NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-12-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: December 12, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the biggest county in Georgia for its 2020 general election ballots. As Raul Bolly of Member Station WAB reports, Fulton County has been at the center of baseless claims by President Trump that his 2020 presidential election loss was rigged. The DOJ lawsuit filed in Atlanta names the Fulton County Clerk of Courts. The county has said the sealed ballots and other records cannot be produced with. without a court order. The Department of Justice is now asking the federal court in Atlanta to issue one. The DOJ claims the U.S. Attorney General has the right to obtain ballots and other records under the Civil Rights Act of 1960 and that the Attorney General is investigating

Fulton County's compliance with federal election law. Trump and some of his supporters have long claimed widespread fraud leading to his 2020 loss in Georgia. Multiple investigations have not borne that out. For NPR News, I'm Ronald Valley in Atlanta. Congressional Democrats released photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estates, including pictures of President Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and other prominent figures. The photos are a small part of more than 95,000 they received from Epstein's estate. Congressman Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, says lawmakers are working to redact information to protect survivors. Clearly, we have put out, I think, maybe 15 to 20 of those photos this morning, Democrats have.

We will continue to put out more photos in the days and weeks ahead. But I just caution folks at the redaction process and ensuring that we are protecting the survivors and the women who were abused by Epstein are protected. One picture of Trump includes six women whose faces are blacked out. Republicans are accusing Democrats who release the images of cherry-picking photos to create a false narrative and that the pictures don't show any wrongdoing by Trump. The Israeli government has approved a number of new settlements. in the occupied West Bank, stoking fears of annexation of the territory,

NPR's Hidal-Al-Shalchi reports. The Israeli government has approved plans for 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, saying the proposals would strengthen settlement life in the territory. Israeli finance minister Betzalo Smotritch is in charge of settlement policy and said more than 760 new homes on existing settlements were also approved. Smotrich, a far-right nationalist and settler himself, has said Jews have a god-eastern. given right to the land. Israel first occupied the West Bank during the 1967 Mideast War

and has since permitted more than 500,000 settlers there. The settlements are considered illegal under international law. The UN has recorded more than 1,700 settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank so far this year. Hadil al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. U.S. stocks fell from record highs today. The S&P 500 dropped over a percentage from its all-time high. This is NPR News. Ford is stepping up technology in the F-150 pickup to combat thefts. It includes a feature that won't allow the pickups to start even if key fobs are present. The pickup was in the top 10 of most stolen models over the first half of 2025.

Ford's security chief says there are a lot of Ford F-150s on the road and thieves like pickups. Former University of Michigan head football coach Sharon Moore has been arraigned on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering. As Alex McLennan of Member Station WDET reports, it comes two days after Moore was fired from the university for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Following his termination, Moore allegedly broke into the home of the staffer he'd been having an affair with.

According to Wastonaut County Assistant Prosecutor, Katie Rasmirski, he then grabbed sharp objects from the kitchen and began threatening to take his own life in front of the victim. My blood is on your hands. You ruined my life. And a series of very, very threatening, intimidating, intimidating, quite frankly, statements. More can be released with a GPS tracking device under a no-contact order. He is due back in court next month. For NPR News, I'm Alex McClellan in Detroit. After two years of renovations, the first and second floors of George and Martha Washington's mansion at Mount Vernon, Virginia have reopened to visitors. Preservationists say the project

restored the home to the most accurate depiction of the way it was when the Washington's lived there. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR NewsNow Plus at plus.npr.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.