NPR News: 11-14-2025 2PM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now – November 14, 2025, 2PM EST

Main Theme

This fast-paced episode delivers a concise round-up of major U.S. news stories, highlighting political legal developments, immigration concerns, administrative shakeups, economic pressures due to trade tariffs, significant leadership changes at a major corporation, and new insights on the use of popular weight-loss drugs.

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Key News Segments and Insights

1. Georgia Election Interference Case – Prosecutor Change

• [00:15] NPR’s Lakshmi Singh reports a change in the prosecution team handling the 2020 election interference case against President Trump and his associates in Georgia.
  • Fulton County DA Fani Willis has been disqualified due to “an appearance of impropriety” based on a personal relationship with a lead prosecutor.
  • Peter Skandalakis, Executive Director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, now leads the high-profile case.

2. Border Patrol Presence in Charlotte, NC Schools

• [00:36] James Farrell (WFAE) discusses concerns as Border Patrol agents prepare to arrive in Charlotte.
  • The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) district says they've had no notification of enforcement activity.
  • Liz Monterey Duvall, CMS board member, emphasizes the impact on immigrant families:

    • "It's devastating. I'm a daughter of immigrants, and I'm very protective of our students and our kids, and I'm worried about absenteeism and learning loss." (01:08)

  • CMS reiterated its commitment to laws ensuring every child’s right to public education, regardless of immigration status.
  • Latino students are the second largest demographic in CMS.

3. NIH Employee Placed on Leave after Criticizing Trump Policies

• [01:31] Rob Stein reports on Jenna Norton, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program director:
  • Jenna Norton was put on indefinite paid administrative leave on her first day back from the government shutdown.
  • She had been outspoken about cuts and new policies at NIH.
  • Administration stance (via a statement to NPR):

    • "[R]adical leftist Jenna Norton chooses to constantly criticize this administration, even when she's supposed to be working." (01:56)

  • No explicit reason for the leave was provided by NIH.

4. Tariffs Increase Coffee Prices

• [02:26] Skylar Rossi (Public Media) examines the impact of tariffs on American coffee shops.
  • John Cates, co-owner of Broadway Roasting Company (Kansas City, MO), details cost pressures:

    • "We've been in business for 30 years, and we've never seen anything like this before where you raise your price and it's for no reason other than to stay in business." (02:49)

  • The average retail price of ground coffee rose to a record $9.14 per pound in September.
  • Brazil, a key supplier, now faces a 50% tariff imposed by the U.S.

5. Walmart Leadership Change

• [03:09] Lakshmi Singh reports a major transition at Walmart:
  • CEO Doug McMillan, credited with Walmart’s economic and tech expansion, will retire early next year at age 59 but remain on the board.
  • John Furner, current U.S. operations head, will take over in February.

6. Surge in Use of Weight Loss Drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy)

• [03:43] Cyndi Lupkin shares new KFF survey findings:
  • 1 in 8 U.S. adults now use GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro) for conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and weight loss.
  • Usage doubled from 6% to 12% in 18 months.
    • Ashley Kurtzinger (KFF pollster) observes:

      • "What was really striking to us [was] that there wasn't one demographic group that was kind of driving the increase. It looked like there was a pretty steady increase in use across demographic groups." (04:25)

  • While most have some insurance coverage, over half report affordability as a challenge.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Liz Monterey Duvall ([01:08]): “It's devastating. I'm a daughter of immigrants, and I'm very protective of our students and our kids, and I'm worried about absenteeism and learning loss.”
• NIH Administration Official ([01:56]): “Radical leftist Jenna Norton chooses to constantly criticize this administration, even when she's supposed to be working, unquote.”
• John Cates ([02:49]): “We’ve been in business for 30 years, and we've never seen anything like this before where you raise your price and it’s for no reason other than to stay in business.”
• Ashley Kurtzinger ([04:25]): “There wasn't one demographic group that was...driving the increase. It looked like there was a pretty steady increase in use across demographic groups.”

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Election Case Prosecutor Change: 00:15–00:36
• Immigration and Schools in Charlotte: 00:36–01:31
• NIH/Health Policy Controversy: 01:31–02:26
• Coffee Shop Tariffs: 02:26–03:09
• Walmart Leadership News: 03:09–03:43
• Ozempic/GLP-1 Drug Use Survey: 03:43–04:50

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This episode delivers a succinct yet thorough update on national legal, political, economic, and health trends, with on-the-ground perspectives and expert comment, all in under five minutes.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The 2020 election interference case against President Trump and allies in Georgia has a new prosecutor. Peter Skandelakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia, is taking over from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Willis was disqualified because of an appearance of impropriety stemming from an intimate relationship with a lead investigative prosecutor. Schools in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area are reassuring families after news that Border Patrol agents will soon be arriving in the city. James Farrell of member station WFAE has more on the district's message to the community.

[C]

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools says the district hasn't been notified of any planned enforcement activity. CMS board member Liz Monterey Duvall says she's concerned about children from immigrant families missing school.

[D]

It's devastating. I'm a daughter of immigrants, and I'm very protective of our students and our kids, and I'm worried about absenteeism and learning loss.

[C]

CMS says it follows federal and state laws that guarantee all children the right to public education regardless of immigration status. Latinos make up the second largest group of CMS students. For NPR News, I'm James Farrell in Charlotte.

[B]

A National Institutes of Health employee who has been criticized, or has criticized, rather, Trump administration health policies has been put on leave. NPR's Rob Stein reports on the action against the employee.

[E]

The NIH put Jenna Norton on indefinite paid administrative leave on her first day back to work from the government shutdown. Norton, a program director at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, has been a vocal critic of cuts and new policies at the nih. The NIH did not give Norton an explanation, but in a statement to npr, an administration official said instead of focusing on her actual job to promote gold standard science, radical leftist Jenna Norton chooses to constantly criticize this administration, even when she's supposed to be working, unquote. Rob Stein, NPR News.

[B]

The Trump administration has been discussing this week how to reduce prices on household items such as coffee harvest. Public Media's Skylar Rossi explains how tariffs have put a squeeze on coffee shops.

[F]

Broadway Roasting Company in Kansas City, Missouri, roasts coffee from all over the world. Co owner John Cates says he's paid at least a 10% tariff on most of the coffee beans he's purchased this year.

[G]

We've been in business for 30 years, and we've never seen anything like this before where you raise your price and it's for no reason other than to stay in business.

[F]

The cost of a pound of ground coffee at the grocery store has climbed to a record $9.14 in September. America gets much of its coffee from Brazil, which currently has a 50% tariff.

[B]

That's Skylar Rosser reporting. It's NPR News. The CEO credited with expanding Walmart's economic and technological footprint over the last decade is leaving the company. Today, Walmart announced that Doug McMillan, who is 59, plans to retire early next year. And as of February, John Furner, the 51 year old head of Walmart's US operations, will take the reins of the retail giant. Both executives have been with Walmart their entire careers. McMillan may not be leaving the company anytime soon. He is expected to remain on the board. A new survey shows 1 in 8 adults in the US is currently taking the drug Ozempic, Wegovy, or similar weight loss medications. NPR's Cyndi Lupkin reports. That's according to the Nonpartisan research organization KFF.

[H]

The number of adults taking GLP1 drugs, which include Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound and Mounjaro, is going up. It went from 6% a year and a half ago to 12% now. People are taking the drugs for chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, as well as for weight loss. Here's Ashley Kurtzinger, a pollster at kff.

[I]

What was really striking to us that there wasn't one demographic group that was kind of driving the increase. It looked like there was a pretty steady increase in use across demographic groups.

[H]

Although most people taking these drugs say they have some insurance coverage for them, more than half say the drugs are difficult to afford. KFF conducted the poll between October 27 and November 2. Sidney Lupkin, NPR News.

[B]

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

[G]

Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.