NPR News: 11-12-2025 10PM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now — November 13, 2025, 10PM EST

Host: Ryland Barton
Duration: 5 minutes
Theme: Hourly national and international news roundup

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Episode Overview

This fast-paced NPR News Now episode provides a snapshot of the day's most critical news headlines. Main topics include the end of a historic government shutdown, fallout from new Jeffrey Epstein revelations implicating former President Trump, shifting intelligence cooperation between the UK and US, a lawsuit by Google targeting international scammers, changes at the Federal Reserve, and an auction of Bob Ross paintings for public TV support.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Government Shutdown Ends With Short-Term Funding

[00:20–01:11]

• Congress Passes Temporary Funding:
  • The House passed a bill funding the government through January, ending the longest government shutdown in US history.
  • Final House vote: Yeas – 222; Nays – 209
• Partisan Blame:
  • House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) blamed Democrats for the shutdown, citing their demand to extend expiring health care subsidies.
    • Quote:

      “Voters are going to remember which political party played games with their lives... so that they could look tough to the radical elements of their base. And real people suffered because of that game.”
      — Mike Johnson | [00:39]

  • House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D) pledged to keep fighting for Affordable Care Act subsidies.
    • Quote:

      “House Democrats will continue to fight to extend the Affordable Care act tax credits for tens of millions of Americans. This fight is not over. We're just getting started.”
      — Hakeem Jeffries | [01:00]

• Next Steps:
  • Senate Republican Leader John Thune agreed to a vote on the subsidy extension bill in December.

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2. New Jeffrey Epstein Emails and Political Fallout

[01:11–02:04]

• Democrat-Released Emails:
  • House Democrats publish emails suggesting former President Donald Trump may have known about Epstein’s abuse of underage girls. Emails allege Trump spent hours with a victim at Epstein's house and “knew about the girls.”
• Democratic Concern, Transparency Demands:
  • Congressman Robert Garcia (D-CA) emphasized public right to clarity and questioned possible White House cover-up.
    • Quote:

      “I think the thing on everyone's mind, certainly those of us on the committee, is why the COVID up? Why won't the White House release the full Epstein files?”
      — Robert Garcia | [01:42]

• Action Item:
  • Bipartisan petition seeks to force a Justice Department release of all Epstein files; a congressional vote could come in early December.

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3. UK Restricts Intelligence Sharing Over US Military Actions

[02:04–03:08]

• Tensions in UK–US Cooperation:
  • The UK begins denying certain US intelligence-sharing requests, particularly concerning US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, which clash with UK foreign policy.
• International Fallout:
  • Colombian President Gustavo Petro announces Colombia will halt intelligence sharing with the US until such strikes cease.
• Trump Administration’s Justification:
  • They assert a right to target unarmed drug smugglers by labeling them “terrorist enemy combatants.”
• Contextual Note:
  • This shift marks rare distance between historic intelligence allies.

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4. Federal Reserve Shake-Up Amid Presidential Pressure

[03:08–03:51]

• Retirement at the Fed:
  • Rafael Bostic, President of the Atlanta Federal Reserve, will retire at term’s end in February, opening a seat on the powerful rate-setting committee.
• Political Context:
  • President Trump is noted as seeking greater control over the central bank and has criticized the Fed for not cutting rates quickly.

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5. Google Sues Over International Phishing and Scams

[03:51–04:32]

• Targeting Cybercrime:
  • Google files a lawsuit against “Lighthouse,” described as a “well organized criminal group” designing and distributing phishing tools, templates, and scam support, primarily in China.
• Legal Tactics:
  • Google, unable to identify individuals, seeks an injunction to disrupt Lighthouse’s business operations by targeting third parties.
  • Google alleges their logos appear on many fake sites, undermining user trust.
• Transparency Note:
  • Google is an NPR financial supporter.

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6. Bob Ross Painting Auction Supports Public TV

[04:32–04:56]

• Fundraising Result:
  • Three paintings by TV legend Bob Ross sold for over $600,000 to support public TV stations facing funding cuts.
• Highlight Sale:
  • “Winter’s Peace,” created during a 1993 episode, fetched $318,000.

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Notable Quotes

• Mike Johnson (House Speaker):

  “Voters are going to remember which political party played games with their lives…” [00:39]

• Hakeem Jeffries (House Democratic Leader):

  “…This fight is not over. We're just getting started.” [01:00]

• Robert Garcia (Democrat, CA):

  “I think the thing on everyone's mind...is why the COVID up? Why won't the White House release the full Epstein files?” [01:42]

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Key Segment Timestamps

• Government Shutdown/Healthcare Funding: [00:20–01:11]
• Epstein–Trump Email Fallout: [01:11–02:04]
• UK–US–Colombia Intelligence Tensions: [02:04–03:08]
• Federal Reserve Retirement/Trump Criticism: [03:08–03:51]
• Google Phishing Lawsuit: [03:51–04:32]
• Bob Ross Paintings for Public TV: [04:32–04:56]

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For listeners seeking the day's biggest national and global headlines, this five-minute NPR News Now episode delivers concise, high-impact updates with direct quotes, timely context, and a brisk, informative tone.

Transcript

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[Ryland Barton]

[e-mail] Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.

[House Clerk]

On this vote, the yeas are 222, the nays are 209. The bill is passed.

[Ryland Barton]

Congress has passed a bill that funds the government through January, bringing a close to the longest government shutdown in history. House Speaker Mike Johnson blamed the shutdown on Democrats who demanded Congress extend expiring health care subsidies.

[Mike Johnson]

Voters are going to remember which political party played games with their lives. They're going to remember that they did this for their own selfish purposes, so that they could look tough to the radical elements of their base. And real people suffered because of that game.

[Ryland Barton]

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will keep pushing for health care funding.

[Hakeem Jeffries]

House Democrats will continue to fight to extend the Affordable Care act tax credits for tens of millions of Americans. This fight is not over. We're just getting started.

[Ryland Barton]

As part of the shutdown deal, Senate Republican Leader John Thune said he would hold a vote on a bill to extend the subsidies. In December, House Democrats released emails between Jeffrey Epstein and his confidants suggesting President Trump may have known about Epstein's sexual abuse of underage girls. In one email, Epstein wrote that Trump spent hours with one of the victims at Epstein's house, and in another he wrote that Trump, quote, knew about the girls. Democrat Robert Garcia of California tells NPR, the public has a right to know what the president knows.

[Robert Garcia]

I think that the emails today show clearly that there is a relationship between Donald Trump and Epstein. As far as what Donald Trump knew, what he participated in, I think are real questions. And I think the thing on everyone's mind, certainly those of us on the committee, is why the COVID up? Why won't the White House release the full Epstein files?

[Ryland Barton]

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has signed a petition to allow a vote on a bill that would force the Justice Department to release files relating to Epstein. That vote could take place in early December. The UK is backing away from sharing some intelligence with the US military. NPR's Quill Lawrence reports. It's out of concerns about US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.

[Quill Lawrence]

Intelligence sharing between the US And Britain has a storied history going back to World War II, and that relationship continues. But according to an official who is not authorized to speak publicly, the UK has begun denying certain intelligence sharing requests out of concern over US Military actions in the Caribbean because they do not align with British foreign policy. The White House declined to comment. This was first reported by cnn. And in response, Colombian President Gustavo Petro on social media that his government will stop sharing intelligence with the US until the strikes on the boat stop. The Trump administration claims the military has the right to kill even unarmed drug smugglers on suspicion because it has labeled them terrorist enemy combatants. Quill Lawrence, NPR News.

[Ryland Barton]

U.S. stocks closed mixed today. The S&P 500 added a tenth of a percent. This is NPR News from Washington. The president of the Federal Reserve bank of Atlanta is retiring at the end of his term in February, opening up a new seat on the Fed's interest rate setting committee. President Trump has been seeking to exert more control over the central bank. Rafael Bostic serves served on the committee that decides key short term interest rates. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Fed for not cutting interest rates as quickly as he would like. Google has launched a lawsuit against an organization that it claims enables phishing and text scammers. NPR's John Ruich reports. The Internet giant says its customers and brand are being hurt.

[John Ruich]

Google is targeting an enterprise it calls Lighthouse. In a court filing, it describes it as a well organized criminal group that creates and distributed software and support for would be cybercriminals. Basically it helps them make phony phishing websites and hook victims with texts. Lighthouse is based in China and Google says it does not actually know the names of the people involved. Instead, the company is seeking a court injunction to help it dismantle the Lighthouse enterprise from the outside in targeting other companies or entities that might be facilitating Lighthouse. Google says its logo is on many websites and web website templates created by Lighthouse and that undermines user trust in Google. Google is among NPR's financial supporters. John Ruich, NPR News.

[Ryland Barton]

Three paintings from public television legend Bob Ross have sold for over $600,000. The paintings are part of a collection of 30 works being sold to support public TV stations affected by federal funding cuts. A piece entitled Winter's Peace, painted during a 1993 episode of the Joy of Painting, fetched $318,000. This is NPR News, Washington.

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