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Nora Ramm (0:15)
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Ramm. It's Black Friday, the traditional start to the holiday shopping season, which retailers hope will put them in the black for the year. The National Retail Federation expects sales to top $1 trillion for the first, but a recent report from the conference board finds consumer confidence has fallen. NPR's Alina Selyuk explains the key here.
Alina Selyuk (0:40)
Is who's doing the shopping. Most of the spending has been propped up by wealthier people while others are trying to tighten their budgets. So you see these two things happening at the same time. You see discount stores like TJ Maxx and Dollar General doing really well, but so is Coach on the higher end and Ralph Lauren, which is luxury.
Nora Ramm (1:02)
NPR's Alina Selyuk. Last night, President Trump announced that National Guard Army Specialist Sarah Bechstrom had died after being shot Wednesday near the White House. National Guardsman Andrew Wolf remains in critical condition. Both grew up in West Virginia. NPR's Dave Mistage went to the Martinsburg area to see how the community is doing.
Dave Mistich (1:23)
Most everywhere around Martinsburg, West Virginia, was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. But in the handful of bars and restaurants that were open yesterday evening, Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe were on many minds. Amy Fraley was behind the bar at the Big Apple Lounge in Inwood.
Amy Fraley (1:39)
It's tragic. They're young. It's unnecessary. It's heartbreaking.
Dave Mistich (1:46)
Jason Barrett serves the Martinsburg area as a Republican in the West Virginia Senate. Barrett says the conversation is warranted on the Guards continued deployment to D.C. but he says the shooting also does show the need for the nation's capital to be kept safe. For now, though, he says his focus, like others here I spoke with, is on supporting the Wolf and Beckstrom families. Dave Mistich, NPR News, Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Nora Ramm (2:11)
Federal prosecutors say the suspect in the shootings will be charged with first degree murder. Russian President Vladimir Putin says he remains open to elements of a new US Plan to end the war in Ukraine, but he says the war will continue and if Ukraine refuses to make key concessions. NPR's Charles Mainz has more.