NPR News Now – November 18, 2025, 10AM EST

Host: Korva Coleman
Episode Theme: This 5-minute newscast delivers breaking stories and developments on Capitol Hill, federal labor rights, Planned Parenthood funding, tech outages, legal news, and scientific discovery.

Key News Stories and Discussion Points

1. Epstein Victims Demand Transparency on Capitol Hill

[00:11 – 01:01]

• Several women who accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse gathered in Washington, D.C., pressing for the release of all Justice Department files linked to Epstein.
• A House bill requiring the DOJ to release these files is up for a vote.
• President Trump initially opposed but now supports the bill, encouraging Republicans to back it.
• Notable quote:

  “If you want to add some additional protections for these survivors, go for it. But if you do anything that prevents any disclosure, you are not for the people and you are not part of this effort. Do not muck it up.”
  — Congressman Thomas Massie, [00:48]

• The women are also forming a group in the Senate to further protect women and children from abuse.

2. House Set to Vote on Federal Workers’ Collective Bargaining Rights

[01:01 – 02:05]

• A bipartisan bill seeks to restore collective bargaining rights to approximately one million federal workers, rights that were removed by a Trump executive order citing national security.
• The “Protect America’s Workforce Act,” introduced by Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), would nullify the executive order.
• The bill gained enough support for a forced vote after two Republicans joined a discharge petition.
• Notable quote:

  “Every American deserves the right to have a voice in the workplace.”
  — Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), cited by Andrea Hsu, [01:41]

• Despite lawsuits, some agencies have already canceled or ignored bargaining agreements.

3. Congressional Bill Cuts Planned Parenthood from Medicaid

[02:05 – 02:50]

• Recent legislation included a provision to defund Planned Parenthood by removing it from Medicaid eligibility.
• This move impacts not only abortion (already not covered by Medicaid) but also other crucial healthcare services at clinics in Maine.
• Notable quote:

  “We've been seeing all of those patients for free.”
  — Vanessa Shields Haas, Thomaston Clinic, as reported by Selena Simmons Duffin, [02:48]

• Half of Maine Family Planning’s patients are on Medicaid, causing a 20% revenue cut and leading to closure of primary care at three clinics.

4. Financial and Tech Updates

[03:04 – 03:36]

• The Dow Jones is down over 500 points (more than 1%), NASDAQ down nearly 2%.
• Major services like Spotify and ChatGPT experienced interruptions due to a spike in traffic handled by Cloudflare, which says issues are resolved and systems are being monitored.

5. No Prison for Former Alaska Airlines Pilot

[03:36 – 04:00]

• A federal judge declined to sentence former pilot Joseph Emerson to prison after he pleaded guilty to trying to shut down engines mid-flight over Oregon.
• The plane landed safely. Emerson expressed remorse and responsibility.

6. Ants’ Surprising Method for Queen Takeover

[04:00 – 04:51]

• New research in Current Biology explains how some female ants infiltrate other colonies, chemically manipulate worker ants to attack their own queen, and then take over.
• Notable quote:

  “The workers unwittingly betray her, attacking her until she's dead. Then the female intruder becomes the new queen and uses the workers to raise her own offspring.”
  — Nell Greenfield Boyce, [04:32]

Notable Quotes & Key Moments (with Timestamps)

• “If you want to add some additional protections … do not muck it up.”
  — Congressman Thomas Massie, [00:48]

• “Every American deserves the right to have a voice in the workplace.”
  — Rep. Mike Lawler, via Andrea Hsu, [01:41]

• “We've been seeing all of those patients for free.”
  — Vanessa Shields Haas, [02:48]

• “The workers unwittingly betray her, attacking her until she's dead. Then the female intruder becomes the new queen and uses the workers to raise her own offspring.”
  — Nell Greenfield Boyce, [04:32]

Useful for Listeners Who Missed the Broadcast

• Up-to-date overview of major national stories: legislative battles on Capitol Hill, healthcare funding changes, labor rights restoration, cyber disruptions, legal decisions, and scientific discovery.
• Direct, concise quotes from lawmakers and experts frame the urgency and stakes of the issues.
• Science surprise: drama in the ant world echoes themes of power and takeover found in the political realm.

Original reporting style and NPR’s measured, factual tone maintained throughout.
Adverts, introductory, and outro content omitted per guidelines.