NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-18-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: December 18, 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 Shea Stevens. President Trump is touting his economic policies amid polls showing that most Americans are anxious about food and and housing prices. The president cited pledges for $18 trillion in new investments driven by

his steep tariffs. In a late-night address, Trump declared that the U.S. is vastly different than it was last year. One year ago, our country was dead. We were absolutely dead. Our country was ready to fail. Totally failed. Now, we're the hottest country anywhere in the world. And that said by every single leader that I've spoken to over the last five months. Some former U.S. Some former U.S. trading partners, including China and Brazil, are forming new business relationships to avoid U.S. tariffs. Trump says relief is on the way for Americans who are frustrated with living costs with his plans to work on housing reform next year. A federal judge in San Francisco has again blocked attempts to fire more federal workers. As NPR's Andrea Shoev reports, the order was issued

in response to a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's layoffs. In November, Congress passed and President Trump signed a continuing resolution to end the 43-day shutdown. That measure also prohibited federal agencies from initiating or carrying out any further layoffs through January 30th. Nevertheless, several federal employee unions told the court that civil servants at the Small Business Administration, the General Services Administration, and the State Department had gotten layoff notices. U.S. District Judge Susan Ilston ordered the Trump administration to rescind those notices, and to halt previously planned layoffs at the Departments of Education and State. The Trump administration contends the layoffs in question were initiated long before the shutdown.

Andrew Hsu and PR News. Australia is reviewing its migration laws in wake of the mass shooting in Sydney last weekend. The surviving suspect, Navid Akram, is charged with terrorism and murder. Christina Kukala has more from Sydney. The review of Australia's immigration policy is part of a broad, Would a government response to Sunday's tragedy? The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says will be revealed in the coming days. He announced some of the planned legislative changes.

The Minister for Home Affairs will also have new powers to cancel or reject visas for those who spread hate and division in this country or would do so if they were allowed to come here. Police say Sajib Akram, the gunman, who was killed on Sunday, came to Australia on a student visa in the late 1990s. Authorities identified him as an Indian national. and a resident of Australia. His son, the other alleged shooter, was born in Australia. Police say their alleged attack on the Hanukkabite Sea event was inspired by the Islamic State Group.

For NPR news, I'm Christina Kokoya in Sydney. US futures are flat and after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR. Former special prosecutor Jack Smith is defending his decision to prosecute President Trump. At a closed-door meeting of the House Judiciary Committee, Smith said he was has powerful evidence that Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election. According to an opening statement obtained by NPR, he also insisted that Trump illegally hoarded classified documents from his first term in office. Smith denied allegations that his decisions were politically motivated.

His cases were dropped after Trump won re-election. A new study finds that the rate of sea level rises across U.S. coast has more than double over the past century, from member station WWNO. Eva Tesfai has more on the findings presented at the American Geophysical Union's annual conference in New Orleans. The study concludes the acceleration of sea level rise is likely due to climate change. It directly contradicts a report released by the Department of Energy

earlier this year. That report says tide gauge measurements show no obvious acceleration of sea level rise. Christopher Paiquish, the oceanographer who authored the study, says that's because the DOE report relies on just a handful of tied gauges, whereas his study uses 70. I did email this morning all five authors of that report. I did get a reply back from Judith Curry saying that she'd read it and she'd consider it in what she called the eventual revised chapter to the DOE report. The DOE did not respond to a request for comment.

For NPR News, I'm Eva Tesfai in New Orleans. On Asia-Pacific markets, shares are mixed. This is 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 C's Apply.