NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-15-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

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Still looking for the perfect holiday gift? The NPR shop is back with the logo T you love, the tiny desk hoodie you've been dreaming of, and new gear for everyone on your holiday gift list. Give the gift that supports independent journalism this holiday season. Shop now at shopnpr.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. Officials in Providence, Rhode Island,

say they're releasing the person of interest who was detained in connection with Saturday shooting at Brown University. Mayor Brett Smiley made the announcement less than an hour ago and offered reassurance to residents. We know that this is likely to cause fresh anxiety for our community. And we want to reiterate what we said earlier, which remains true, which is, ever since the initial call, now a day and a half ago, we have not received any credible or specific threats to the Providence community. Police say it's been a very complex investigation into the shooting. Two students were killed when a man entered an engineering building on the school's campus and opened fire.

Nine others were injured. A debate over gun loss in Australia is beginning, following another shooting. This one on Sydney's Bondi Beach this weekend that left at least 15 people dead and dozens more injured. Phil Mercer is a journalist in Sydney. He says the situation during the shooting was chaotic. Well, witnesses we've spoken to have described losing dear friends and how the shots that rang out at Australia's most famous beach, seemed to go on, as they say, for an eternity. And quite clearly, this is a nation suffering immense trauma. The mass shooting of Bondi Beach is Australia's worst shooting

atrocity in almost 30 years. The attack took place during a Hanukkah celebration, and officials are calling it a targeted attack on Jewish Australians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Sunday, signaled that Kyiv is willing to give up ambitions to join NATO. His comments came ahead of talks with U.S. envoys and European leaders in Berlin. But as Esmey Nicholson reports, Zelensky is still refusing to cede eastern Ukraine to Moscow. Responding to reporters via WhatsApp on Sunday, Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine's NATO membership bid is not supported by all members of the Alliance and proposed a number of bilateral Article 5-like security guarantees instead. The compromise comes as talks get underway in Berlin to fine-tune the 20-point plan brokered by the US to reach a ceasefire

between Russia and Ukraine. Eager to make sure European leaders have a seat at the negotiating table as they pledged to keep financing Kiev, German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz, is hosting the talks. But Zelensky's first meetings are bilateral, with US President Trump's special envoy Steve Whitkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been leaning on Ukraine to accept painful ceasefire terms. For NPR News, I'm Ms. Munnkelson in Berlin. thousands of people took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday to protest a bill that would reduce the prison time of former President Jair Bolsonaro. He was sentenced to a 27-year prison term for attempting a coup. The measure was passed on Wednesday in that country's lower congressional

house. It's now with the Senate. You're listening to NPR News. A weekend storm has dropped snow on the northeastern U.S., causing flight delays and problems with roads. several inches of snow fell on the New Jersey, New York metro area. More than 1,000 flights were delayed and more than 100 others were canceled. Far-rate politician Jose Antonio Cast will be the Chile's next presidents after scoring a resounding victory over his left-wing rival in Sunday's presidential runoff. Although the results are not yet to be finally confirmed, the margin of victory could be as much as 20 percentage points.

John Bartlett reports from Cass' campaign headquarters in Santiago, Chile. He ran a campaign based almost entirely on public security and immigration, claiming that he would install an emergency government in a country which he describes as being in crisis, and which is deeply traumatised by a recent rise in crime. Kast's father, Michael, was a Nazi party member who fought in the German army in the Second World War and emigrated to Chile in 1950. His son, Jose Antonio, the president-elect, is a staunch supporter of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and will become the first president since democracy returned in 1990 to

openly support the dictatorship. Cast will take office on the 11th of March, 26, the deadline he has repeatedly given for illegal migrants to leave the country or face persecution and deportation. For NPR news, I'm John Bartlett in Santiago, Chile. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL on his left knee on Sunday. He was hurt as he tried to keep postseason hopes for the Chiefs alive. Kansas City lost to the LA Chargers in the final seconds of the game, 16 to 13. The two-time MVP has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl. titles. 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. Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. T's and Cs apply.