NPR News: 11-28-2025 1PM EST
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What are the implications of Black Friday sales trends for 2025?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. 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 time. But a recent report from the Conference Board finds consumer confidence has fallen. NPR's Alina Selyuk explains.
The key here is who is 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.
NPR's Alina Selyuk. Last night, President Trump announced that National Guard Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom had died after being shot Wednesday near the White House. National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe 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.
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.
It's tragic. They're young. It's unnecessary.
Jason Barrett serves the Martinsburg area as a Republican in the West Virginia Senate. Barrett says the conversation is warranted on the Guard's 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 Wolfe and Beckstrom families. Dave Mistich, NPR News, Martinsburg, West Virginia.
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 U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine, but he says the war will continue if Ukraine refuses to make key concessions. NPR's Charles Mainz has more.
The Kremlin often says it would prefer to achieve its goals in Ukraine through diplomatic rather than military means. That was the core message of a lengthy press conference by President Putin in Central Asia. Putin said he still considered a U.S. peace proposal a loose roadmap towards ending the conflict... but warned Russia would secure its territorial goals by force if Ukraine refused to withdraw voluntarily. Putin also weighed in on recently leaked phone transcripts that suggested White House envoy Steve Witkoff was biased in favor of Moscow in the peace negotiations. Putin called Witkoff an intelligent man who promoted the interests of his country. Witkoff is expected back in Moscow for talks with Putin next week.
Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow.
This is NPR News. The death toll continues to rise in Hong Kong where a major fire swept through a high-rise apartment complex Wednesday. Officials now say at least 128 people died and that number could rise. About 200 people are missing. So far, 11 people have been arrested in connection with the fire. Storms continue to cause widespread death and destruction in Southeast Asia. Officials say at least 145 people have died in the past several days in Thailand. Michael Sullivan reports.
Southern Thailand, the park closest to neighboring Malaysia, has borne the brunt of this week's flooding, with Songkla Province recording the most deaths so far, at least 110. Seven other provinces make up the remainder, and the death toll is likely to rise, authorities say, as floodwaters recede and rescuers gain access to more areas. The tourist destination of Hat Yai, the south's largest city, has been especially hard hit. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation says more than a million homes and 3.5 million people have been affected overall. Videos from the affected areas show cars stacked on each other alongside household debris swept away by the floodwaters.
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