NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-19-2025 10AM EST

Episode Date: December 19, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. President Trump says he's leaving the possibility of war with Venezuela on the table. That's according to an interview he gave to NBC News published this morning. Trump's also threatening to seize more oil tankers near Venezuelan waters, just as the U.S. did last week. Trump's actions involving Venezuela are the latest examples of his aggressive use of American power abroad. NPR's Franco Antonio's reports and how he's reshaping U.S. foreign policy using his America-Fer lens. Since taking office, President Trump's used tariffs as a weapon against allies, declared war on drug cartels, and secured the release of hostages from Gaza. Lori Esposito Murray is a veteran in diplomatic circles. She says the expectations at the beginning of the administration that Trump would isolate the U.S. were clearly wrong. I would say that the main goal of America first and the President's foreign policy is to not to withdraw, but to engage, to reshape the world order, fundamentally reshape the global trade and financial systems to U.S. preferences. Murray says Trump is using both economic and military power to pursue U.S. interests, albeit in

targeted ways. She points to the strikes on Iran and the military buildup outside of Venezuela. Franco, Ordoñez, and PR News, the White House. European Union leaders have agreed to give Ukraine a multi-billion dollar loan with no interest. This will help Ukraine pay for defense equipment as it fights Russia's invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual news conference today. He insists Russia will make big military gains in Ukraine this coming year. Putin is also dismissing claims that Russia could attack elsewhere in Europe.

He's heard here speaking through an interpreter. This is done based on the political reasons, and this is done to create the image of an enemy. They are creating an image of an enemy, and they're making Russia. The anime. That audio is courtesy of the BBC. Stocks opened higher this morning as TikTok signs a deal that will allow the social media platform to continue operating in the U.S. NPR Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 275 points in early trading. TikToks agreed to create a new U.S. unit under largely domestic control, Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi-based MGX are among the primary stakeholders in the venture.

TikTok's Chinese parent company had been ordered to sell or cease operations in the U.S. News the deal pushed Oracle's stock higher. Sales of existing homes were up last month compared to the previous month, but down from this time last year. The National Association of Realtors says the average selling price in November rose to just over $409,000. Central banks around the world have been cutting interest rates, but Japan's central bank raised its benchmark rate today by a quarter point. Stocks in Tokyo and elsewhere in Asia were mostly higher overnight. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

This is NPR. Today's the deadline for the Justice Department to release all its case files on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Last month, President Trump signed a law ordering their release. That includes computer and physical evidence from the FBI, grand jury testimony, and other information already published. But the Justice Department can redact some material to protect victims' identity or follow certain confidentiality rules. A new report finds children and teenagers are turning to AI chatbots for companionship, emotional support, and role-playing. NPR's Ritu Chatterjee has more on the study from the Digital Security Company, ORA. When kids use artificial intelligence tools, 42% of the time it's for companionship,

where kids engage with a chatbot for an ongoing conversation. And frequently, nearly 40% of the time, those conversations involve violent role-playing. Scott Collins is chief medical officer at ORA. It is role play that is interaction about harming somebody else, physically hurting them, torturing them, fighting them, and a lot of it gets pretty graphic. These conversations also tend to be longer, he says, compared to when they use AI for help with homework. Among 13 to 17-year-olds, kids who spend more time online are also more stressed out by their digital lives. Ritu Chatterjee, NPR News. Heavy rain has moved into Northern California this morning.

Weather forecasters say there's a risk of flash flooding, especially in urban areas through tomorrow. This is NPR.