--:-- Windsor Johnston: There are tens of thousands of veterans behind bars in the U.S., often without any of the mental health services they may need. When you go to prison, you automatically lose your benefits as a veteran. You become a ward of the state. How much do we owe these veterans who have fought our wars?
--:-- Windsor Johnston: Listen now to the Sunday story on the Up First podcast from NPR.
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--:-- Windsor Johnston: Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
--:-- House Speaker Mike Johnson: House Speaker Mike Johnson says he's planning to call lawmakers back to Washington as the Senate prepares to vote on a bill that would temporarily end the government shutdown.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: The Senate is moving forward on an amended House CR, a continuing resolution, that will reopen the government until January 30th.
--:-- House Speaker Mike Johnson: Added to that are provisions to fully fund SNAP provisions through the end of the next fiscal year, which is September 2026.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: The agreement also includes a future vote on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, a key Democratic demand.
--:-- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he plans to vote no on the bill.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: We're not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the health care of the American people.
--:-- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: And we going to continue the fight to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits
--:-- Windsor Johnston: The House must still approve the measure before it reaches President Trump's desk
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--:-- Windsor Johnston: A small group of National Guard members in Ohio is questioning President Trump's deployments to various U.S. cities.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: A few Guard members in Ohio started an encrypted group chat so they could talk about what was happening with the deployments and process them together.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: I really went to like a dark place when they sent the troops to L.A., eventually D.C. and now like Chicago.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: Like this is just not what any of us signed up for.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: NPR met with three of them to talk about how they're feeling, what they would do if they were required to go on one of Trump's deployments, and if they had thought about ending their military careers.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: The Trump administration has said the deployments are necessary for law and order.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: Federal judges and local governments have disagreed.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorf: These three feel deeply uncomfortable with the possible direction they could be headed.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: The U.S. military has struck two more boats in the eastern Pacific, killing at least six people.
--:-- Kerry Kahn: NPR's Kerry Kahn reports that's according to a social media post by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
--:-- Kerry Kahn: Defense Secretary Hegseth says the latest attack struck two boats suspected of smuggling drugs
--:-- Kerry Kahn: This is the 19th by the U.S. since the military campaign began early September
--:-- Kerry Kahn: Hegseth posted two short videos showing two separate boats bombed while traveling along what the defense secretary said is a no-narco-trafficking transit route.
--:-- Kerry Kahn: Hegseth said those killed were all male narco-terrorists.
--:-- Kerry Kahn: He cited intelligence that the two boats were transporting drugs but did not provide evidence.
--:-- Kerry Kahn: Multiple experts say the strikes are illegal even if the suspects are criminals.
--:-- Kerry Kahn: Trump says the lethal strikes are justified as he has declared the U.S. in an armed conflict with drug cartels.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: President Trump drew criticism after he highlighted a Thanksgiving meal kit put together by Walmart.
--:-- Amy Held: NPR's Amy Held reports that as grocery prices increase, the meal kits are reflecting changing shopping habits.
--:-- Amy Held: Walmart, Target, and Kroger among the retailers marketing more affordable multi-item Thanksgiving meal deals.
--:-- Amy Held: Of course, Turkey remains the mainstay, but they've all made a change compared to last year relying on cheaper store label items over name brands
--:-- Amy Held: This says more Americans are turning to generic options
--:-- Amy Held: Grocery prices are up about 3 from last year and nearly 30 since 2020
--:-- Amy Held: Gen Z may be driving a shift There an increasing appetite for private label products, especially among value-motivated young adults.
--:-- Amy Held: An analysis by Wells Fargo finds a typical Thanksgiving meal for 10 this year can go for $80 if all the items are store-brand, a savings of about 20 percent.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: Starting today, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will suspend certain tariff measures against China.
--:-- [Music transitions to a news theme]
--:-- Windsor Johnston: The interim rule delays implementation for one year, covering shipbuilding and logistics sectors.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: At the same time, duties tied to synthetic opioid precursor controls will drop from 20 to 10 percent.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: Officials say the deal strengthens control of chemical flows that feed the opioid crisis.
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--:-- Windsor Johnston: On Wall Street, the Dow up 325 points.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: This is NPR News.
--:-- [Music transitions to a commercial theme]
--:-- Windsor Johnston: You ever get to the pharmacy and you're expecting your medication to cost 20 bucks, but instead it's 200 or a thousand?
--:-- Windsor Johnston: And you're like, wait, really? Like, are you sure? Is there some kind of mistake?
--:-- Windsor Johnston: This week on the Life Kit podcast, what to do when your prescription costs way more than you expected.
--:-- Windsor Johnston: You can listen in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
