NPR News Now – November 13, 2025, 10AM EST

Host: NPR (Korva Coleman)
Duration: ~5 minutes

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a concise roundup of major U.S. news events and developments for November 13, 2025. The focus is on the end of the federal government shutdown, political contention over healthcare subsidies, economic and stock market responses, shifting migration patterns due to immigration policies, a mining tragedy in West Virginia, health concerns over ultra processed foods, and a nationwide strike among Starbucks workers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Federal Government Shutdown Ends

[00:16]

• The House has passed short-term spending legislation, ending a historic government shutdown.

• Democrats insisted on restoring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies for health care premiums.

• House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Republicans for neglecting Americans’ struggles with healthcare affordability.

  "The longest shutdown in American history would rather do that than provide health care that's affordable to working class Americans, middle class Americans, and hardworking American taxpayers."
  — Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Leader [00:38]

• House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Democrats of political gamesmanship by leveraging Americans' pain for policy changes.

  "They admitted that they were using the American people as leverage in this political game. They knew that it would cause pain and they did it anyway. The whole exercise was pointless. It was wrong and it was cruel."
  — Mike Johnson, House Speaker [01:01]

• Senate Republicans will let Democrats introduce a bill on health care subsidies next month, though passage in the House remains uncertain.

2. Economic Impact & Stock Market Reaction

[01:15 – 02:19]

• The Dow Jones opened ~100 points lower after the nation’s longest shutdown.

• During the shutdown, official economic reporting paused (e.g., on jobs, prices, spending), creating a data gap.

• Agencies now rush to update statistics and inform markets.

  "Government number crunchers will play catch up, trying to give workers, businesses, and financial markets a clearer picture of where the economy's been during the last six weeks and where it might be going."
  — Scott Horsley, NPR Correspondent [01:41]

• Disney’s mixed earnings report: robust theme park attendance and streaming gains, but cable networks and some movies underperformed.

• Asian stock markets generally rose overnight.

3. Shifts in Migration Patterns

[02:19 – 03:11]

• Trump administration’s immigration crackdowns are prompting unauthorized migrants to leave the U.S., or move internally to less risky areas.

• NPR’s Jasmine Garsd shares a personal account:

  • A woman, "E," is relocating from Florida to a small Michigan town for safety and job prospects, after two decades in Florida.

  "It's quiet here. No raids. I can find you a job."
  — Woman identified as “E” via friend in Michigan [02:35]

• 1.6 million people have self-deported under the Trump administration per Homeland Security.

• Internal migration from big cities to smaller towns is a continuing trend, according to demographers.

4. West Virginia Coal Miner Tragedy

[03:11]

• West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey confirms the recovery of a coal miner's body after a mine flood east of Charleston.
• Miner had been missing since Saturday; rescue teams pumped out thousands of gallons of water in search efforts.

5. Ultra Processed Foods & Young Adult Health

[03:11 – 04:33]

• New study links higher intake of ultra processed foods to a much greater risk of prediabetes in young adults.

• Study led by Lita Chatzi at the University of Southern California followed 85 older adolescents with obesity or overweight history over 4 years.

  "We don't really know what's happening with these young adults."
  — Lita Chatzi, USC Investigator [03:56]

  "We found something that was shocking to us."
  — Lita Chatzi, USC Investigator [04:16]

• Just a 10% uptick in ultra processed foods raised prediabetes risk by 50%.

6. Starbucks Workers Strike Amid Free Red Cup Day

[04:33 – 04:55]

• Unionized Starbucks workers strike in dozens of cities, demanding better pay and conditions.
• Protest coincides with Starbucks’ much-publicized Free Red Cup Day.
• Only about 4% of U.S. Starbucks employees are unionized.

Notable Quotes

• Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Leader:
  "The longest shutdown in American history would rather do that than provide health care that's affordable to working class Americans, middle class Americans, and hardworking American taxpayers." [00:38]

• Mike Johnson, House Speaker:
  "They admitted that they were using the American people as leverage in this political game. They knew that it would cause pain and they did it anyway. The whole exercise was pointless. It was wrong and it was cruel." [01:01]

• Scott Horsley, NPR Correspondent:
  "Government number crunchers will play catch up, trying to give workers, businesses, and financial markets a clearer picture of where the economy's been during the last six weeks and where it might be going." [01:41]

• Lita Chatzi, University of Southern California:
  "We don't really know what's happening with these young adults." [03:56]
  "We found something that was shocking to us." [04:16]

Segment Timestamps

• [00:16] — Shutdown ends; healthcare standoff recap (Korva Coleman)
• [00:38] — Democratic position and quote (Hakeem Jeffries)
• [01:01] — Republican response and quote (Mike Johnson)
• [01:15] — Legislation outlook; early market reaction (Korva Coleman)
• [01:41] — Economic reporting and Wall Street update (Scott Horsley)
• [02:19] — Immigration policy and migration (Korva Coleman, Jasmine Garsd)
• [03:11] — West Virginia mining tragedy (Korva Coleman)
• [03:48] — Ultra processed foods and youth health research (Maria Godoy, Lita Chatzi)
• [04:33] — Starbucks strike and context (Korva Coleman)

This summary captures the critical developments and insights expressed in the November 13, 2025, 10AM NPR News Now episode. It offers an organized digest of the fast-moving headlines with context, key details, and attributed quotes for clarity and reference.