NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-13-2025 6AM EST

Episode Date: December 13, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jail Snyder. The Justice Department has filed more lawsuits against mostly Democratic-led states in an attempt to access sensitive data about registered voters. Here's NPR's Hansi Lo Wong reporting. For months, the Justice Department has been demanding certain states turn over complete copies of their voter registration lists, including any driver's license numbers and parts of voter social security numbers. In court filings, the DOJ says it wants this personal information,

to check of states are following federal law and keeping accurate voter rolls. But most states have refused, citing privacy restrictions. Now, the Justice Department is suing Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Nevada. They're the latest among a total of 18 states facing lawsuits. The DOJ has also filed a new lawsuit against Georgia's Fulton County. The Trump administration is trying to force local election officials to turn over all ballots and other records from the 2020 election that President Trump lost. Hansi Luong, NPR News.

U.S. envoy Steve Whitcomb and President. President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to be in Berlin this weekend. The Wall Street Journal says they are to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders over proposals for a ceasefire in Ukraine. The second week of Luigi Mangione's pre-trial hearings has concluded. NPR Sarah Ventry reports on defense efforts to convince a judge to make some critical pieces of evidence inadmissible in Mangione's upcoming trial. Over the last two weeks, police officers involved in Mangione's arrest have testified,

and footage from body-worn cameras has been shown, of officers approaching Mangione, asking him questions, and searching his backpack. Prosecutors say the backpack contained a nine-millimeter handgun, loaded magazine, silencer, and a red notebook with writings in it. But Mangione's lawyers say that backpack was searched without a warrant, which means those items should not be admissible at trial. They also say that statements Mangione made to police before he was informed of his right to remain silent should not be admissible. The hearings are said to continue next week. Sarah Ventry and PR News, New York. President Trump says he's gotten the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia to stop fighting over their disputed border. He announced on social media that the two have agreed to

restart their ceasefire, but as Michael Sullivan reports from Bangkok, the fighting is ongoing. Thailand's Prime Minister Anitin Chattinvira Kuhn posted on social media this morning that Thailand will continue its military action until there are, in his words, no more threats to our land and people. The Thai military says clashes are continuing across seven border provinces after Cambodia used heavy weapons overnight, forcing Thailand to retaliate. Cambodia's information ministry accused Thai forces of targeting bridges and other infrastructure. Neither side's claims could be independently verified. This is NPR News. International human rights groups are condemning the reported arrest of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Iran. The Nobel, a committee, is calling on Iranian authorities to clarify her whereabouts.

Iran has not confirmed the arrest. Supporters say she was detained while attending a memorial for a human rights lawyer who was recently found dead. 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, and forecasters say there's more rain in the forecast for tomorrow. Hollywood icon Dick Van Dyke's birthday is today. He's turning 100 years old. Van Dyke started in everything from Mary Poppins to diagnosis murder, and as he celebrates the start of his second century, NPR's Bob Mondello. Reflects on his beginnings. On Broadway, 65 years ago, he was doing his best to prompt a smile. Gray skies are going to clear up, but on a happy face. He took a week off from Bye Bye Birdie to audition for a TV sitcom Carl Reiner was cooking up.

The Dick Van Dyke Show. And once that was established, Disney tapped him to play a chimney sweep opposite Julianne. It's a jolly holiday with Mary. Van Dyke would star in dozens of other projects from bednops and broomsticks to a guest appearance on days. of our lives a couple of years ago at 97. But as he told NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. All of us involved say the Dick Van Dyke show was the best five years of our lives. It was, we were like authors at play. Dick Van Dyke, still playing at the age of 100. Bob Mandello, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News.