NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-17-2025 4PM EST

Episode Date: December 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump will deliver a televised address to the nation tonight. The White House says the president will highlight actions taken this year by his administration and outline his priorities for the rest of his term. Trump has not specified which issues he plans to address. Nick Reiner appeared in court today after he was charged with the death of his parents, filmmaker Rob Reiner, and his wife, Michelle. Steve Utterman has more from outside of the courthouse in Los Angeles. The hearing lasted only a few minutes, and the arraignment itself never took place. When the hearing began, Alan Jackson, the chief attorney for Nick Reiner, requested a continuance until January 7th. The judge asked Nick Reiner if he waived his right to a speedy arraignment. He said he did.

Those were the only words spoken by Nick Reiner. We didn't actually get a good look at him. He was in the courtroom. behind a glass partition with his attorney. That's Steve Futterman reporting from Los Angeles. Four House Republicans are joining Democrats to force a vote on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act health subsidies. NPR Sam Greenglass reports the pandemic-era subsidies are still on track to expire at the end of the year. The four Republicans signed onto a petition that would allow 218 members to circumvent House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Johnson is pushing his own health bill that would not extend the subsidies. The four represent competitive districts and said this was a last resort after the Speaker refused to allow a vote on the subsidies. Even though there's now enough support to force a vote on a three-year extension, that vote is not expected until January. And a three-year extension failed in the Senate last week. So the long-term fate of the subsidies is still unclear, even though they are all but certain to lapse, spiking premium.

for millions of Americans come January 1st. Sam Greenglass, NPR News, Washington. A new NPR, PBS, PBS News, Maris poll, finds that Americans are struggling financially. NPR's Domenico Montanaro says the economic pressures are more acute for certain groups of people. 70% of people say the areas they live in are no longer affordable for average families. That's up 25 points from just this summer. Prices are the top concern for 45% of respondents. nothing else comes close. Housing is second at 18% in tariffs are behind that. Six and 10 say the economy

is not working well for them personally, and there were big divides by race, age, income, education, and gender. Three quarters of those who are black and two-thirds of Latinos say the economy isn't working for them compared to 56% of white respondents who say the same thing. Domenico Montanaro, NPR News, Washington. At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was down 228 points. This is NPR News. in Washington. A federal appeals court has ruled that National Guard troops can remain in Washington, D.C., while judges consider the legality of their deployment. The court said the city's unique federal status gives President Trump broad authority to control troops there. More than 2,000 guard members have been stationed in the Capitol since August, with additional troops added after a recent

attack that killed one service member and severely wounded another. The Trump administration is racing ahead with a program to build new nuclear reactors by next summer. NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports that has some safety experts worried. The reactor pilot program is for new reactor designs. A company called Valor Atomics is one of the participants. CEO Isaiah Taylor says it's just what the industry needs. Private nuclear companies can do our industry.

again in real hardware with real neutrons and then get ready for commercialization. But critics like former nuclear regulator Allison McFarlane warned the program is moving too quickly. This is not okay and this is not going to lead to success. This is how to have an accident. The Department of Energy, which runs the program, says safety is a top priority. It hopes they have at least three reactors running by July 4th. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News.

The latest Powerball Lotto drawing is set for tonight. Officials say the jackpot is now worth more than $1.5 billion. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.