NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-18-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: December 18, 2025

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NPR's podcast, Trump's Terms, is your source for same-day updates on big news about the Trump administration. Short, focused episodes, one topic at a time, about five minutes or so. We carry it reporting from across all of NPR's coverage, so you are always getting the biggest, most urgent stories. Listen to Trump's terms on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a series of actions that could essentially ban gender-affirming care for youth all over the country. As NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin reports, they're threatening to withhold federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors. The most significant actions are two proposed rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, led by Dr. Mehmet Oz.

One rule says doctors and hospitals cannot get reimbursed by Medicaid for gender-affirming care for youth. The other is more sweeping. It says hospitals that provide the care would be cut off from all Medicare or Medicaid funding for everything. Because federal funding represents so much of hospital budgets, that rule could shut down gender-affirming care for youth at hospitals if finalized. The rules don't take effect right away. There's a 60-day comment period and health officials acknowledged they would face legal challenges. Selina Simmons-Duffin and PR News, Washington. The Coast Guard says it will change the manual.

which downgraded symbols like swastikas and nooses from hate symbols to potentially divisive. Steve Walsh with W.HRO has the story. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christine Nome announced Thursday that the weaker language will be taken out of the Coast Guard's workplace harassment manual. A draft copy of the Coast Guard's new manual was first uncovered by the Washington Post in November. Jewish groups were outraged that swastikers and other hate symbols were listed as merely divisive. In response, the Coast Guard issued memos condemning hate symbols. The Coast Guard maintains those memos are still in force, but the weaker language still

appeared in the final version of the manual released this week. After the change, two senators say they will no longer hold up the nomination of Admiral Kevin Lunday to become commandant of the Coast Guard. For NPR News, I'm Steve Walsh. The Kennedy Senator Senator will now be named the Trump Kennedy Center. The president's press secretary says it was a unanimous decision from the board. NPR's Andrew Limbong has more. President Trump made himself the chair of the Kennedy Center board earlier this year when he began his second term.

He also fired the previous chair, the previous president, the board members appointed by President Biden, and installed his own hand-picked board. Ohio Democratic representative Joyce Beatty, an ex-officio member of the board, posted a video on social media saying that dissenting voices were muted. Each time I try to speak, I was muted. Participants were not allowed to voice their concerns who were online. President Trump has taken a special interest in the Kennedy Center. Just a few weeks ago, he became the first president to host the Kennedy Center honors.

Angela Lung-N-Pierre News. Inflation slowed last month, according to data that was delayed and likely distorted by the government shutdown. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Democratic National Committee has taken. decided not to publish an assessment of the party's defeat that returned Donald Trump to power and gave Republicans complete control in Washington. DNC Chair Ken Martin had ordered the review. Now he says there's no value in a public release of findings that he believes could lead to continued infighting before the 2026 midterms when control of Congress will be at stake.

China has condemned the U.S. for selling more than $11 billion worth of advanced weapons to Taiwan. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports the sales. the largest on record to the self-governed island, which China claims as its territory. The deal includes weapons such as tactical ballistic missiles, rocket artillery, and drones. The U.S. says they're not going to change the military balance of power, but will help Taiwan maintain a credible deterrent. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jia Kuhn told a press briefing that the deal harms China's sovereignty and will push the Taiwan straight closer to war. The U.S. attempt to aid Taiwan's independence with arms will only backfire.

and its attempt to use Taiwan to contain China will absolutely not succeed. President Trump says he plans to visit China next April. It's unclear whether the arm sale could affect that trip. Anthony Kuhn in PR News, Seoul. A court in Romania has sentenced rapper Wiz Khalifa to nine months in jail for drug possession. The ruling comes more than a year after he allegedly smoked weed on stage at a festival there. It isn't clear whether Romanian authorities will file an extradition request since Khalifa is a U.S. citizen. I'm Rylan Barton. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.