Overview of NPR News Now
NPR’s November 11 headlines focus on U.S.-mediated Ukraine peace talks, congressional and election developments, and Veterans Day events. The broadcast also reports on a legal challenge to President Trump’s proposed Arlington arch and a newly identified draft of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Ukraine Peace Talks
Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia are expected to meet for a second day in Abu Dhabi, in the first talks between the two sides since the previous February. The United States is mediating. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the discussions as constructive, though the delegations have not commented directly on their progress.
U.S. officials say they are focused on a new security framework between Russia and Europe, which they believe could help both sides make concessions and end the fighting.
U.S. Politics and Elections
- Impeachment effort blocked: House Republicans blocked a measure to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, by a vote of 211 to 204. The articles cited his alleged handling of the war in Iran, administration boat strikes targeting suspected drug trafficking, and the Pentagon’s treatment of Senator Mark Kelly after Kelly said service members should refuse unlawful orders.
- Alaska Senate race: Democrat Mary Peltola’s lead over Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan has grown to nearly two percentage points, with more than 80% of the vote counted. Her campaign says it is confident she will win. More results are expected Friday.
- Mississippi Senate race: Democrat Scott Colom has widened his lead over Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith to nearly 3,000 votes, and the race remains uncalled.
Veterans Day and Arlington Arch Lawsuits
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are scheduled to attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, where the president will deliver Veterans Day remarks.
Several members of the Kennedy family have asked to join lawsuits seeking to block Trump’s proposed triumphal arch near the cemetery. The lawsuits argue that the arch would cast a shadow over the graves and memorials of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy.
Newly Identified Martin Luther King Jr. Speech Draft
Christie’s plans to auction a handwritten draft of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech early next year. The seven-page copy, written on yellow legal pad paper, was recently found among the papers of one of King’s advisers. Researchers believe King wrote it on the morning of the 1963 March on Washington. The draft includes edits and notes that may offer insight into his writing process; some auction proceeds will go to the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.