NPR News: 11-26-2025 6PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now — November 26, 2025, 6PM EST

Host: Dale Willman (NPR)
Length: 5 minutes
Theme: Top news across the U.S. and globe, including national security, legal developments, international disaster, climate change impact, and U.S. immigration policy.

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1. Washington, D.C. Shooting of National Guard Members

[00:17 – 01:11]

• Incident Overview:
  Two National Guard members were shot and critically wounded near the White House. The suspect approached the troops on the street and opened fire before being subdued and taken into custody.

• Eyewitness Testimony:

  • Reporter Tom Bowman interviewed two young women, Emma McDonald and Layla Christopher, who had just exited the Farragut West Metro station as the shooting occurred.
  • Notable Quote (Layla Christopher, 00:53):

    "We were getting off the Metro coming from Vienna, and we were getting off at Farragut Square. And then we like came up to the street and a National Guards person told us to run."

  • The witnesses sought shelter in a nearby bakery where startled customers reported hearing six shots. Mixed reactions from bystanders: some were frightened, others remained calm with their coffee.

• Government Response:

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reassured the public regarding safety in the city and is sending 500 additional troops.

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2. Georgia Election Interference Case Against President Trump Dismissed

[01:11 – 02:10]

• Key Development:

  • A state court judge dismissed the election interference criminal case against President Trump upon the request of the special prosecutor.

• Background:

  • The case was tied to alleged attempts by Trump to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results, including his call asking for 11,780 votes.
  • Prosecutor Pete Scandalakis took over after Fulton County DA Fani Willis was removed and opted to drop the case, citing the improbability of legal action moving forward during Trump’s presidency.

• Notable Quote (Alex Helmick, 01:31):

  "Prosecutor Pete Scandalakis ... said he decided not to pursue the case against the president in the interest of justice. It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he's president."

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3. Deadly High-Rise Fire in Hong Kong

[02:10 – 03:05]

• Incident Overview:

  • A massive fire tore through a public housing high-rise complex, killing at least 36 people and leaving 279 missing.
  • The blaze spread to six buildings and even to a nearby school, affecting a community of around 4,600 residents.

• Potential Causes:

  • The building’s bamboo scaffolding (due for scheduled renovation) accelerated the fire. The local government had commenced phasing out bamboo in favor of fire-resistant steel.
  • Unusually warm and dry conditions had placed the city under high fire danger alert all week.

• Notable Quote (Emily Fang, 02:31):

  "The buildings had been due for renovation and they had been encased in bamboo scaffolding, which quickly caught fire. Last year, the region's government started phasing out bamboo in favor of steel because it is fire resistant."

• Response:

  • Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee visited survivors at a local shelter.

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4. U.S. Stock Market Update

[03:05 – 03:19]

• S&P 500: +46 points
• Dow Jones: +314 points

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5. New Research: Climate Change and African Health

[03:19 – 04:22]

• Key Points:

  • Africa contributes minimally to global climate pollution but bears disproportionate health impacts.
  • Major Findings:
    • Climate change fueling increases in insect-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.
    • Disasters such as Libya’s 2023 floods are displacing/killing thousands.
    • Nighttime heat, worsened by lack of air conditioning, is linked to a 20% rise in heat deaths in Africa since 2010.

• Notable Quote (Alejandra Barunda, 03:34):

  "Extra warm nights are a hallmark of climate change, and they're particularly unhealthy since people's bodies usually recover during nights. Increased night heat in Africa, where few people have air conditioning, has driven a nearly 20% increase in heat deaths since 2010."

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6. U.S. to End Protected Status for Haitian Migrants

[04:22 – 04:56]

• Policy Shift:

  • The Trump administration will end the "temporary protected status" for approximately 353,000 Haitians living in the U.S.
  • Government’s Justification:
    • Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that conditions in Haiti are not deemed extraordinary enough to warrant continued protected status.

• Contrasting Voices:

  • The United Nations reports that most of Port-au-Prince remains under gang control, and the nation faces severe health crises from ongoing violence.

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Notable Quotes & Moments Recap

• Layla Christopher on DC Shooting:
  "A National Guards person told us to run." [00:53]
• Alex Helmick on Georgia Case Dismissal:
  "...decided not to pursue the case against the president in the interest of justice." [01:31]
• Emily Fang on Hong Kong Fire:
  "They had been encased in bamboo scaffolding, which quickly caught fire." [02:31]
• Alejandra Barunda on Climate Deaths:
  "Increased night heat in Africa ... has driven a nearly 20% increase in heat deaths since 2010." [03:34]

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Episode Tone & Takeaways

• Brief, factual, and urgent delivery consistent with NPR’s news-focused programming.
• The episode prioritizes real-time, high-impact global and domestic news, emphasizing eyewitness perspectives, quick updates on legal and policy changes, and the ongoing effects of climate change.

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For listeners:
This concise news briefing provides a snapshot of consequential events worldwide, suited for those seeking quick, authoritative updates.

Transcript

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[Dale Willman]

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Two National Guard members are in critical condition after being shot just two blocks from the White House this afternoon. Police say a suspect walked up to the troops and opened fire before being subdued. The suspect was and is now in custody. NPR's Tom Bowman is near the Farragut West Metro station where the shooting took place.

[Tom Bowman]

Police closed off the area. We couldn't get within a block of the Metro station, but we did talk with two young women, Emma McDonald and Layla Christopher from Northern Virginia, who were just coming out of the Metro moments after it happened. Here's Layla.

[Layla Christopher]

We were getting off the Metro coming from Vienna, and we were getting off at Farragut Square. And then we like came up to the street and a National Guards person told us to run.

[Tom Bowman]

So they ran into a bakery a few steps away. Customers in there told them they heard six shots. Many people were afraid. Others were just sitting there drinking their coffee.

[Dale Willman]

That's NPR's Tom Bowman. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the city is safe, but he's ordering 500 more troops there. A state court judge has dismissed the election interference criminal case in Georgia against President Trump at the request of the special prosecutor from member station WABE in Atlanta. Alex Helmick has more.

[Alex Helmick]

Prosecutor Pete Scandalakis took over the massive RICO case that involved 14 others earlier this month after Fulton County D8 Fannie Willis was removed. In a statement, Scandalakis said he decided not to pursue the case against the president in the interest of justice. It was unlikely that legal action against Trump could have moved forward while he's president. The case stemmed from Trump narrowly losing Georgia to President Joe Biden in 2020, launching a series of events, including Trump's phone call to state officials looking for 11,780 votes. Trump's attorney said the case should never have been brought. For NPR News, I'm Alex Helmick in Atlanta.

[Dale Willman]

The Hong Kong government says at least 36 people have died in a massive fire that tore through a high rise complex in that city. 279 people are still missing. The fire began in one building before jumping to six more in a public housing complex. And as NPR's Emily Fang reports, it's already prompting questions about why the complex went up in flames so quickly.

[Emily Fang]

The fire also spread from the high rise housing complex, which is home to about 4,600 people, to a nearby school. The buildings had been due for renovation and they had been encased in bamboo scaffolding, which quickly caught fire. Last year, the region's government started phasing out bamboo in favor of steel because it is fire resistant. All this week, Hong Kong has been under a red grade for fire danger because of warm and dry weather. Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, visited hundreds of the surviving residents and sheltering in a nearby community center. Emily Fang, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

Stocks finished up across the board today. The S&P 500 rose 46 points. The Dow was up 314 points. You're listening to NPR News. New research highlights the costs climate change is having on Africans health. The study has come on the heels of the United nations international climate negotiations, where many African countries pushed for stronger commitments to clean up climate pollution. NPR's Alejandra Barunda has more on that story.

[Alejandra Barunda]

Countries across Africa are responsible for a tiny fraction of climate pollution, but the bad outcomes from climate change are far higher, according to a new report in the medical journal the Lancet. It says climate change is increasing the risks from things like insect spread diseases like dengue fever or malaria. And climate fueled disasters like Libya's 2023 floods are displacing or killing thousands of people. Another study in the journal Science Advances focuses on the growing danger of nighttime heat. Extra warm nights are a hallmark of climate change, and they're particularly unhealthy since people's bodies usually recover during nights. Increased night heat in Africa, where few people have air conditioning, has driven a nearly 20% increase in heat deaths since 2010. Alejandra Barunda, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

The Trump administration says it will end what's known as temporary protected status for some 353,000 Haitians now living in the U.S. homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says they have identified no extraordinary or temporary conditions in that country that would prevent those migrants from returning back to their home country. The UN Says most of the nation's capital is controlled by warring gangs. Much of the nation is also facing a major health crisis because of the ongoing fighting there. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

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