NPR News Now – 11-18-2025 11AM EST

Host: Korva Coleman
Date: November 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This five-minute news update covers several major national and international developments, including the U.S. Congress's push for transparency in the Jeffrey Epstein case, President Trump’s meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince, escalating U.S.-Venezuela tensions, a sharp downturn in the U.S. stock market, an Internet service outage, controversy over a Palestinian refugee flight to South Africa, and weather updates for California.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Congressional Action on Jeffrey Epstein Files

[00:00]

• House Speaker Mike Johnson shifts position to support mandating the Justice Department to release its full files on Jeffrey Epstein.
  • Johnson had previously opposed the measure and delayed its progress.
  • President Trump also reversed his prior opposition, now instructing all Republicans to support it.
  • The measure has bipartisan support, co-sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA).

Notable Quote:

• [00:31] Ro Khanna (D-CA): “Because survivors spoke up because of their courage, the truth is finally going to come out. And when it comes out, this country is really going to have a moral reckoning.”

• Justice Department information suggests over 1,000 possible victims involved in the Epstein case.

2. Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince

[00:43]

• President Trump welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the White House.

  • Saudi Arabia proposes to invest "hundreds of billions of dollars" in the U.S. under Trump, but is seeking concessions.

• Coverage by Ayah Batrawi:

  • The Crown Prince’s first U.S. visit since Jamal Khashoggi’s death (2018).
  • The Crown Prince remains a controversial figure—praised by Trump as a “great guy” and a “visionary leader,” despite a crackdown on critics and allegations by the CIA regarding the Khashoggi killing.
  • Saudi asks include: a U.S. defense pact, deals in artificial intelligence (AI), and purchase of advanced F-35 fighter jets (currently used in the Middle East only by Israel).
  • U.S. business leaders are also keen to partner with Saudi Arabia.

Notable Quote — Ayah Batrawi:

• [01:06] “He [the Crown Prince] returns to Washington now with power consolidated at home and top US CEOs eager for more business with the kingdom.”

3. U.S. Consideration of Military Action in Venezuela

[01:48]

• President Trump comments he is not ruling out putting U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela.
  • Expresses openness to speaking directly with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
  • U.S. military presence in the Caribbean is substantial (dozen warships, 15,000 personnel).

Notable Quotes:

• [02:04] President Trump: “I don’t rule out anything… we just have to take care of Venezuela.”
• [02:27] Nicolás Maduro (translated): “Whoever wants to talk with Venezuela will talk face to face… without any problem.”

4. Market and Infrastructure Updates

[02:44]

• Stock Market:

  • Sharp downturn, with Dow Jones down ~670 points (1.5%) and Nasdaq down 450 points (over 2%).

• Internet Outage:

  • Cloudflare, a major infrastructure provider, experienced and then resolved a service outage.
  • Affected websites included Spotify and X (formerly Twitter).

5. Palestinian Flight to South Africa — Humanitarian and Political Controversy

[03:40]

• A plane carrying 153 Palestinians arrived in South Africa under uncertain circumstances.
  • South African officials suspect the incident could be part of an effort to "cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank."
  • Immigration initially blocked passengers due to documentation issues, but they were ultimately admitted on humanitarian grounds.
  • Conflicting claims:
    • Israel insists South Africa agreed to take the Palestinians.
    • The Palestinian Embassy and activists allege the refugees were misled by an unreliable organization (Al Madrid, Europe), allegedly linked to Israel.

Notable Quote — South African International Relations Minister:

• [03:40] The incident was “suspicious,” and “seemed to be an attempt to, quote, cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.”

6. Southern California Weather

[04:24]

• The National Weather Service forecasts more rain and potential flooding.
• The region remains saturated from previous severe storms.

Memorable Moments & Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker/Source | Quote | |-----------|----------------|-------| | 00:31 | Ro Khanna | “Because survivors spoke up because of their courage, the truth is finally going to come out. And when it comes out, this country is really going to have a moral reckoning.” | | 01:06 | Ayah Batrawi | “He [the Crown Prince] returns to Washington now with power consolidated at home and top US CEOs eager for more business with the kingdom.” | | 02:04 | President Trump | “I don’t rule out anything… we just have to take care of Venezuela.” | | 02:27 | Nicolás Maduro | “Whoever wants to talk with Venezuela will talk face to face… without any problem.” | | 03:40 | South African International Relations Minister | The incident was “suspicious,” and “seemed to be an attempt to, quote, cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank.” |

Summary Flow & Usefulness

This newscast succinctly covers a range of high-stakes developments, providing timely benchmarks on U.S. politics, international diplomacy, market trends, and humanitarian events. Key quotes highlight the gravity, controversy, and emotion underlining each story, serving listeners who need authoritative updates without editorializing or commentary.