NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-01-2026 12PM EST

Episode Date: January 1, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Swiss investigators are ruling out an attack as the cause of a deadly fire during a New Year's Eve party at the popular Alpine Ski Reservoir Crom, Montana. The number of people injured or killed has surpass 100. Sme Nicholson has an update. Police say the fire tore through the Constellation, the crowded bar where skiers were seeing in the new year at 1.30 a.m. local time. They also confirm that the blaze was not caused by an incident.

explosive device. A number of media outlets report that a birthday candle held too close to the ceiling may have started the fire, although investigations are ongoing. Regional government head, Mathieu Renard, says the evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare. Grand Montana is a well-known ski resort in the Swiss canton of Valais, a destination that draws many international celebrities. For MPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Berlin. Millions of Americans who bought their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act are bracing for much higher premiums this year. ACA subsidies expired last night.

As Sarah Bowden reports, some people will see their monthly bill double and likely forced recipients to make some tough choices about whether to stick with Obamacare. Preliminary data from December show that enrollment is down a bit compared to last December, but overall it is higher than expected. that could change over the course of this year. Cynthia Cox is a researcher at the Health Policy Think Tank KFF. She says it's kind of like the difference between putting groceries in your shopping cart and actually purchasing those groceries. So you don't actually own those groceries until you paid for them, the same thing with health insurance. You can sign up, you can pick a plan, but until you pay for it, it's not your health plan. In most states, the final deadline to sign up for a plan for 2026 is January 15th.

For NPR news, I'm Sarah Bowden. In his New Year's address, Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said he will not agree to a weak peace deal that would prolong Russia's war against his country. NPR's, Joanna Kisis reports Ukrainian leaders are expected to meet in Paris next week to discuss how to defend the country after any agreement is reached. In Ukraine, watching the president's new year's address is an annual ritual. Zelensky spoke in his office, a Christmas tree twinkling in the background, and he's watching. They said Russia's nearly four-year, full-scale war on Ukraine, has exhausted the country. He said Ukrainians have held on for more than 1,400 days, longer than the Nazi occupation of many cities during World War II. He said Ukraine wants peace, but not at any cost. It wants an end of the war, but not an end to Ukraine.

Zelensky said a peace proposal is 90% finished. Russia has already rejected points in this. proposal. That's Joannica Kisses. It's NPR News. There will be a new college football champion. Defending champion, Ohio State, fell last night to Miami. Steve Futterman with details. Miami never trailed, jumping out to a 14-0 first half lead. Ohio State was able to cut the margin to three in the fourth quarter, 17 to 14, but could never get closer. Three more quarter-final games are set for today. The nation's number one team undefeated Indiana plays Alabama in the oldest bowl game, the Rose Bowl. In the Orange Bull, it will be Oregon facing Texas Tech in the Sugar Bowl.

Georgia plays Mississippi. That's Steve Futterman reporting. A ban on flavored tobacco products is now in effect in Denver. Colorado Public Radio's John Daly has more. Denver voters in November decisively passed a measure to keep a ban on flavored tobacco. It was approved in 2024 by the city council. citing concerns about health impacts and youth use. City Tobacco Program Manager Ted Montoya says the health department can issue fines and suspensions to retailers who violate the law.

Our goal is to visit every retailer in the city and county of Denver two to four times a year. And we consistently make those targets. About 400 local governments in the U.S. have passed restrictions on sales of flavored tobacco. For NPR News, I'm John Daly in Denver. the Clooney is there officially citizens of France. The government had granted actor George Clooney and his spouse, human rights attorney Amal Clooney, as well as their twins of French citizenship because of the couple's contributions to France's cultural outreach. It's NPR.