NPR News Now – November 20, 2025, 5AM EST

Host: Dave Mattingly
Duration: 5 minutes

Episode Overview

This NPR News Now episode offers a concise roundup of major national and international news updates. Key topics include the mandated release of DOJ records on Jeffrey Epstein, delayed US employment figures post-government shutdown, Nvidia's astonishing earnings powering global stock market gains, plans for a high-profile White House meeting, and the announcement of this year’s National Book Award winners. The episode closes with news of a major drug trafficking bust in Colorado.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DOJ to Release Jeffrey Epstein Records

(00:17 - 01:20)

• The Justice Department has 30 days to release its unclassified records on Jeffrey Epstein following a bill signed by President Trump.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi may redact content that could endanger ongoing investigations.
• Danielle Bensky, an Epstein survivor, expressed hope there won’t be new legal obstacles:

  • "We're just really hoping that there aren't any new cases that would stall getting every single part of that file released." — Danielle Bensky [00:46]

• President Trump, via Truth Social, criticized Democrats for pushing the release, calling it a "Democratic distraction" and noted the files were not previously released during the Biden administration.

2. Delays and Details: US Employment Numbers

(01:20 - 02:02)

• The Labor Department will finally release September's employment report, delayed by a six-week government shutdown.
• Scott Horsley explains the significance for markets and the Federal Reserve:
  • This jobs report is the last before the next Fed decision on interest rates.
  • October data, including the unemployment rate, won’t be released (data wasn’t collected during shutdown).

  • "Even though the numbers are a little stale by now... analysts will be looking closely for any clues about the strength or weakness of the job market heading into the final months of the year." — Scott Horsley [01:20]

  • October & November jobs numbers will be released together in mid-December.

3. Stock Markets Surge on Nvidia’s Blowout Earnings

(02:02 - 03:04)

• Asian stocks rallied after Nvidia announced $32 billion in third-quarter sales.
• Maria Aspen highlights Nvidia's dominant role in AI and its effects on the broader tech-heavy markets:
  • Despite tech optimism, major investors and CEOs warn about an asset bubble as other economic signals weaken (tariffs, rising consumer prices, plateauing job market).

  • "Nvidia is the most valuable company in the world. It sells the semiconductors that are powering the AI boom and it's making gobs of money." — Maria Aspen [02:17]

  • Wall Street futures are up: Dow +188, Nasdaq +336 points.

4. President Trump to Meet NYC’s Incoming Mayor

(03:04 - 03:31)

• President Trump will meet Soran Mamdani, the incoming New York City mayor, at the White House.
• Meeting topics: affordability, economic security, and public safety.
  • Mamdani is a Democratic Socialist and newly elected.

5. 2025 National Book Award Winners Announced

(03:31 - 04:34)

• Rabi Alamendine wins fiction for The True True Story of Raja the Gullible and His Mother.
  • During a humorous and heartfelt speech, Alamendine thanks his psychiatrist, drug dealers, and gastroenterologist:

    • "I guarantee you that I wouldn't have been able to write a single word in the last 10 years without their help. There would have been no movement." — Rabi Alamendine [04:01]

• Nonfiction: Omar El Akkad for One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.
• Poetry: Patricia Smith for The Intentions of Thunder.

6. Colorado Drug Trafficking Bust

(04:34 - 04:56)

• Nearly a dozen arrests and over half a ton of methamphetamine seized.
• Operation spanned two years, with roots in Mexico.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We're just really hoping that there aren't any new cases that would stall getting every single part of that file released." — Danielle Bensky [00:46]
• "Nvidia is the most valuable company in the world. It sells the semiconductors that are powering the AI boom and it's making gobs of money." — Maria Aspen [02:17]
• "I guarantee you that I wouldn't have been able to write a single word in the last 10 years without their help. There would have been no movement." — Rabi Alamendine [04:01]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• DOJ & Epstein Files: 00:17 – 01:20
• US Jobs Data Delay: 01:20 – 02:02
• Nvidia’s Earnings & Market Reaction: 02:02 – 03:04
• Trump–Mamdani Meeting Preview: 03:04 – 03:31
• National Book Award Winners: 03:31 – 04:34
• Colorado Drug Bust: 04:34 – 04:56

This digest offers a rapid-fire summary of significant political, economic, and cultural developments—a hallmark of NPR’s clear and matter-of-fact style.