NPR News: 11-30-2025 8PM EST

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. President Trump says he held a call with Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro as the Pentagon continues its strikes in the Caribbean.

As NPR's Luke Garrett reports, Trump continues to defend the strikes on the alleged drug boats. Trump told reporters he spoke with Maduro by phone, but did not say when.
The U.S.

military has carried out at least 21 strikes on what they say are drug boats in international waters, killing more than 80 people.

When asked how the call went, Trump said, I wouldn't say it went well or badly. It was a phone call.
Yeah.

Trump also said he wasn't aware of the controversy around Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth's decision to strike a boat for a second time that still had survivors on board, as NPR and others have reported.

When asked about these reported orders by Hegseth, Trump said, He said he did not say that, and I believe him.

Trump said he had great confidence in Hegseth, but he'll look into the reports and he wouldn't have ordered a second strike himself. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington.

Democrats picked up even more support from younger women in the off-year elections earlier this month.

NPR Sarah McCammon has more on the new analysis published by the Public Religion Research Institute.

Young women, ages 29 and under, have long been an important voting bloc for the Democratic Party, but Democrats performed even better than expected with that group in elections this year.

Melissa Deckman, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, says the traditional gender roles being promoted by some high-profile conservatives are ringing hollow with young women.

They're also more likely to, I think, have had success in the workplace and educational attainment and other areas.

And so there's a real disconnect between what MAGA is selling to young women and what young women value and prioritize.

Deckman says more than eight in ten Gen Z women voted for Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia's gubernatorial elections. Sarah McCammon, NPR News.

Investors will get some new insights on inflation and consumer spending this week. NPR Scott Horsley reports the information was delayed because of the government shutdown.

The Commerce Department's report on income and personal spending for September was supposed to come out on Halloween, but the government shutdown played a a game of trick, not treat, for the workers who produced that report, so it's been rescheduled for this coming Friday.

It's the broadest measure of how Americans are earning and spending money. Personal spending is the biggest driver of the economy overall.

The report will also include a measure of September inflation, which is closely watched by the Federal Reserve.

Fed policymakers will decide in less than two weeks whether to hold interest rates steady or cut rates by another quarter point, as markets currently expect. Scott Horseley, NPR News, Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is asking that country's president, Isaac Herzog, for a pardon as Netanyahu is facing corruption charges.

He says the long-running trial is dividing the nation. From Washington, you are listening to NPR News.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the roughly four hours' worth of talks Sunday near Miami with Ukrainian officials were productive, but more work needs to be done, and that involves including Russia.

The talks took place before President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Moscow for face-to-face talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The head of Ukraine's Security Council expressed gratitude for the meeting, but offered no specific information about how much progress was made.

The American skier Michaela Schifrin has officially qualified for the Winter Olympics next year. Her victory on Sunday was the 104th win of her career.
NPR's Becky Sullivan reports from Colorado.

Schifrin's 104 World Cup wins are far more than any other skier in history, man or woman.

But the races this weekend at Copper Mountain fell on the anniversary of a freak puncture injury she sustained during a crash at a Giant Salalom race last year in Vermont.

It took months to recover physically, and she struggled with PTSD. In Salalom, she is back to top form.

She has won every World Cup Salalom race so far this season, but a podium in Giant Slalom has remained elusive.

She finished in 14th place in the GS race here on Saturday after she said she was thrilled with her progress. I think the best thing is making it to the finish of this GS at this time of the year.

That would I rank that above everything else. Her next race is next weekend in Canada.
The Olympics are in February. Becky Sullivan, NPR News, Copper Mountain, Colorado.

A vigil was held today in Stockton, California, near the scene of Saturday's mass shooting at a child's birthday party that left four people dead. I'm Dan Ronan, NPR News in Washington.
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