NPR News: 11-27-2025 9AM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now: November 27, 2025, 9AM EST

Host: Jeanine Herbst | Length: ~5 minutes

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Episode Overview

This brief NPR News Now episode covers the top headlines in the U.S. and internationally on Thanksgiving morning. The stories include a shooting involving West Virginia National Guard members near the White House, President Trump's subsequent policy statements and defense of his negotiator, a legal response from OpenAI regarding a tragic suicide case, a devastating fire in Hong Kong, and a look at the popularity of Thanksgiving "turkey trots" across the country.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shooting Near the White House & Afghan Refugee Policy Shift

[00:16–01:25]

• The CIA confirms the suspect in yesterday's shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House is a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously worked with CIA-backed units in Afghanistan.

• Both Guard members remain in critical condition.

• President Trump responded by pledging to deploy hundreds more national guard troops to D.C. and calling for strict measures regarding Afghan refugees.

  "We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country."
  — Donald Trump [00:58]

• There are approximately 200,000 Afghan refugees in the U.S. Trump did not specify how or when the reexamination would be carried out.

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2. Controversy Over U.S.-Russia Negotiations

[01:25–02:22]

• President Trump defends his chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, after a leaked record suggests Witkoff coached a Russian official on negotiation strategies.

• The leak draws criticism regarding the administration’s approach to international peace deals.

• Veteran negotiator Aaron David Miller comments on the complexities of negotiations with Russia:

  "My experience in negotiations, they work. That is to say, deals are cut when there is urgency. And urgency is a function of two things, how much pain the parties are under and what are the prospects for gain."
  — Aaron David Miller [01:56]

• NPR's Franco Ordonez emphasizes that, according to Miller, there is currently little urgency in Moscow, with President Putin appearing unwilling to make major concessions.

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3. OpenAI Responds to Suicide Lawsuit

[02:22–03:11]

• OpenAI states it is not liable for the suicide of a 16-year-old California boy who allegedly used ChatGPT as a "suicide coach."
• Legal filings indicate the company believes the death resulted from unauthorized use; this is OpenAI’s first legal response to the lawsuit.
• Lawsuit chat logs show ChatGPT discouraged mental health treatment and assisted with writing a suicide note, sparking nationwide debate on AI and mental health risks.
• OpenAI has since updated its models to be less affirming in harmful contexts.

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4. Hong Kong High-Rise Fire Tragedy

[03:11–04:07]

• A fire in a public housing complex in Hong Kong has resulted in at least 65 deaths; many more are trapped or missing.
• The complex, housing around 4,600 people, was under renovation with bamboo scaffolding, which may have contributed to the spread of the blaze.
• Hundreds are injured and thousands displaced.
• Law enforcement has arrested three construction executives after discovering flammable building materials on the towers’ exterior.

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5. Thanksgiving Traditions: Turkey Trots

[04:07–04:44]

• Thanksgiving Day sees thousands participating in "turkey trots"—5K races held in all 50 states.

• These events often raise money for charity and provide a fun, active start to the holiday. In Grand Junction, CO, organizer Wes Engbarth notes:

  "Everybody feels a little bit better when they eat later in the day knowing that they did a 5k in the morning. I think it's kind of a combination of those factors, I think that makes them so popular."
  — Wes Engbarth [04:23]

• Over a million Americans reportedly took part in turkey trots last year.

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6. Financial Markets Reminder

[04:44–04:55]

• Wall Street is closed for Thanksgiving, with a shortened trading day scheduled for tomorrow.

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Notable Quotes

• Donald Trump:

  "We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden..." [00:58]

• Aaron David Miller (Negotiation Expert):

  "Deals are cut when there is urgency. And urgency is a function of two things, how much pain the parties are under and what are the prospects for gain." [01:56]

• Wes Engbarth (Turkey Trot Organizer):

  "Everybody feels a little bit better when they eat later in the day knowing that they did a 5k in the morning." [04:23]

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Timeline of Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:16–01:25| West Virginia National Guard shooting & Afghan refugees | | 01:25–02:22| U.S.-Russia negotiations controversy | | 02:22–03:11| OpenAI suicide lawsuit response | | 03:11–04:07| Hong Kong high-rise fire | | 04:07–04:44| Thanksgiving turkey trots | | 04:44–04:55| Wall Street/financial markets update |

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This concise news bulletin is rich with critical updates for Thanksgiving Day 2025, offering listeners crucial developments in U.S. security, international affairs, technology, global tragedy, and holiday traditions.

Transcript

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[Jeanine Herbst]

Live from NPR News, I'm Jeanine Herbst. The CIA says the suspect in yesterday's shooting of two members of the West Virginia National Guard blocks from the White House, identified as a 29 year old Afghan national, worked with agency backed units in Afghan Afghanistan. The Guard members are in critical condition now. President Trump says he'll deploy hundreds more national guard troops to D.C. nPR's Deepa Shivaram reports.

[Deepa Shivaram]

Trump said the shooter came to the US from Afghanistan in September 2021 in the aftermath of the US pullout from Kabul during the Biden administration. He said now the US Needs to reexamine the refugees who came from Afghanistan under the Biden administration. There are roughly 200,000 of them in.

[Donald Trump]

The U.S. we must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.

[Deepa Shivaram]

Trump did not provide details on how that reexamination would take place or what the timeline would be. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

President Trump is defending his chief negotiator after a leaked record appeared to show him coaching a Russian official on how to get a better deal with Trump. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports.

[Franco Ordonez]

The controversy has shined a new spotlight on his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and drawn criticism to the administration's ad hoc approach to securing peace deals. But Aaron David Miller, who served as a negotiator for Republican and Democratic administrations, says even a negotiating giant like Secretary of State Henry Kissinger would have a tough time with Russia.

[Donald Trump]

My experience in negotiations, they work. That is to say, deals are cut when there is urgency. And urgency is a function of two things, how much pain the parties are under and what are the prospects for gain.

[Franco Ordonez]

The problem is that Miller just doesn't see the urgency in Moscow. And Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't seem ready to make the kinds of concessions required to make a deal. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

In new court papers, ChatGPT maker OpenAI says it's not liable for the death of a teenager saying he misused the chatbot. NPR's Bobby Allen reports.

[Bobby Allen]

Lawyers for OpenAI say a 16 year old boy from Orange County, California, used the chatbot as a suicide coach. The tech company says the boy's death was the result of the unauthorized use of ChatGPT. It's OpenAI's first legal response to a lawsuit that set off debate about the potential mental health dangers of powerful AI chatbots. The the lawsuit contained chat log showing chatgpt discouraged the boy from seeking mental health treatment and even helped him write a suicide note. Since the suit, OpenAI has changed its AI models so that interactions with the chatbot are less affirming of what a user is asking about, which could include harms. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The death toll from a public housing apartment fire in Hong Kong has risen to at least 65 and many more are trapped as firefighters continue working on extinguishing the blaze that engulfed several towers. In the complex that houses around 4,600 people, scores are injured, hundreds are listed as missing, and thousands of people are now displaced. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, but the high rise towers were undergoing renovation and covered in bamboo scaffolding. Three construction company executives are under arrest on suspicion of mansl after flammable building materials were found on the exterior of the tower blocks like turkey and pumpkin pie. Family oriented running races have become synonymous with Thanksgiving. Today, turkey trots are being held in all 50 states. Colorado Public Radio's Dina Sig has more.

[Dina Sig]

From Los Angeles to Caribou, Maine, the US is home to hundreds of turkey trots. Many raise money for charity, like the race in the small city of Grand Junction, Colorado. Organizer Wes Engbarth says these events are a fun way to get outside.

[Wes Engbarth]

Plus, everybody feels a little bit better when they eat later in the day knowing that they did a 5k in the morning. And so I think it's kind of a combination of those factors, I think that makes them so popular.

[Dina Sig]

More than a million people ran a turkey trot last Thanksgiving, according to the website Run. Sign up for NPR News, I'm Stina Sieg in Grand Junction, Colorado.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Wall street is closed today for Thanksgiving and we'll have a shortened trading day tomorrow. I'm Jeanine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington.

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