NPR News: 11-20-2025 8AM EST

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Speaker 2 Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Kuhlman. President Trump says he has signed the bill requiring the Justice Department to publish all the files it has on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Speaker 2 But some things won't be released. That includes any material that's part of an ongoing federal investigation.

Speaker 2 That's important because Trump wants to investigate high-profile Democrats who had ties to Epstein. Danielle Bensky is a survivor of Epstein's abuse.

Speaker 2 She's worried any ongoing investigation could delay the file's release.

Speaker 1 We're just really hoping that there aren't any new cases that would stall getting every single part of that file released.

Speaker 2 The Justice Department is supposed to publish the Epstein files within 30 days. Food banks and pantries around the nation say they're still experiencing increased demand for food.

Speaker 2 That's even though food assistance has been restored since the end of the federal government shutdown.

Speaker 2 And Pierre Tovia Smith reports many say they don't expect a decrease soon because of other cuts in aid.

Speaker 3 Food banks have already seen significant cuts in federal funds that help them buy local food.

Speaker 3 Now they're bracing for federal SNAP spending to shrink by billions more as new laws begin to take effect, factor in the holidays and changes to other safety net programs like Medicaid and health insurance subsidies, and food bank executives like Eric Cooper of the San Antonio Food Bank are worried.

Speaker 4 I'm not sleeping, but, you know, naively, maybe I hope that the demand will lessen, but I'm still sending out more than what's coming in.

Speaker 3 Trump administration officials are downplaying any negative impact of snap cuts, saying they're cracking down on, quote, proven cases of waste, fraud, and abuse. Tovia Smith, NPR News.

Speaker 2 The Labor Department is going to report the U.S. employment numbers for September.
NPR Scott Horsley says the release of the data was held up by the government shutdown.

Speaker 5 The report details employment and unemployment for the month of September.

Speaker 5 And even though the numbers are a little stale by now, having gathered dust during the six-week government shutdown, analysts will be looking closely for any clues about the strength or weakness of the job market heading into the final months of the year.

Speaker 5 This is the last jobs report the Federal Reserve will get before its next decision on interest rates in about three weeks.

Speaker 5 The Labor Department says jobs numbers for October and November will be released together in mid-December.

Speaker 5 After the Fed meeting, some of the usual October data, including the unemployment rate, won't be released at all because it wasn't collected while government number crunchers were furloughed.

Speaker 5 Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Speaker 2 The funeral for former Vice President Dick Cheney will be held this morning at Washington National Cathedral. Cheney served as VP with former President George W.

Speaker 2 Bush, who will speak at today's service. It's not clear if President Trump will attend.
He's never commented publicly on Cheney's death and has had cool relations with Cheney's family. This is NPR.

Speaker 2 Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson has declared an emergency. The primary oil pipeline in the Northwest has shut down.
It's the second time this has happened in a week.

Speaker 2 The governor's office says that's disrupted the flow of jet fuel to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The emergency lets officials more easily use trucks to deliver jet fuel to the airport.

Speaker 2 BP closed off the pipeline Monday after finding diesel fuel leaking. The Trump administration is proposing to make changes to the Endangered Species Act.

Speaker 2 NPR's Nate Rott reports the action would significantly limit protections for wildlife.

Speaker 6 The rule changes announced by the Trump administration are similar to ones put in place during Trump's first term.

Speaker 6 And the goal, Interior Secretary Doug Bergham said in a statement, is to restore the Endangered Species Act to its original intent by protecting species and respecting the livelihoods of Americans who depend on land and natural resources.

Speaker 6 Wildlife groups say the proposed changes to threaten species protections, to habitat protections, and a proposed cost-benefit analysis of listing of species will harm the country's already at-risk plants and animals and are just another giveaway to fossil fuel companies and other extractive industries.

Speaker 6 They're promising to sue when the proposals are formalized. Nate Rott, NPR News.

Speaker 2 The National Book Award for Fiction has been given to novelist Rabi Alamandin for his book, The True, True Story of Raja the Gullible and His Mother.

Speaker 2 The nonfiction prize went to Omar El-Akkad for his book, One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.

Speaker 2 I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.

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