NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-18-2025 10PM EST

Episode Date: December 19, 2025

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This message comes from Bayer. Science is a rigorous process that requires questions, testing, transparency, and results that can be proven. This approach is integral to every breakthrough Bayer brings forward. Innovations that save lives and feed the world. Science Delivers.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. A man suspected of killing two students and wounding nine others at Brown University Saturday has been found dead inside a storage unit. in Salem, New Hampshire, roughly an hour and a half from the school.

Authorities say the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Fred Docks is the FBI special agent in charge in Boston. Even though the suspect was found dead tonight, our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered. There's a lot of evidence that needs to be processed. And most importantly, the victims and their families deserve special care and consideration. Officials identified the alleged shooter as Claudio Nevis Valenti. he was a 48-year-old Portuguese national and was a student at Brown.

The parent company of President Trump's truth social media platform has merged with a fusion power company in a $6 billion deal. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, it marks a major bet on clean energy by the Trump operation. It was a surprise and somewhat head-scratching announcement. Trump's social media and crypto company will now become one of the first ever publicly traded fusion firms. Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social, has seen its stock drop nearly 70% this year, as the social media platform struggles to find its footing.

So now the company is making a huge pivot to nuclear energy. Backers say the Trump company is expected to start building the world's first fusion power plant that can produce energy at the scale of a utility operator. Meanwhile, many in Silicon Valley, including OpenAI Sam Altman, are big investors in nuclear. Tech leaders hope it can be a source of clean energy that can help power the intensive energy demands of AI data centers. in NPR News. The House of Representatives has passed a bill to make it easier to build new projects in America,

including energy projects. NPR's Kamilla Dominovsky reports the bill would still need to pass the Senate to become law, but it's a big step for a topic that's been hotly debated in Congress for years. Permitting reform sounds kind of dry. But if you've ever seen a community fight over a proposed pipeline or solar farm or a data center, then you know that permitting inspires passion. and it can halt projects in their tracks. Democrats want to make it easier to build wind and solar.

Republicans want to make it easier to build pipelines and power plants. That's hypothetically the opening for a bipartisan deal, but many efforts have failed. The latest attempt at permitting reform, the Speed Act, delighted the oil industry and frustrated renewable groups. It managed to pass the House. The debate now heads to the Senate. Kamila Dominovsky, NPR News. President Trump signed an executive order to ease federal restrictions on marijuana, but did not fully decriminalize it. The move reclassifies

marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 3, expanding research and medical use. But Trump says the order does not sanction marijuana as a recreational drug. U.S. stocks rose today. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Tennessee's governor has pardoned country music star Jelly Roll. The Nashville native has spoken about his criminal record and his path to redemption. His convictions include robbery and drug felonies. He has said the pardon would make it easier for him to perform internationally. The San Francisco Giants baseball team has bought a storied performing arts venue. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports the purchase of the current theater announced today is an unusual though not unprecedented move for a pro sports team. The details of the

transaction have not been disclosed. In a joint statement, the parties say theater operator Broadway S.F will continue to operate the venue and that programming will continue as planned. Darcy Drollinger produces directs and stars in Golden Girls Live. The drag comedy show is now playing at the current. It was there last year too. I'm not sure what the future holds exactly, but I hope that we can continue to do the show there because it is such a magic experience to be able to be in that theatre. The Giants join a few other Major League baseball teams in being arts venue landlords. For example, the Atlanta Braves own the Coca-Cola Roxy.

The Curran has hosted significant productions since it opened in 1922, including the world premiere engagements of the hit musical Wicked. Chloe Veltman, NPR News. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is helping scientists solve a decades-old mystery. Many years ago, scientists saw a bright spot near a young star and thought it could be a planet. After finding a second one, they realized it was actually the debris from two cosmic crashes. Massive space rocks had slammed together to create clouds of dust, thick enough to masquerade as planets. I'm Rylan Barton. This is NPR News from Washington.

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