NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-16-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

NPR News: 12-16-2025 8AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Australian federal police say they've collected more evidence from last Sunday's mass killing in Sydney. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it appears the suspects may have been inspired by ISIS. Some of the evidence, which is being procured, including the presence of Islamic State flags in the vehicle that has been seized, are a part of that. Authorities say the vehicle, belonging to one of the suspects, contained improvised explosive devices. The attack on a Hanukkah celebration killed 15 people on Sunday and wounded dozens of others.

President Trump has signed an executive order that classifies fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. NPR's Franco-Artonia's reports Trump is called the opioid crisis a public health emergency. President Trump said there's no doubt that adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the U.S. in order to kill. Americans. No bomb does what this is doing. Two hundred to three hundred thousand people die every year that we know of. So we're formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. According to the CDC, the U.S. has roughly 100,000 drug overdose deaths in a year. Fentanyl has been blamed for tens of thousands of those. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News, the White House. But experts don't think President Trump's executive order will work. A report by experts at the National Defense University says fentanyl would be difficult to use as a weapon of mass destruction. There's only one known case of this in Russia. Other experts say people are dying from opioid addiction, not because drug cartels are weaponizing fentanyl. The U.S. military says it has conducted strikes on three more alleged drug boats in the eastern Pacific. That eight people were

also killed. The man accused of killing United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson will return to New York State courtroom today. Lawyers Fort Luigi Mangione are trying to get some of the evidence in his case thrown out, and PR Sarah Ventry explains. The defense has asked the court to suppress all evidence recovered from Mangione's backpack because they say it was unlawfully searched without a warrant. This includes a written-in notebook, a 9-millimeter handgun, and a silencer. They also want statements Mangione made to law enforcement before he was read his Miranda rights to be suppressed as well. These pretrial hearings have been a unique preview into some of the most key pieces of evidence in question, which could factor prominently into Mangione's state trial, the date of which

has not yet been set. Mangione will also face a federal trial. If he's found guilty in that case, he could face the death penalty. Sarah Ventry and PR News, New York. On Wall Street, in pre-market trading, Dow futures are slightly lower. This is NPR News. California Governor Gavin Newsom has hired former CDC director Susan Menares and other federal agency officials. They'll help launch a public health initiative. It's to counteract the Trump administration's health guidance, especially on vaccines. Automaker Ford says it is ending its flagship F-150 electric vehicle.

Ford says there is no path to make it profitable. Instead, the company will focus on smaller EVs and hybrids. And NPR's Camilla Dominovsky reports, Ford will pivot to produce batteries for utilities and data centers. The F-150 Lightning won awards and outsold other electric pickups, but Ford lost money on everyone that it sold. Andrew Frick is the president of Ford Model E. Ford is following the customer. We are looking at the market as it is today. And today's market includes lower than expected sales and President Trump stripping away support for EVs.

Ford will make an extended range F-150, a form of plug-in hybrid, which can run on gas, as well as a smaller all-electric pickup in the works. That leaves Ford with more battery factories than it needs for its trucks, so it'll use them to supply batteries for the electric grid and data centers instead. Camila Dominooski, NPR News. Actor Anthony Gehry of soap opera fame, General Hospital has died. That's according to ABC. He was 78 years old. Gary won eight Daytime Emmy Awards for portraying Luke Spencer. He was the controversial husband of the general hospital character, Laura Weber Baldwin. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.