NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-19-2025 3AM EST

Episode Date: December 19, 2025

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This is I wrote glass. On this American life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy, David, whose entire life took a sharp, unexpected, and very unpleasant term. And it did take me a while to realize it's basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right, because the monkey pressed the button. Surprising stories every week, wherever you get your podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. The suspect in this mass shooting at Brown University last weekend has been found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire.

As NPR Stovia Smith reports, authorities say he may also be linked to the slaying of an MIT professor in Boston. We got him, the FBI said, and as Providence Mayor Brett Smiley put it, our Providence neighbors can breathe a little easier. Authorities say the shooter was 48-year-old Claudio Nevis Valente, a Portuguese national and former Brown student who would have spent a lot of time in the building where the shooting took place. His last known address was in Florida. Officials say he also attended the same school in Portugal as the slain MIT physics professor. Police say their case cracked open after a tip led them to a car linked to the suspect. That brought them to a car rental

company that had images of him and paperwork with the suspect's real name. Authorities say they're still investigating motive. Tovia Smith and PR News, Boston. Congress is preparing for holiday recess without voting to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring on December 31st. As WPLN's Blake Farmer reports, millions of Americans are planning for reduced coverage or dropping health insurance altogether. Robert Sorrie of Thompson Station, Tennessee, has already talked to his psychiatrist about paying cash for his appointments every three months. That way, he can keep his prescriptions current, which he'll also have to find money for.

I'm not somebody who gets sick super often, thank God. and if I do, generally I go to an emergency room where they're going to bill me later and I can get on a plan, you know what I mean? A repayment plan that he says he can pay over time. Sori works as a farm hand and was recently laid off. This year, he had been paying no monthly premium for his Affordable Care Act insurance thanks to the expiring subsidies. A new plan would cost him $70 a month, but he says he just can afford that.

Up to 4 million Americans are estimated to do the same for 2026. For NPR News, I'm Blake Farmer in Nashville. The World Food Program says Israel has opened up two crossings, allowing more supplies into Gaza. As NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, the U.N. agency says that more is needed to help Palestinians survive this winter. Speaking via video from Gaza, the World Food Program, Antoine Renard, says Palestinians do have more access to food, months after a famine was declared in parts of Gaza. But he says it's still too expensive to buy goods there. so he's urging diplomats to work on the second phase of the U.S. negotiated peace deal to rebuild Gaza. We need to make sure that we have a more vibrant private sector and job creation into Gaza.

That's the main message I'm getting from people on the ground. We need to move beyond handouts. The State Department says senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey will be meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Whitkoff in Miami on Friday. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. This is NPR. Retired NASCAR star Greg Biffle and his family were killed on Thursday in a fiery plane crash at Statesville Regional Airport in Western North Carolina. WFAE's Kenneth Lee reports the police say that seven people in all were killed in the mishap. On Thursday morning, Assessed a citation 550 business jet crash while landing at Statesville Airport.

The plane was owned by retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffel. During a press conference, Sergeant Christopher Knox said they believed Biffle was aboard the jet. Biffle was one of those seven deceased occupants due to not only the information of those occupants that is recorded, but also visual from aircraft or from staff that was here at the airport, that he was one of the occupants that was on the plane at the time. Statesville Airport remains closed. Biffle family acquaintances, including U.S. Congressman Richard Hudson, St. Biffel's family, including his wife and two children, were also aboard the plane.

The FAA is investigating what caused a crash. For NPR News, I'm Kenneth Lee and Charlotte. TikTok owner BightDance assigned a deal to spin off its U.S. operations. Nearly half the new entity will be held by a group of mostly U.S. investors, including software giant Oracle. About a third will be held by existing investors and the rest stays with BightDance, which is to retain the video-sharing app's algorithm. The deal follows several deadlines to sell TikTok's American assets or be banned in the U.S. due to national security concerns.

U.S. futures are mixed in after-hours trading. 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 Cs apply.