NPR News: 11-26-2025 11AM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now – 11-26-2025, 11AM EST

Main Theme:
A rapid-fire update on top national and international news stories, covering record Thanksgiving travel, diplomatic developments on the Ukraine war, tragic fires in Hong Kong and Bangladesh, new discoveries on Mars, and the ongoing Kilauea volcano eruption.

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1. Record Thanksgiving Travel Expected

Key Points:

• AAA forecasts a record-breaking number of Americans traveling for Thanksgiving, with 73 million expected to drive.
• The FAA notes this could be the busiest air travel Thanksgiving in 15 years, now that the government shutdown has ended and air traffic controllers are back.

Insight & Quote:

• “[There are] indications that advanced bookings this year are down a bit compared to last year, off by about 4%, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium, which suggests that maybe demand is not quite where the airlines expected it would be coming out of the shutdown. But, you know, in any case, you should expect the airports to be very busy.”
  — Joel Rose (00:47)

Timestamps:

• Intro & travel forecast: 00:17
• Expert analysis on travel bookings: 00:47

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2. US-Russia Talks over Ukraine War

Key Points:

• President Trump announces his envoy, Steve Witkoff, will soon travel to Moscow for talks with President Putin.
• The aim is to push forward a negotiated deal to end the Ukraine war.
• The draft peace plan, initially Moscow-friendly, has been revised after feedback from Europe and Ukraine.
• Senior Russian officials warn that recent amendments could make the plan a “non-starter.”
• Witkoff’s upcoming trip follows a leak of a phone call transcript reportedly showing him giving negotiating advice on Trump to a top Putin aide; authenticity not confirmed, and Trump downplays it.

Insight & Quote:

• “Witkoff seeks approval for a draft peace plan that initially offered terms favorable to Moscow but has since been fine tuned with input from Europe and Ukraine. Senior Russian officials have warned those amendments could make the plan a non starter.”
  — Charles Maintes (01:25)

Timestamps:

• Trump’s envoy announcement: 01:05
• Developments and diplomatic context: 01:25

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3. Deadly Apartment Fire in Hong Kong

Key Points:

• At least 13 dead, 15 injured, and others possibly trapped after an apartment fire, among Hong Kong’s deadliest in 30 years.
• The fire spread rapidly from one high-rise to at least four others in a public housing complex for around 4,600 residents.
• A firefighter died combating the blaze.
• Suspicion centers on bamboo scaffolding around the buildings, known to be a fire hazard; the government has initiatives to replace it with steel.

Insight & Quote:

• “Residents are being housed in community shelters now, and there is already suspicion that the bamboo scaffolding in encasing the buildings that caught fire played a part in the blaze.”
  — Emily Fang (02:22)

Timestamps:

• Initial report and death toll: 02:07
• On-the-ground details and response: 02:22

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4. Major Fire Leaves Thousands Homeless in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Key Points:

• A fire affects a crowded slum in Dhaka, leaving thousands homeless but causing no reported deaths.
• No further details elaborated in the broadcast.

Timestamp:

• Brief mention: 03:04

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5. Other Headlines

a. FBI Inquiry into Lawmakers' Military Video

• FBI seeks to interview six Democratic lawmakers over a video reminding military personnel not to obey illegal orders.
• Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, is under additional Pentagon investigation.

b. Mars Lightning Discovery

• NASA’s Perseverance rover has detected evidence of dust devil-induced lightning on Mars.
• Scientists had long suspected such electrical activity but confirm it through sound and electrical interference picked up by the rover’s microphone.
• Researchers seek to determine if this poses risks to future Mars missions.

Insight & Quote:

• “A microphone on NASA's Perseverance rover sometimes did more than just hear wind. Dozens of times. It registered a distinctive pattern of electrical interference followed by the acoustic signal of a shock wave. They say this had to have been from electrical arcs just a few centimeters long.”
  — Nell Greenfield Boyce (03:49)

Timestamps:

• Lawmakers & FBI probe: 03:04 (brief)
• Mars lightning discovery: 03:49

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6. Kilauea Volcano Continues to Erupt

Key Points:

• Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, is erupting for the 37th time since last December, sending lava 400 feet in the air.
• No homes are currently threatened.

Timestamps:

• Volcano update: 04:35

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Notable Quotes

• “You should expect the airports to be very busy.” — Joel Rose (00:47)
• “Witkoff seeks approval for a draft peace plan … since been fine tuned with input from Europe and Ukraine.” — Charles Maintes (01:25)
• “There is already suspicion that the bamboo scaffolding … played a part in the blaze.” — Emily Fang (02:22)
• “A microphone on NASA's Perseverance rover … registered a distinctive pattern of electrical interference followed by the acoustic signal of a shock wave.” — Nell Greenfield Boyce (03:49)

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Useful for:
Anyone seeking a clear rundown of major national and international news stories as of late morning on November 26, 2025. The episode delivers factual reporting, succinct analysis, and updates on ongoing stories, maintaining NPR’s concise and objective tone.

Transcript

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[Nouriel Ramm]

Live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Nour Ram. AAA expects the number of Americans traveling for Thanksgiving will set a new record this year, with Most of them 73 million traveling by car. The Federal Aviation Administration says this could be the busiest Thanksgiving for air travel in 15 years, now that the government shutdown is over and air traffic controllers have returned to work. But the shutdown may have some lingering effects. NPR's Joel Rose reports.

[Joel Rose]

There are indications that advanced bookings this year are down a bit compared to last year, off by about 4%, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium, which suggests that maybe demand is not quite where the airlines expected it would be coming out of the shutdown. But, you know, in any case, you should expect the airports to be very busy.

[Nouriel Ramm]

NPR's Joel Rose. President Trump says his envoy, Steve Witkoff, will soon head to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The planned meeting comes as President Trump says he's closing in on a negotiated deal to end the war in Ukraine. From Moscow, NPR's Charles Maintes reports.

[Charles Maintes]

A senior Kremlin aide confirmed Witkoff would meet with Putin next week to discuss the latest US Efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Witkoff seeks approval for a draft peace plan that initially offered terms favorable to Moscow but has since been fine tuned with input from Europe and Ukraine. Senior Russian officials have warned those amendments could make the plan a non starter. Witkoff's trip also comes in the wake of a leaked transcript from a phone call with a senior Putin aide that appears to show Witkoff providing counsel on handling Trump. While the transcript has not been independently verified by npr, Trump is already downplaying its contents, telling reporters Wyckoff was engaged in a standard form of negotiation. Charles Mayne's NPR News, Moscow.

[Nouriel Ramm]

At least 13 people died when a fire swept through an apartment complex in Hong Kong today. Fifteen others were injured. More people are thought to be trapped inside. And one of the deadliest fires in Hong Kong in the last 30 years. NPR's Emily Fang has more.

[Emily Fang]

The fire spread from one high rise building to at least four others. One of the dead is a firefighter who was combating the blaze. The cluster of buildings on fire is part of a public housing complex with eight buildings housing about 4,600 people in total. And firefighters were working to stop the flames from engulfing the entire complex. Residents are being housed in community shelters now, and there is already suspicion that the bamboo scaffolding in encasing the buildings that caught fire played a part in the blaze. Last year, Hong Kong's government began planning to replace all bamboo scaffolding with steel, arguing metal poses less of a fire hazard. Emily Fang, NPR News.

[Nouriel Ramm]

In Bangladesh, thousands of people are homeless after a fire swept through a crowded slum in the capital, Dhaka. No deaths were reported. This is NPR News. In Washington, The FBI wants to interview six Democratic lawmakers who made a video reminding those in the military they should not obey illegal orders. Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, is also being investigated by the Pentagon for potential violations of military law. Many lightning strikes created by whirling dust devils have been detected by a rover on Mars. As NPR's Nell Greenfield Boyce reports, scientists had long suspected that the red planet might have some form of lightning, but.

[Nell Greenfield Boyce]

It'S been elusive since the 1970s. Scientists have thought that swirling dust on Mars might produce some kind of electrical discharge. Like on Earth, clouds of turbulent volcanic ash can create lightning. Now in the journal Nature, a team says that in windy conditions, a microphone on NASA's Perseverance rover sometimes did more than just hear wind. Dozens of times. It registered a distinctive pattern of electrical interference followed by the acoustic signal of a shock wave. They say this had to have been from electrical arcs just a few centimeters long. They want to learn more about this electrical activity to understand what risks, if any, it might pose to future human or robotic missions. Nell Greenfield Boyce, NPR News.

[Nouriel Ramm]

The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big island continues to erupt. It sent lava 400ft into the air yesterday for the 37th time since the current eruption began last December. No homes were threatened. It's one of the most active volcanoes in the world. I'm Nora Ramm, NPR News, in Washington.

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