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

Episode Date: December 20, 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 Ryland Barton. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the current state of Venezuela's regime is intolerable. He accuses Nicolas Maduro's government of working with drug cartels and terrorists, as NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports.

At an end-of-year news conference, Secretary Rubio was asked repeatedly about the U.S. military buildup near Venezuela. He says President Trump promised to take on the cartels and is doing that. Rubio would not describe a recent call between Trump and Maduro, but said that the Venezuelans broke deals with the Biden administration. You can't do a peace deal with these people anymore than you can do a peace deal with a mafia. Rubio defended the strikes on alleged drug boat, saying they've been effective. The Trump administration is also imposing sanctions on seven family members of individuals tied to what it calls the illegitimate Maduro regime. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington. Eight Republican attorneys general have issued a rebuke of President Trump's executive order to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

From member station WFIU, Ethan Sandwise reports. As a Schedule 3 drug, marijuana would still be a controlled substance, but with recognized medical use. Attorneys General of Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Wyoming wrote in a statement that the science surrounding marijuana shows it cannot be used safely. Ken Mackie is a professor of neuroscience at Indiana University. He says marijuana is an effective treatment for chronic pain, and its potential for abuse is lower than other drugs such as tobacco. It's not saying that it's harmless. It's putting a more realistic measure of the risk. Trump's order does not immediately reschedule marijuana, but directs the U.S. Attorney General to expedite that process. For NPR News, I'm Ethan Sandwise.

Existing home sales rose slightly last month from October as fewer homes hit the market. NPR's Scott Newman has more. In its monthly report on existing home sales, the National Association of Realtors said in November, home sales increased 0.5% for a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.13 million homes. Sales increased in the northeast and south, but showed no change in the west and actually fell a bit in the Midwest. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said the increase in sales could be explained by lower mortgage rates, while a decrease in the number of unsold units was likely due to homeowners holding off listing their homes for sale during the winter. The NAR

says the median home price in the U.S. is at just under $410,000. Scott Newman, NPR News, Washington. Lack of snow is causing problems for ski resorts in the western U.S. States from Oregon to Colorado are recording temperatures far above normal. As a result, mountainous areas that would normally get snow have been getting rain instead. This is NPR News from Washington. State lawmakers across the U.S. are debating whether to adopt new federal tax breaks for tips and overtime. The Trump administration is urging them to. States

embracing the cuts could give savings to taxpayers, but their budgets may be strained. In some states, the tax breaks automatically apply unless legislatures opt out. Heart attacks rose in Los Angeles after the wildfires last January, according to a new study. NPR's Alejandra Barunda reports. Over the three months following the fires, the emergency room at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles saw lots of patients from the city's most affected areas. Now, researchers like cardiologist Joseph Ebbinger have dug into that data to understand the fire's impact on Angelino's health. They didn't see any change in the total number of visits, but they saw big shifts in the health problems people showed up with. Some were expected, like a jump in lung issues. Others were more

surprising, like a... 46% increase in the rate of people presenting for heart attacks during that time period. They also saw huge increases in abnormal blood tests. Ebinger says that could be a sign of overall stress on people's bodies from the particularly toxic smoke and ash produced by the fires, which burned through toxic materials like home insulation, cars, and batteries. Al-Halajaburunda, NPR News. Tourists visiting the Trevi fountain in Rome will have to pay more than just the legendary coin toss over the shoulder. The city is imposing a two-euro fee for tourists to get close to the fountain made famous by Feliz.

The view for those admiring the late Baroque masterpiece from the piazza remains free. This is NPR News from Washington. 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 Cs apply.