NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-14-2025 7AM EST

Episode Date: December 14, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Jail Snyder. The premier of the Australian state of New South Wales, Chris Mends, is calling for unity after two gunmen shot dead at least 11 people at a Jewish event that was being held at Sydney's Bondi Beach. This attack was designed to target Sydney's Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah. What should have been a night of peace and joy celebrated in that community with families, and supporters has been shattered by this horrifying evil attack. Australian authorities have declared the Bondi Beach shooting a terrorist attack in addition to the 11 dead. Officials say at least 29 others are confirmed, wounded, and that two of those hurt were police officers.

Officials say one gunman was fatally shot by police. The second is in critical condition. Local media are now reporting that after an overnight manhunt, Providence, Rhode Island police, have taken a person of interest into custody following yesterday's shooting at Brown University that left two people dead and nine others injured. A shelter in place order has been lifted. Ian Donis from Ocean State Media has more on how Brown University is coping. Brown President Christina Paxson called it the day that one hopes never happens. Our focus right now is on supporting the families who have been effective. The shooting took place in a classroom in an engineering and physics building, a video released by the City of Providence shows a man wearing dark clothing turning a nearby corner.

More than 400 law enforcement personnel are responding, including the FBI and ATF. For NPR news, I'm Ian Donis in Providence, Rhode Island. U.S. envoy Steve Whitkoff and President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are in Berlin today for a series of meetings aimed at securing a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Germany's chancellors hosting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European. leaders for a summit tomorrow, the latest public show of support from Europe for Ukraine. The government is set to release the latest jobs data as well as the latest consumer inflation report this week.

M.P.R. Rafael NOM reports at both reports come a little bit later than usual after being delayed by the government shutdown. One of the many consequences of the government shutdown was that the Labor Department was no longer able to compile important economic reports. But with the shutdown now well over, the government is quickly catching up. Early this week, the Labor Department is set to release the latest employment data for November. That will be followed by the latest inflation data a few days later. Both reports were originally scheduled to come out earlier this month, in time for the Federal Reserve's policy meeting last week. Nonetheless, they will still provide critical information about the economy, even if it's just a little bit later.

Rafael NOMM, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. Voters in Chile are going to the polls today in a presidential runoff election, the communist candidate representing the ruling center left coalition one November's first round, but voters are expected to turn to hard-right former lawmaker Jose Antonio Cast as Chile's next leader. Cast as a hardliner who lost the past two presidential elections, but polls show him leading his rival this time around. Britain's Prime Minister is urging the 75,000 resident doctors who form the backbone of Britain's health service not to go ahead with a planned five-day strike this week. But as Vicki Barker reports from London, the doctors are arguing they may have no choice. Writing in the Guardian, Keir Starrmer condemns what he calls the reckless strikes plan saying it is, quote, beyond belief that doctors

would walk out during a major flu outbreak. The Doctors Union is polling its members on the government's latest offer, which addresses some of their grievances about the shortage of paid training places, but contains no extra money. The doctors have argued only a 29% pay raise will undo years of salary freezes. If they reject the government's proposal, then they'll walk out for five days starting December 17th. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is this year's Heisman Trophy winner, the first Indiana player to ever win college football's most prestigious prize. He led Indiana to a perfect regular season beating Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. I'm Giles Snyder, NPR News.