NPR News: 11-26-2025 7PM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now — November 27, 2025, 7PM EST

Host: Dale Willman
Duration: 5 minutes

Episode Overview

This episode provides a concise roundup of major news stories, focusing on a shooting involving National Guard members near the White House, the dismissal of Trump’s Georgia criminal case, developments in U.S.-Russia-Ukraine diplomacy, changes to North Carolina’s congressional map, landmark AI music licensing deals, and a remarkable astronomy discovery.

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Key News Stories & Insights

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1. Shooting Near the White House and National Guard Deployment

• Incident Details (00:11):
  Two National Guard members from West Virginia were shot just two blocks from the White House. Both are in critical condition. The suspect, who opened fire immediately upon seeing the troops, was shot by police and is now in custody.

• Government Response (00:33):
  Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth announced an increase in troop presence in D.C. by 500 members.

  • Quote:

    "The drop in crime has been historic. The increase in safety and security has been historic. But if criminals want to conduct things like this violence against America's best, we will never back down."
    — Pete Hagseth, [00:33]

• Context (00:46):
  The National Guard was initially deployed to combat crime, but some duties have shifted towards city beautification efforts.

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2. Georgia Criminal Case Against Trump Dismissed

• Official Dismissal (01:16):
  The high-profile racketeering case against former President Trump and his allies regarding the 2020 election was dismissed by a state judge after the special prosecutor moved to drop all charges.

• Chain of Events (01:16):

  • This was the last outstanding criminal case against Trump following the dropping of previous federal prosecutions.
  • The original case was compromised after the Fulton County DA was disqualified over conflict of interest allegations involving a special prosecutor.
  • Director of the State Prosecuting Attorneys Council, Pete Scandalakis, argued the case was best handled at the federal level.

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3. U.S., Russia, and Ukraine: Diplomatic Developments

• Envoy's Mission to Moscow (02:03):
  White House envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to seek Russian approval for an updated draft Ukraine peace plan.

  • Previous proposal was rejected by Kyiv for being too favorable to Moscow.

• Leaked Phone Call (02:27):
  NPR reports on a leaked call where Witkoff is heard coaching a Putin aide on handling Trump.

  • Witkoff expresses "deep respect for Putin."

  • Advises that Putin should call and flatter Trump over his recent Mideast peace agreement.

  • Authenticity of the call is unconfirmed.

  • Quote:

    "We know that we're dealing with people in the entourage of President Trump who take pro-Russian position, unfortunately. Luckily, there are people who stand firm with American national interests and who continue to support."
    — Oleksandr Maresko, Ukrainian parliamentarian, [02:53]

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4. North Carolina Congressional Map Redraw

• Legal Update (03:09):
  Federal judges are allowing NC’s new congressional map in the upcoming midterms. It is expected to give Republicans an extra seat, targeting the only swing district held by Democrats.
  • The change aligns with President Trump’s push for mid-decade redistricting before the 2026 election.

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5. Music Industry: Warner Music and AI Companies Settle

• New AI Music Licensing Deals (03:49):
  Warner Music Group reaches agreements with AI music generators Suno and Yudio, allowing paid users to create music using voices and content from participating artists and songwriters.
  • Prior legal actions focused on copyright concerns.
  • Warner pledges to ensure proper compensation for artists’ AI-generated work.
  • Major Warner artists include Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Dua Lipa.

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6. Astronomy Discovery: Butterfly Nebula Imaged

• Photo Release (04:29):
  A telescope in Chile captured a vivid new image of the Butterfly Nebula—located 2,500 to 3,800 light-years away.
  • The nebula’s signature appearance comes from gas expelled by a white dwarf star at its center.

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Notable Quotes

• Pete Hagseth (Defense Secretary):
  "The drop in crime has been historic. The increase in safety and security has been historic. But if criminals want to conduct things like this violence against America's best, we will never back down." ([00:33])

• Oleksandr Maresko (Ukrainian parliamentarian):
  "We know that we're dealing with people in the entourage of President Trump who take pro-Russian position, unfortunately. Luckily, there are people who stand firm with American national interests and who continue to support." ([02:53])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• National Guard Shooting & Response: 00:11–00:46
• Trump Georgia Case Dismissal: 01:16–02:03
• Ukraine Peace Plan & Leaked Call: 02:03–03:07
• North Carolina Redistricting: 03:09–03:49
• Warner Music & AI Licensing Deals: 03:49–04:29
• Butterfly Nebula Image Released: 04:29–04:53

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This NPR News Now episode swiftly conveys critical updates in politics, diplomacy, legal affairs, music industry innovation, and science—offering an essential briefing for anyone tracking major developments in the U.S. and beyond.

Transcript

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[Dale Willman]

[e-mail] Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Two National Guard members from West Virginia were shot just two blocks from the White House today. They're now in critical condition. Police say the suspect came around a corner and immediately started firing at the troops. The suspect was shot and is now in custody. Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth says 500 more troops are needed in the District.

[Pete Hagseth]

The drop in crime has been historic. The increase in safety and security has been historic. But if criminals want to conduct things like this violence against America's best, we will never back down.

[Dale Willman]

When Trump sent in the Guard, violent crime in D.C. was at its lowest levels in 30 years. The Guard was initially deployed for crime fighting, but some much of their time has since been spent picking up trash and doing beautification projects. The Georgia criminal case against President Trump and more than a dozen of his allies for their efforts to try to overturn the 2020 election result is officially over. A state judge dismissed the case in its entirety after a special prosecutor moved to drop all charges. NPR's Sam Greenglass has our reports.

[Sam Greenglass]

The prosecution was the last outstanding criminal case against the president after a pair of federal prosecutions were dropped earlier this year. In 2023, a grand jury in Fulton county charged Trump and 18 others in a sweeping racketeering case, spurred in part by Trump's call to Georgia's secretary of state asking find votes. Pete Scandalakis, director of the State Prosecuting Attorneys Council, took over the case after a court disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fawney Willis over an alleged conflict of interest stemming from an improper relationship with a special prosecutor. Scandalakis found that the alleged criminal conduct was conceived in Washington, D.C. writing the federal government is the appropriate venue for this prosecution. Sam Greenglass, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

White House envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow next week looking for approval from Russian President Vladimir Putin for a draft peace plan with Ukraine. The plan is now said to be fine tuned after Kyiv had dismissed the initial plan because it favored Moscow. As NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports, meanwhile, leaked telephone conversations appeared to show Witkoff coaching a Putin aide on just how to handle Trump.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

NPR can't independently confirm the authenticity of the mid October call leaked and published by Bloomberg, but in the call, Witkoff expresses his, quote, deep respect for Putin. He instructs the adviser to tell Putin to call President Trump and flatter him over his recent Mideast peace deal. Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksandr Maresko believes Wykoff should have been replaced after an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson highlighted his lack of knowledge about Ukraine and the conflict.

[Oleksandr Maresko]

We know that we're dealing with people in the entourage of President Trump who take pro Russian position, unfortunately. Luckily, there are people who stand firm with American national interests and who continue to support.

[Eleanor Beardsley]

Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Kyiv.

[Dale Willman]

And you're listening to NPR News. Federal judges are allowing North Carolina to use a redrawn congressional map in next year's midterm elections. The map is designed to give Republicans an additional seat in the U.S. house. The map is targeting the state's only swing district, which is currently held by Democratic Representative Don Davis. President Trump has been pushing for such mid decade map changes ahead of the 2026 elections. Warner Music Group, which is one of the biggest record labels in the world, has signed licensing deals with two artificial intelligence companies it was formally suing. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento has our reports.

[Isabella Gomez Sarmiento]

Warner is partnering with two AI song generators, Suno and Yudio. The new deals will allow paid users of the AI platforms to create songs with the voices of artists and compositions of songwriters who agree to participate. Some of Warner's biggest stars include Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Dua Lipa. Warner was previously part of several labels suing Suno and Yurio for copyright infringement. The company pledges that these new deals will allow artists and songwriters to be properly compensated for how their work is used in AI music models. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

A telescope in Chile has captured a stunning new photo of the Butterfly Nebula. The nebula is 2500 to 3800 light years away. At the heart of the nebula is a white dwarf star that long ago discarded its outer layers of gas. That gas gives the nebula its butterfly like appearance. The National Science foundation released that photo today. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

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