NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-11-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: December 12, 2025

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This message comes from Bayer. Science is a rigorous process that requires questions, testing, transparency, and results that can be proven. This approach is integral to every breakthrough Bayer brings forward. Innovations that save lives and feed the world. Science Delivers.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Indiana lawmakers have voted against drawing a Republican-friendly congressional map as called for by President Trump in his attempt to help Republicans keep control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections.

Ben Thorpe of member station WFYI reports Indiana Republicans rejected months of pressure from the White House. The map was intended to hand Republicans two additional congressional seats out of Indiana, part of a national redistricting push to keep Republican control of the U.S. House. But Indiana senators voted no, arguing that it would be bad for the country as a whole. Republican State Senator Spencer Deary said his vote was to uphold conservative presidential. principles. Living in a free constitutional republic means we empower voters to make those decisions and we accept their will no matter what. Republican Mike Young expressed his disappointment. We've cost our nation. We don't know how much, but we've cost our nation. Senate leaders say

redistricting cannot be brought up again in Indiana before midterms. For NPR News, I'm Ben Thorpe in Indianapolis. Insurance premiums for millions of Americans are set to spike at the end of the year when enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act are set to expire. Today, the Senate voted on dueling plans to address health care costs, but both of them failed. NPR's Sam Greenglass has more on the fight over whether to shore up Obamacare. The Affordable Care Act has been controversial from the jump. Republicans have tried over and over to repeal it, but have struggled to come up with an alternative. Now, many acknowledge that the ACA is here to stay, even as they continue to criticize it,

as, you know, the unaffordable care act, though polling has shown that the ACA subsidies are incredibly popular with voters across party lines. NPR's Sam Gringlass reporting, the World Health Organization is once again saying there's no evidence vaccines cause autism. As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, the Trump administration says otherwise. This fall, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its website to say that a link between vaccines and autism can't be ruled out. That reversal in guidance has been taken further by President Trump, who has repeatedly suggested vaccines can cause autism.

Now, WHO is releasing its own review of the evidence. Its medical experts analyzed more than 30 studies conducted over the past 15 years. Here's WHO Director General Tedros Adonam Gabriesus. This is the full-such review of the evidence. All reach the same conclusion. Vaccines do not cause autism. The WHO says that over the past 50 years, childhood immunizations have saved at least 154 million lives. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News.

The Swiss winner of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, Nemo is returning their winner's trophy. Nemo announced the decision in an Instagram video, citing Israel's continued participation in the contest despite its actions in Gaza. Five countries are boycotting next year's contest over Israel's participation. This is NPR. My Pillow founder, Mike Lindell, says he's running for Minnesota governor in 26. He was a leading amplifier of President Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. That led to a string of legal and financial setbacks for Lindell and his company. He's seeking to take on Democratic Governor Tim Walls.

If you're tuning into pop music stations, this should come as no surprise. NPR's Stephen Thompson reports on an old holiday hit. It's back on the top of the charts. For anyone who watches the Billboard charts in December, it should come as no surprise that the number one song in the country belongs to Mariah Carey. The song, which came out in 1994, didn't actually top the Billboard Hot 100 until 2019, but it's made an annual pilgrimage to number one ever since, thanks in large part to streaming. All I Want for Christmas is You has now topped the Billboard. Board Hot 100 for 19 very non-consecutive weeks. That ties an all-time record held by Lil Nas X's Old Town Road featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

and a blockbuster from last year. Shaboosies, a bar song, Tipsy. Stephen Thompson, NPR News. Fishing regulators are extending a shutdown for New England's historic shrimping industry for another three years. New Englanders used to catch millions of pounds of shrimp, but the industry has been under a moratorium since 2014. rising temperatures have created an inhospitable environment for the shrimp

and their population is too low to fish sustainably. I'm Rylan Barton. This is NPR News from Washington. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply.