Chapter 1: What recent developments are occurring in Ukraine's peace negotiations?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Ukraine's National Security Advisor says President Volodymyr Zelensky could be heading to the U.S. in the next few days to meet with President Trump. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports the two leaders are expected to discuss the most sensitive parts of a new peace plan to end the war in Ukraine.
The European-backed initiative replaces the 28-point pro-Russian peace draft that was struck down in Geneva this week. The Kremlin has already rejected the new plan. Zelensky told his nation to steel itself for intensified Russian pressure. Hours later, the Kremlin launched 22 missiles and more than 400 drones at the Kiev region. Seven people died.
25-year-old barista Mikhailo Dedenko says it was an awful night.
Chapter 2: How is Thanksgiving travel expected to impact air traffic this year?
I woke up from the explosions and I wanted to cry, he says. Didinko says it's good there's a new plan to replace what was a complete capitulation. He's hoping something can be achieved in the coming months because he says people are exhausted. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Kyiv.
Thanksgiving travel is expected to hit record levels this week. The Federal Aviation Administration reports more than 360,000 flights are scheduled over the holiday period, with over 52,000 set for today. FAA Administrator Brian Bedford says his team is prepared to handle the rush following the government shutdown.
We're past the lapse. Controllers are back at work. They're excited to be back on the job.
Chapter 3: What insights does the latest retail spending report provide?
They're excited to be compensated to be back on the job. So we're all thrilled that we're happy to tell you we've got a great plan.
AAA says nearly 82 million people will travel at least 50 miles over the holiday period. Travelers are being urged to allow extra time for check-in, security, traffic, and to monitor weather conditions. The highly watched economic report on retail spending shows that retail growth slowed down a bit in September, up two-tenths of a percent from August.
The report from the Commerce Department was delayed because of the government shutdown. NPR's Alina Selyuk has more.
The federal data on retail sales is behind by more than a month, and it's showing consumers cooling off a bit in September as they continue to go out to shop and eat compared to September of last year. Spending at stores and restaurants grew 4.3 percent, with people shopping more for clothes and electronics. in the tail end of the back-to-school season, and they went out to restaurants and bars.
Chapter 4: How did a community in South Greenland create its first skate park?
All this lines up with a slew of positive sales reports from major retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, and Dick's Sporting Goods. The industry is now predicting another record holiday season, counting on the fact that people generally are employed. and wages are still growing faster than inflation. Alina Selyuk, NPR News, Washington.
Stocks are trading mixed on Wall Street at this hour. The Dow is up 47 points, the Nasdaq Composite down 195. This is NPR News. South Greenland just got its first skate park. A 2.5-meter half-pipe and two ramps now sit on a fresh concrete slab in the country's fifth-largest town. Julia Rino reports on the effort to bring the park to the community.
Chapter 5: What record-breaking auction sale recently occurred for a comic book?
What started as ideas in a parents' group chat became a community effort to raise 150,000 Danish kroner, or about 23,000 U.S. dollars, and build a skate park in Karolto. A demand for youth spaces pushed the community to act, even as the town deals with high unemployment and debt. SĆøren Mortensen is an engineer and lifelong skateboarder.
Suicide rates, and this is not just for the kids. It's just also for the parents to create something fun for the community and get some hope.
In the country's capital, Nuuk's former culture and education director, William Kriegel, helped develop Greenland's first skate park in 2013. He says youth spaces remain vital. For NPR News, I'm Julia Rignot in Garonto.
A rare copy of the very first Superman comic has sold for more than $9 million at a Texas auction, the highest price ever paid for a comic book.
Chapter 6: What significance does the sale of the Superman comic hold in the collectibles market?
Three brothers found it while cleaning out their late mother's attic in San Francisco. The issue had been tucked in a cardboard box for decades, along with a few other comic books their mom collected before World War II. Auctioneers say the book is in remarkably good condition and now among the most valuable collectibles in the world. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.