Apple News Today – November 12, 2025

Episode Title: The shutdown is nearly over. The fight over health care isn’t.
Host: Shumita Basu

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the potential end of a record-breaking U.S. government shutdown and the ongoing, unresolved fight over health care subsidies. It then dives into the U.S. absence from a major global climate summit, examines the resurgence of measles in North America, and rounds up other major stories including U.S. military activities in the Caribbean and an unexpected moment in NBA history.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Government Shutdown Approaching an End, Health Care Battle Continues

• Deal Pending: The House is poised to pass an agreement to reopen the government, funding most of it through January and some agencies through next September ([00:05]).
• Lingering Health Care Fights: The deal does not address COVID-era health care subsidies for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, which are set to expire at year’s end.
• Democrats, led by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, remain adamant:
  • "This fight continues and over the last several weeks we have successfully elevated this health care issue such that the American people are demanding action." — Hakeem Jeffries quoted by Shumita Basu ([00:52])
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune promises a health care vote by mid-December, but political reporter Meredith Lee Hill is skeptical about the short timeline ([01:42]):
  • "It's obviously only a few weeks with the Thanksgiving holiday in there for lawmakers to hash out what is going to be some really intense and complicated health care plans..." — Meredith Lee Hill ([01:42])

The Stakes

• ACA marketplace enrollees face “skyrocketing premiums”, with many forced to re-enroll at higher cost or go without insurance ([02:03]).
• Extending the subsidies would cost about $23 billion next year; many House Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson are against this on fiscal grounds.
• Alternative proposals (from Senator Bill Cassidy and President Trump) center on health savings accounts instead of extending subsidies:
  • "They effectively want to swap out those subsidies for something else...taking money that otherwise would have been spent on health insurers...and giving it directly to people." — Meredith Lee Hill ([02:41])
  • "Everybody's going to be happy...Call it Trumpcare, call it whatever you want..." — Donald Trump, Fox News Interview ([03:12])

Doubts within the GOP

• Lee Hill warns even Trump’s base is wary:

  • "They're quite skeptical that that would be enough...If these subsidies aren't extended…it would really hurt a lot of Trump voters, a lot of people in deep red districts who rely on Obamacare at this point." — Meredith Lee Hill ([03:34])

• Impact: 2 million Americans could lose health insurance next year if subsidies expire (Congressional Budget Office, [04:00]).

2. U.S. Skips Global Climate Summit; COP30 in Brazil

• Context: COP30 is underway in Belem, Brazil, marking a major climate event with no official U.S. presence for the first time ([04:00]).
• Contrast with History:
  • 33 years prior, President George H.W. Bush celebrated U.S. leadership in climate pacts ([04:38]).
  • Quote: "We come to Rio proud of what we have accomplished and committed to extending the record on American leadership on the environment." — George H.W. Bush ([04:51])
• Current Stance: President Trump openly rejects mainstream climate change science:
  • "It's the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion. Climate change...All of these predictions made by the United Nations and many others, often for bad reasons, were wrong." — Donald Trump ([05:09])
• The U.S. has not just exited the Paris Agreement (2017) but has pressed allies to also retreat from climate goals.

Global Consequences

• "When you have the world's biggest economy and one of its biggest emitters just throwing up its hands, it's really hard to keep the momentum going...other countries are going to say, if the US isn't going to do anything, why should we?" — Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker ([05:53])
• Democratic governors (NM, CA) are attending to present state-level efforts, but the overall global goal of keeping warming to 1.5°C is likely out of reach ([06:21]).
• Kolbert underscores the stakes:
  • "As long as we are continuing to add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, this problem is going to get worse...the climate is going to continue to warm..." — Elizabeth Kolbert ([06:46])
• New UN analysis: Global emissions may fall 12% by 2035—a positive sign, but insufficient.
• Major challenge: without U.S. finance and leadership, progress at COP30 is unlikely:
  • "Without the U.S...I think it's going to be very difficult to reach agreements on a lot of those issues." — Elizabeth Kolbert ([07:29])

3. Measles Makes a Major Comeback in the Americas

• Canada loses 'measles-free' status for the first time since 1998 due to an ongoing outbreak tracing to a wedding in New Brunswick ([08:07]).
• Significance: The entire Americas lose their measles-free status.
  • "Canada had been declared measles free in 1998 and had maintained that status for 27 years." — Shumita Basu ([08:48])
• Helen Branswell (STAT) explores the nature of current outbreaks:
  • "Many of these infections were occurring within communities of religious people who don't like to interact a lot with the outside world. It's not so much that they're anti-vax per se..." — Helen Branswell ([09:03])
• U.S. is seeing a "big measles year" with nearly 1,700 cases, the most since 1992 ([09:43]).
• Key factors: declining childhood vaccination rates, vaccine fatigue post-COVID, and clustering within insular communities.
• MMR vaccine coverage (92.5%) is below the 95% threshold to prevent sustained measles transmission.
• Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports MMR vaccination, but has also questioned its safety and is ordering new research ([09:55]).
• Branswell summarizes the gravity:
  • "Measles deaths in the modern era in a country like the United States or in Canada should be extremely rare. They shouldn't exist...But there are going to be more of these if the pattern that has been unfolding continues." — Helen Branswell ([10:39])

4. Headlines and Quick Hits

• U.S. Military: The USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrives near the Caribbean, escalating Trump’s campaign to target drug trafficking. Venezuela threatens to sow chaos if the U.S. moves against Maduro ([11:26]).
• NBA News: Nico Harrison ousted as Dallas Mavericks GM after trading Luka Doncic to the LA Lakers—a move likened to Boston’s infamous Babe Ruth trade ([11:26]).
• Bob Ross Auction: Iconic paintings by Bob Ross are auctioned for over $500,000, benefitting PBS and American public TV after recent funding cuts ([11:26]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the health care fight:

  • “This fight continues and over the last several weeks we have successfully elevated this health care issue such that the American people are demanding action.” — Hakeem Jeffries ([00:52])
  • “Everybody's going to be happy...Call it Trumpcare, call it whatever you want...” — President Trump ([03:12])

• On U.S. Climate Policy:

  • “It's the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world, in my opinion.” — President Trump ([05:09])
  • "When you have the world's biggest economy and one of its biggest emitters just throwing up its hands, it's really hard to keep the momentum going." — Elizabeth Kolbert ([05:53])
  • “As long as we are continuing to add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, this problem is going to get worse.” — Elizabeth Kolbert ([06:46])

• On measles outbreaks:

  • “Many of these infections were occurring within communities of religious people who don't like to interact a lot with the outside world...they keep to themselves." — Helen Branswell ([09:03])
  • “Measles deaths in the modern era...should be extremely rare. They shouldn't exist.” — Helen Branswell ([10:39])
  • "That's a very high number. The last time the United States has had that many measles cases in a year was in 1992." — Helen Branswell ([09:43])

• On the NBA trade:

  • “The Wall Street Journal...saw the Doncic trade as a mistake, akin to the Red Sox trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1920.” — Shumita Basu ([11:26])

Key Timestamps

• 00:05: Shutdown deal details; health care fight overview
• 01:42: Reporting from Meredith Lee Hill on congressional health care crunch
• 02:41: GOP proposals and Trump's backing of health savings accounts
• 03:34: Skepticism among Republicans about new health care proposals
• 04:00: U.S. skips COP30, climate summit context
• 05:09: Trump dismisses climate change at UN
• 05:53: Elizabeth Kolbert on global consequences of U.S. stance
• 06:46: Urgency and obstacles in global climate action
• 08:07: Canada’s measles outbreak; Americas lose measles-free status
• 09:03: Helen Branswell on nature of measles outbreaks
• 09:43: U.S. measles resurgence, lowest MMR rates in years
• 10:39: Modern era measles deaths; Branswell on public health warning
• 11:26: Quick headlines: U.S. military, NBA, Bob Ross auction

Tone and Language

• The episode maintains a calm, urgent, and informative tone, blending expert analysis with real-world consequences.
• The language is clear, direct, and often conveys the emotional stakes of the stories covered, especially regarding vulnerable populations and pivotal policy decisions.

Summary

This edition of Apple News Today offers a snapshot of American politics at a critical juncture: a shutdown ending but the health care safety net fraying, America’s global climate influence receding, and preventable diseases resurging as public health systems are strained. Notable stories include high-profile U.S. military maneuvers, shocking NBA management decisions, and the ongoing legacy of Bob Ross supporting public media. For further reporting, listeners are guided to the Apple News app and Apple News Narrated.