NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-13-2025 4AM EST

Episode Date: December 13, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. President Trump suffered a major setback this week when Republicans in Indiana voted down a redistricting plan. Trump had demanded the legislation. The proposed new congressional map could have produced two more GOP-friendly seats for the 2026 midterms. There were many Indiana Republicans who were willing to go along with this plan to try to squeeze out two more seats from Indiana to try to help Republicans retain control of the House. that's what this was really all about. But voters in the state just didn't want it. They'd seen significant pushback.

A lot of these lawmakers were receiving threats as well from the right and still rejected what was being proposed. That's NPR's Domenico Montanaro with that report. Similar efforts to change political boundaries are still underway in several other states. The U.S. military has not addressed safety issues with the Osprey tilt rotor aircraft. And NPR's Quill Lawrence says that government watchdogs are warning the troops' lives could it be at risk? The V-22 Osprey looks futuristic with massive propellers on the ends of two wings.

It lifts off the ground vertically like a helicopter and then jerks in mid-air as the propellers lurch forward to fly like a plane. That gives the Osprey unique capabilities, but also engineering challenges. Reports this week from the Navy and the Government Accountability Office noted four fatal accidents with the aircraft since 2022 that killed 20 service members. The reports blame a shortage of personnel to do maintenance on the Osprey and found that the Navy, Marines, and Air Force have done a poor job sharing relevant safety information.

The reports also say it's not clear who is in charge of fixing the potentially fatal issues with the aircraft. Quill Lawrence NPR News. Tens of thousands of people in Washington State remain under an evacuation advisory tonight as days of heavy rain have pushed rivers to near or record-breaking levels and caused widespread flooding. Noel Gasco, Member Station, KUOW, has more on our story. In Skagit County, an agricultural hub an hour north of Seattle, the flood wall in the city of Mount Vernon

managed to protect the community from historic flooding. The Skagit River crested near 38 feet, according to the National Weather Service. About 78,000 people living within the floodplain remain under an evacuation advisory. Meanwhile, Governor Bobbiard, Bob Ferguson says the Trump administration has granted the state's request for emergency assistance. FEMA says the agency can now provide equipment and funding to aid response efforts to flooding,

landslides, and mudslides in the state. Another weather system could move through the area this weekend. For NPR news, I'm Noelle Gaska in Seattle. Stocks lost ground on Friday. The S&P 500 was down 73 points. NASDAQ finished out today at 398 points down. This is NPR News. This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner didn't make it in time to formally accept her prestigious prize at the Oslo ceremony. That's because getting out of Venezuela was tough. Maria Corina Machado has been in hiding ever since.

President Nicholas Maduro declared victory in last year's election. That election was widely deemed fraudulent. NPR's Kerry Kahn spoke with the man who helped the opposition leader to get out of Venezuela. Brian Stern runs Gray Bull Rescue with fellow U.S. military vets. They couldn't get Machado out by land, too many checkpoints, by sea it was. I didn't want a big giant boat with a lot of big engines that can go real fast and cut through the waves because that's what the narcos use and the U.S. military likes to blow them up. The U.S. has struck nearly two dozen boats killing at least 87 people.

They allege are drug traffickers. Stern says U.S. officials knew when they were crossing, and he says Machado toughed it out, better than his fellow military vets. We're all bitching and moaning and it's cold, it's wet, we're hungry, we're tired, it's dark. She didn't complain once. He thought she was dubbed the Iron Lady because of her solid convictions, but he says she's awesome. Carrie Con and PR News.

Fernando Mendoza won the Davey O'Brien Award for top college football quarterbacks on Friday. He led Indiana to a 13-0 record this season, and the Hoosiers are the top seat in the college football playoffs. Mendoza was also named the AP player of the year earlier this week, and he is the top contender for the Heisman, which will be announced on Saturday night. I'm Dale Wilman, NPR News. 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.

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