The news to know for Wednesday, November 12, 2025!
We're talking about the deal to end the government shutdown that could make it out of Congress before the end of the day — and how long it may take airlines to recover.
Also, who was selected for President Trump's latest pardons, and why California's governor is addressing the U.N. Climate Conference.
Plus: a setback in the worldwide fight against measles, why some celebrities are giving the green light for others to use their AI voices, and how Netflix could be coming to your local mall.
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
The government shutdown is inching closer to an end as members of the House of Representatives return to Washington today. They are expected to vote on a bill to end the shutdown this week, after eight Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to advance a budget package on Monday night. The package includes funding for the government until January and would also reinstate federal employees who were laid off during the shutdown. But, and there’s a big but, the budget package does not include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that make health insurance more affordable for millions of people. To discuss the potential end to the shutdown further, with no answers on healthcare, we spoke with Delaware Democratic Congresswoman Sarah McBride on Tuesday afternoon.
And in headlines, CNN reports the United Kingdom is no longer sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, a judge ruled West Virginia National Guard troops can stay in DC, and President Donald Trump is pushing a 50-year-mortgage plan for prospective homebuyers.
Live from Crooked Con, Jon Lovett talks to Hasan Piker, Symone Sanders Townsend, Tim Miller, and Jessica Tarlov about why Democrats are the party of humorless scolds, how they let that happen, and how the Republicans crackdown on free speech presents and opening for Democrats to be the fun, welcoming party again. Then, Sen. Chris Murphy joins Dan Pfeiffer to talk about the threats we face and why it’s more important than ever for leaders to communicate directly with Americans.
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On this episode, Chris Coyne speaks with Michael Romero, Mikayla Novak, and Anna Claire Flowers about the enduring influence of Kenneth Boulding on how we understand peace and cooperation.
Romero discusses his paper “Markets as a Peace Lab,” coauthored with Virgil Storr, which explains how markets act as spaces where individuals cultivate trust, empathy, and peaceful exchange. Novak joins to discuss her paper “Kenneth Boulding’s The Image: A Cognitive Basis for Peace Entrepreneurship,” connecting Boulding’s insights on human cognition to the creative work of fostering peace. In the final part of the episode, Coyne and Flowers reflect on their coauthored paper “The Family and the Stable Peace,” highlighting how the family serves as a training ground for the habits and relationships that sustain cooperation. Together, these conversations show how Boulding’s vision of peace continues to shape research on economics, society, and human flourishing.
Dr. Michael R. Romero is Professor of Economics and Business at Thales College. Previously, he was an associate program director for Academic & Student Programs and a Research Fellow for the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He is an alum of the Mercatus PhD Fellowship.
Dr. Mikayla Novak is a Senior Fellow with the F.A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She is a contributing editorial board member of Cosmos + Taxis and recently was the editor of Liberal Emancipation: Explorations in Political and Social Economy (Springer Nature, 2025).
Anna Claire Flowers is a PhD student in Economics at George Mason University and is currently a fellow in the Mercatus PhD Fellowship. Her research interests include family economics, in particular the economic significance of family relationships and the economic factors that influence family decision-making.
Show Notes:
Kenneth Boulding’s book, Stable Peace (University of Texas Press, 1978)
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Megha Majumdar’s new novel takes place in a near-future Kolkata struck by climate change. There, one family’s possibility of escape is jeopardized when their passports are stolen. A Guardian and a Thief, a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award, weaves together their plot with the story of their burglar. In a conversation with Here & Now, Majumdar tells Jane Clayson that hope isn’t always noble in situations of crisis.
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David Ewing Duncan has spent the last 25 years being poked and prodded in the name of science. He’s signed up for hundreds of tests because, as a journalist, he writes about emerging health breakthroughs. He says one recent test contains more useful data than anything he’s seen to date. He talks to host Emily Kwong about his score on the Immune Health Metric, which was developed by immunologist John Tsang. Together, David and John explain why immune health is so central to overall health and how a simple blood test could one day predict disease before it starts.
Read David’s full article about his experience with the Immune Health Metric. The piece is a collaboration between MIT Technology Review and Aventine, a non-profit research foundation that creates and supports content about how technology and science are changing the way we live.
Interested in more health science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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It didn’t take long to go from Beyoncé holding for applause in front of the word “FEMINISM” to a headline in the New York Times asking “Did Women Ruin the Workplace?” How long is this backlash going to last?
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