NPR News Now — December 2, 2025 – 8 AM EST

Episode Overview

This NPR News Now episode offers a concise roundup of the nation’s top headlines as of 8 AM on December 2, 2025. Stories covered include ongoing fallout over a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean, the investigation of a National Guard attack in D.C., a sweeping federal review of truck driving schools, scrutiny over Minnesota tax dollars, Cyber Monday’s sales record, and Rihanna’s Billboard chart milestone.

Key Stories & Insights

1. White House Defends Caribbean Missile Attack

• Summary: The White House affirms the legality of a September U.S. military strike on a suspected drug smuggling boat. Debate swirls around whether there was an unlawful second strike targeting survivors.
• Reporting by: Quill Lawrence
• Details:
  • The White House states Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not order strikes on survivors.
  • President Trump claims ignorance of the event.
  • Conflicting sources: A U.S. official tells NPR Hegseth gave an order—"two strikes to kill and two additional strikes to sink the boat."
  • Military experts warn a second strike on survivors could be considered a war crime or "simply murder" in peacetime.
• Quote:

  “Military experts say that would be a war crime, or with no declared war, simply murder.”
  — Quill Lawrence [00:38]

2. FBI Investigates Attack on National Guard Personnel

• Summary: The FBI continues its investigation after last week’s attack on two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., which killed one and wounded another.
• Reporting by: Tom Bowman
• Details:
  • The accused, Ramanola Lakhinwal, is Afghan; reportedly experienced a personal crisis prior to the attack.
  • Lakhinwal had worked with the U.S. in Afghanistan, underwent multiple rounds of vetting—including by the CIA—before being granted asylum.
• Quote:

  “He would have been carefully vetted to work with the CIA... Before arriving in Washington Dulles Airport, I was at some of these locations and saw the vetting process myself.”
  — Tom Bowman [01:50]

3. Crackdown on Truck Driving Schools

• Summary: Federal regulators threaten to shut down thousands of truck driving schools over compliance issues.
• Reporting by: Joel Rose
• Details:
  • The Department of Transportation (DOT) moving to revoke the accreditation of nearly 3,000 trucking schools, with 4,000 more under review.
  • The effort aligns with the Trump administration’s push to bolster driver qualifications.
  • DOT proposed stricter rules for immigrant drivers obtaining commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), but these face legal hurdles.
  • Tension: Truckers cite industry safety concerns, while immigrant advocates allege discriminatory targeting.
• Quote:

  “Truckers say there are safety problems in the industry, but immigrant advocates argue the administration is targeting qualified drivers because of their citizenship status.”
  — Joel Rose [02:55]

4. Minnesota Tax Dollars Allegedly Fund Militant Group

• Summary: Treasury investigates claims that Minnesota tax dollars may be reaching a militant group in Somalia.
• Details:
  • President Trump criticizes Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over the allegations.
  • Previous probes into the Somali community in Minnesota for fraud (notably in a child nutrition program with at least one prison sentence).
• Quote:

  “President Trump has criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz... Separately, federal authorities have previously investigated members of the Somali community in Minnesota over fraud in a child nutrition program.”
  — Korva Coleman [03:30]

5. Cyber Monday Sets Record

• Summary: Online sales on Cyber Monday exceeded $9 billion, up 4.5% year over year.
• Details:
  • Data source: Adobe Analytics.
  • Growth continues despite economic uncertainty.

6. Rihanna Celebrates Historic Billboard Milestone

• Summary: Rihanna’s album Anti marks 500 non-consecutive weeks on the Billboard 200, the first album by a Black female soloist to do so.
• Reporting by: Isabella Gomez Sarmiento
• Details:
  • Anti was released in January 2016.
  • Sales and chart presence enduring without a new album.
  • Rihanna acknowledged the record on X (formerly Twitter).
• Quote:

  “It’s now the first album by a Black female soloist to spend that much time on the Billboard 200. In a post on X, the singer celebrated writing, ‘God ain’t forget about me.’”
  — Isabella Gomez Sarmiento [04:10]

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Military experts say that would be a war crime, or with no declared war, simply murder.”
  — Quill Lawrence [00:38]
• “He would have been carefully vetted to work with the CIA... Before arriving in Washington Dulles Airport, I was at some of these locations and saw the vetting process myself.”
  — Tom Bowman [01:50]
• “The DOT is warning another 4,000 schools that they could face similar action... Truckers say there are safety problems in the industry, but immigrant advocates argue the administration is targeting qualified drivers because of their citizenship status.”
  — Joel Rose [02:45, 02:55]
• “It’s now the first album by a Black female soloist to spend that much time on the Billboard 200. In a post on X, the singer celebrated writing, ‘God ain’t forget about me.’”
  — Isabella Gomez Sarmiento [04:10]

Timeline of Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:14 — White House defends Caribbean strike (Quill Lawrence)
• 01:18 — FBI investigates D.C. National Guard attack (Tom Bowman)
• 02:09 — Truck driving school crackdown (Joel Rose)
• 03:08 — Investigation: Minnesota tax dollars/Somalia, Cyber Monday sales, Rihanna’s chart milestone (Korva Coleman/Isabella Gomez Sarmiento)
• 04:04 — Rihanna’s Billboard record (Isabella Gomez Sarmiento)

The episode maintains NPR’s signature informative, concise, and neutral tone, focusing on verified reports and expert analysis throughout.