NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-16-2025 10AM EST

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Stocks open mixed this morning as a delayed report from the Labor Department showed a jump in the unemployment rate. NPR Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial average slipped nearly 70 points in early trading. U.S. employers added just 64,000 jobs in November as the unemployment rate climbed to 4.6%. The economy recorded a net loss of jobs in October as tens of thousands of federal workers who took buyouts earlier in the year were officially dropped from government payrolls. Job tallies for both October and November were delayed by the six-week government shutdown.

Healthcare and construction saw job gains in November, while factories and delivery companies cut jobs. The softening job market means employers are not having to raise wages as fast as they were. Average wages in November were up 3.5% from a year ago. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington. Authorities in Providence, Rhode Island have released new photographs of the suspect in last weekend's deadly mass shooting at Brown University. Two people were killed and nine others injured as they attended a study group. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Nerona says authorities are asking for the public's help to find the suspect.

We don't know where specifically he is right now, but we can and have been able to trace his movements both before and after the shooting in the immediate vicinity of the Brown Barris and Holly's building. And so, you know, piecing that evidence together, you know, we are making progress. expect as more tips are coming in and more. We're going to be able to push out, I think, some more video evidence. He spoke to NPR's morning edition. Police in Los Angeles say that today they'll give their homicide case to prosecutors. This is over the killings of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle. L.A. police say they suspect the Reiner's 32-year-old son, Nick is responsible. Nick Reiner is being held without bail. He has not been charged,

and he has not made an initial court appearance. California's governor is hiring the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention whom President Trump fired. And Pierre Ping Huang reports this is to help create a new public health initiative with nationwide reach. It's called the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange. California Governor Gavin Newsom says it's a direct response to the dismantling of federal public health systems. We're not trying to replicate anything at scale. we're not naive about the size of the federal government.

It's not a shadow CDC we're creating, but it's a shield to what's going on. Newsom has hired Susan Menares, the CDC director that Trump fired in August, and Dr. Deb Harry, a former top CDC official to lead the effort. It's meant to be a collaboration between states to better detect and respond to emerging health threats and to maintain trust in science-driven public health policy. It's currently funded for $4 million from California's budget. Ping Huang, NPR News. On Wall Street, the Dow is now down 130 points. It's NPR.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing package delivery company UPS. This is for allegedly stealing tens of millions of dollars in pay from seasonal workers. They deliver packages during the holidays. From member station WABE, Melissa Fato reports UPS says the allegations are unfounded. James accuses the shipping company of forcing some workers to clock in well, after their shifts started and deducting pay for lunch breaks they never took. The suit also claims UPS repeatedly failed to properly compensate workers who assist drivers with deliveries, and others who use their own cars on the job. James says those wages add up to about $45 million over six

years. The lawsuit seeks back pay and penalties and a court order forcing UPS to end off-the-clock work. In a statement, UPS said it offers industry-leading pay for more than 26,000 employees in New York. For NPR news, I'm Melissa Fato in Atlanta. Lawmakers are getting ready to unveil a new statue in the U.S. Capitol. It's of the late civil rights activist Barbara Rose Johns. She was a teenager in Virginia when she led student strikes against segregation and poor conditions in her unequal school. Her work got the attention of lawyers with the NAA. ACP. That investigation led to the groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board

overturning segregated schools. Johns died in 1991. The statue will portray her as a teenager. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News.