Leaked Witkoff call; Ukraine; Thanksgiving travel : NPR

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Today's top news

Transcripts recently released by Bloomberg show that US special envoy Steve Witkoff trained a Russian adviser on how to present a Ukraine peace deal to President Trump. The transcripts were released just as Trump's peace plan appears to be moving forward. During the phone call, Witkoff allegedly gives advice to Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser, on how to manage Trump. The news outlet said the recording was made during a call in mid-October, just after Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's two largest oil companies. NPR has not independently verified the contents of the transcript.

• 🎧 NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports. Up first she spoke with People's Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Alexander Merezhkowho says he is not surprised by this development. Merezhko called for replacing Vitkov six months ago. citing incompetence and misunderstanding regarding Ukraine and the origins of the war. Merezhko says the Ukrainians know they are dealing with people around Trump who side with Russia, but they have to deal with them no matter who they are.
• 🎧 Trump remains focused on ending the war in Ukraine and sends his top aides to Moscow and Kyiv to resolve differences in his latest peace plan. NPR correspondent Franco Ordoñez reports that Ukraine and Russia not necessarily closer to closing the dealEven as the two countries exchange ideas on how to end the war with the US, Trump appears to have a genuine interest in the loss of life, especially children, but Ordoñez believes the president's desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize may be part of the motivation for ending the war.

Federal regulators say US aviation system is back to normal after government shutdownjust in time for the millions of Americans expected to fly in for Thanksgiving. Transport Minister Sean Duffy this week unveiled a new courtesy campaign called 'The Golden Age of Travel Starts with You', urging travelers to respect airport and airline staff.

• 🎧 The administration's critics say the campaign puts great pressure on passengers. Bye allowing airlines to evade responsibility for making flying less civilized. NPR's Joel Rose says people heading to the airport should expect large crowds. The Federal Aviation Administration says this could be the busiest Thanksgiving in 15 years.

Louisiana Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham, who called COVID vaccines “dangerous,” will become the CDC's chief deputy director.making him the second-highest ranking official. The position has been vacant since Dr. Nirav Shah, who served under the Biden administration, resigned in February. Abraham was a strong supporter of Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and even previously supported research into the debunked link between vaccines and autism. The connection between them is a topic that the CDC recently revived. Here what else do we know about him.

Deep Dive

White round pills in an orange bottle on a blue banner background close-up with copy space

neirfy/iStockphoto/Getty Images

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neirfy/iStockphoto/Getty Images

Drug makers have created tablet versions of GLP-1 drugs intended to treat obesity, offering a potential alternative to injectable drugs. Although the Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved the drugs, the agency is expected to approve the first pill by the end of the year. Here what you should know new medicine:

• 💊 The FDA is expected to approve Novo Nordisk's obesity pill as the first of its oral options. It contains semaglutide, the same ingredient found in Wegovy and Ozempic.
• 💊 The pills should cost less than the injections, which cost over $1,000 a month. Under Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly's agreements with the Trump administration, if their oral obesity drugs are approved, they will sell them directly to consumers for $149 a month.
• 💊 According to a study conducted in New England Journal of Medicine. This is about the same as Wegovy.

Picture show

Aerial view of the densely populated area of ​​Pozzuoli, located in the caldera of the Campi Flegrei volcano. The region is home to more than half a million people and is under constant monitoring due to ongoing volcanic activity and the risk of uplift, earthquakes and gas emissions associated with bradyseism.

Valerio Musella for NPR

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Valerio Musella for NPR

The powerful Campi Flegrei volcano, located near Naples in Italy, is reactivating, causing tremors that scientists say have not been felt for centuries. Researchers are concerned that the volcano may soon erupt. The prehistoric eruptions of Campi Flegrei were so large that they blotted out the sun, turning summer into winter and covering Europe and Russia in a thick layer of volcanic ash. For everyone to survive a modern eruption, more than half a million people will need to be evacuated from the area surrounding the eight-mile-wide Campi Flegrei crater, which Italian authorities have designated as a “red zone.” See photographs of a densely populated area and listen to how the resident describes what's it like to live there.

3 things you need to know before your trip

In 2022, Gramma's 138th birthday was celebrated at the San Diego Zoo.

San Diego Zoo/YouTube/NPR Screenshot

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San Diego Zoo/YouTube/NPR Screenshot

1. It is estimated that the Galapagos Gramma tortoise was born in 1884, when there were only 39 states in the United States. The “sweet and shy turtle” who lived at the San Diego Zoo for a century. died on Thursday at 141.
2. According to the company, Thanksgiving is peak season for Jiffy corn muffins, which are among the best-selling dry goods in the U.S. grocery market. The famous and inexpensive baked goods have been around for 75 years. Here How Jiffy manages to remain a staple for Americans.
3. NPR Word of the Week – studying the history of Turkeyjust in time for the holidays. According to historians and etymologists, the history of this bird is full of uncertainty.

This newsletter has been edited Suzanne Nuyen.