Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. Holiday spending began with a record-setting Black Friday. Adobe Analytics, which tracks online transactions, says sales this year are topping last year by more than 9 percent. NPR's Alina Selyuk reports.
Chapter 2: What are the trends in holiday spending for 2025?
Adobe Analytics says online shoppers on Black Friday spent big on televisions, the latest Nintendo Switch and Apple AirPods, appliances, toys and gift cards. Adobe says retailers are offering deeper discounts than anticipated and earlier in the season to get shoppers to spend despite all the worries about. inflation, tariffs, and economic uncertainty.
Consumer sentiment is near the lowest level since the pandemic. Still, the National Retail Federation forecast overall holiday sales might top $1 trillion for the first time. Shoppers say they are hunting for deals, but also... eager to celebrate with family and friends ready to deck the halls. Plus, much of the spending has been propped up by wealthier shoppers this year. Alina Seluk, NPR News.
A member of the National Guard shot near the White House Wednesday remains in critical condition. His colleague died of her injuries Thursday. The suspect is an Afghan national who had worked for the CIA in Afghanistan. The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia says he'll be charged with murder in the first degree.
The State Department says it's stopped issuing visas for anyone traveling on Afghan passports. NPR's Dia Hadid reports from Mumbai. She's been speaking with Afghans who've been waiting for years to be allowed to come to the U.S.
These are really dark days for the some 265,000 Afghans who advocates say were in the pipeline to come to the US. Like Roshanga, he was in the Afghan military. He used to sign off on airstrikes targeting Taliban fighters. He's now in hiding in Afghanistan in fear of his life, which is why I won't use his full name.
But Roshanga told me that he was ashamed of the Afghan national behind the Wednesday attack in DC.
NPR's Adia Hadid reporting. The mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, says at least two people were killed overnight in Russian drone and missile strikes. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports from Kyiv.
A child is among the dead amidst a mass combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine's capital. Air raid alerts were activated across the country. The last attacks on Kyiv finished up around 7 a.m. local time, say officials, and included Kinzhal hypersonic missiles. The heightened attacks come as Ukraine prepares to head to Florida in the coming days to discuss a U.S.
proposed peace plan with President Trump. Ukrainians fear in his haste to conclude a deal, Trump could propose ceding too much to Russia. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Kyiv.
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Chapter 3: What incident occurred near the White House involving the National Guard?
Air travel around the world is being disrupted because of a software problem with Airbus A320 jets. About 6,000 planes have been recalled, about half the A320 fleet. A JetBlue flight suddenly lost altitude last month during a flight from Mexico to New Jersey. At least 10 passengers were injured. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.