NPR News: 11-29-2025 8PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump is telling pilots to treat the airspace over and around Venezuela as closed. He made the announcement in a post on social media, offering no further details. NPR's Tamara Keith reports it marks another move in the administration's pressure campaign on the government of Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration has justified deadly airstrikes on Venezuelan boats in recent weeks as necessary to protect the American people from drug smuggling.
What actions is President Trump taking regarding Venezuela's airspace?
Trump has also declared Maduro, the Venezuelan dictator, to be a narco-terrorist, which Maduro disputes. In remarks on Thanksgiving, Trump implied there would be more coming.
People aren't wanting to be delivering by sea, and we'll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier.
A U.S. official not authorized to speak on the record tells NPR training flights are being conducted in the southern Caribbean, but there's no indication military action against Venezuela is imminent. Tamara Keith, NPR News.
The FDA says it's planning to take a tougher approach to regulating vaccines. NPR's Rob Stein reports officials claim they've uncovered new evidence questioning the safety of the COVID-19 shots.
FDA Commissioner Marty McCary says the agency will require much stricter evidence that vaccines are safe and effective. McCary says the new approach was prompted by evidence that the deaths of at least 10 children were caused by the COVID vaccines. McCary's top deputy, Vinay Prasad, made that claim in an email distributed Friday. NPR obtained the email after it was reported by other news organizations. Independent public health experts, however, questioned the claim that the COVID vaccines caused these deaths, citing the administration's pattern of making unsupported and misleading claims. Rob Stein, NPR News.
The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes during the war in Gaza has topped 70,000. That's according to Gaza health officials. NPR's Kat Lonsdorff reports from Tel Aviv.
Since the fragile ceasefire took hold early last month, the reported death toll by the Gaza health ministry has continued to climb. More than 350 of those deaths have been from Israeli strikes during the ceasefire. Hundreds more have been recently added to the toll as bodies, some buried in the rubble for many months, have been retrieved during the relative calm. Throughout the war, Israel has repeatedly denied targeting civilians and the accuracy of the figures from Gaza. The United Nations often cites the Gaza health ministry numbers and says they're credible. Several international studies have estimated the total death toll is likely much higher. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
You're listening to NPR News from Washington. It's officially Christmas music season. Need proof? Well, it's on the Billboard's Hot 100 chart, as NPR's Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento reports.
She's back. Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You has entered the top 10. The holiday classic reclaimed its rightful spot near the top of the charts this week, currently sitting at number eight. But Mariah's not alone. Another holiday hit follows close behind at number 11. It's Wham's Last Christmas. Also steadily climbing the Hot 100 chart, Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree comes in at number 13. It may not be December yet, but all signs point to a triumphant 2025 run for holiday classics. Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento, NPR News.
Northwestern University has agreed to pay $75 million to the federal government to restore lost research funding. The Trump administration cut off nearly $800 million in grants last year after a standoff with university leadership. Officials accuse Northwestern of failing to do enough to address anti-Semitism on campus, a charge the school has disputed. Under the new agreement, the university will make payments to the U.S. Treasury over the next three years. The deal ends several investigations and reinstates hundreds of millions of dollars in research support. This is NPR News.
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