NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-13-2025 5AM EST

Episode Date: December 13, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. A nonprofit group is suing President Trump and his administration, arguing his White House ballroom project, has not gotten legally required approvals. NPR's Tamara Keith reports the National Trust for Historic Preservation is asking for a temporary halt to construction activity. The east wing of the White House was torn down to make way for President Trump's ballroom, and the work continues, even as no place. plans have been submitted to the relevant oversight bodies. Carol Quillan is president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. We feel like we have no choice here. We need to fulfill our mission. We need to speak on behalf of the American public. And we need to make the case that these processes are important and that respecting them matters because our history matters.

White House spokesman Davis Engel says President Trump has full legal authority to beautify the White House just as his predecessors did. Tamara Keith, NPR News. House Democrats are pushing back against White House claims that those photos from the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's estate were cherry-picked to embarrass President Trump. Massachusetts Congressman Stephen Lynch serves on the House Oversight Committee. The ones that we released, obviously, were the top of the batch that was sent by the estate that they thought would be helpful to the committee. And so we're going through that process. But we didn't. We didn't cherry-pick anything.

We just took the top of the batch. The photos released Friday are among tens of thousands received from the Epstein estate. When he was asked about them, President Trump said they are not a big deal. Ukrainian and European representatives will be in Paris today for more talks on ending Russia's war on Ukraine. In Paris, Joanna Kiciss's reports from Kiev that the U.S. is pressing Ukraine to leave the eastern region of Dombat, us in Russia's hands. Public opinion polls show that Ukrainians strongly opposed giving up territory to Russia. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says he's exploring whether to hold a public referendum

on the issue, though holding elections during wartime is against Ukraine's constitution. The Trump administration is favoring Moscow in negotiations. Lawmaker Ivana Klimbush-Tinsata says facing Russia without U.S. support would be incredibly difficult. But just to give in to the aggressor, that is not something that we can agree upon after what we have gone through. European leaders say they stand with Ukraine, but Europe's financial support to Ukraine has declined this year. Joanna Kikisis, NPR News, Kiev. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that U.S. envoy Steve Whitgob and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will join this weekend's talks in Berlin.

And from Washington, this is NPR, NPR, News. Authorities in Washington State are warning that high water sparked by a string of atmospheric river storms could remain for days. The flooding has been record-setting leading to evacuations and dramatic rescues from rooftops and vehicles. The overflow from the Nooksack River in Washington State has led to widespread flooding in British Columbia's Fraser Valley. And as Dan Carpichuk reports, that's led to evacuation, school closures, and flooded farmland. flooding has taken over the main route from Vancouver to the rest of Canada, the Trans-Canada Highway. Some officials are describing it as chaos, with the highway gone in about half an hour.

Police have moved thousands of vehicles off the highway. Wellness checks are also being conducted of residence and flooded properties. As many as 500 properties were under evacuation orders. Meanwhile, the mayor of Abbotsford is critical of the federal government for a lack of support and for rejecting a request for money for a long-term flood mitigation plan. Officials say the emergency is not over yet and forecasters are calling for more rain in the region over the weekend. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpenchuk in Toronto. As the Pacific Northwest faces the threat of more flooding, the National Weather Service is warning of near-record cold temperatures

and portions of Minnesota and North Dakota as snowfall moves into the Ohio Valley today. President Trump is expected to attend this afternoon's annual Army Navy football game. the game is being played in Baltimore as college football prepares to hand out its most prestigious award. The Heisman Trophy will be awarded tonight during a ceremony in New York City. I'm Gile Snyder.

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