National Weather Service meteorologist John Palmer says winds will pick up as temperatures drop today, making driving dangerous. But he says the season's first storm is not unusual. It's just kind of the way of life. You know, I've had winter storms happen over Thanksgiving in years past. This is really not out of the ordinary, but nonetheless still an impactful commute tonight for our area. Locals should be thankful, Palmer says, that the affected commute is this week rather than over the holiday travel rush.

Tovia Smith's NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. An investigation into a deadly stampede at Liverpool's Hillsborough Stadium in 1989 has found that 12 police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings for their failings, though by law they can no longer be charged. The tragedy led to 97 people being killed

during a crush of fans. YouTube released its annual trends report today, dominated by tracks from the hit animated movie K-pop Demon Hunters, and podcasts by right-leaning hosts like Joe Rogan and Theo Vaughn. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports. Some things haven't changed. In 2025, Media Personality, Mr. Beast makes his sixth consecutive appearance at the top of YouTube's content creator list. Meanwhile, the streamer's new personalized YouTube recap feature enables users to see and share a summary of their individual views. viewing and listening habits throughout the year. It also ascribes them a personality type based on the data, like Serenity Seeker or Self-improver. A YouTube short promotes the service.

Find out what your YouTube recap says about you. Other streamers have already implemented similar offerings, such as Spotify's Wrapped and Apple Music's replay. Chloe Veltman, NPR News. Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter and the publisher of the Franklin the Turtle Children's book series are disavowing the Trump administration's use of their work, Carpenter's song, Juno, was used in a video montage depicting ice raids. She tweeted that the video is evil and disgusting and asked to not be involved,

not asked to not to involve her music in such agendas. Publisher Kids can press condemned to post by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth showing Franklin the Turtle holding a bazooka. This is NPR News.