NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-20-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: December 20, 2025

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You may have heard of Ozzympic and other GLP1 drugs. They're everywhere and endorsed by the likes of Serena Williams. For me, the answer was GLP1s. That answer also meant a weekly injection, until now. Two new GLP1 pills are about to hit the market. Listen to Shortwave on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcast. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. Some members of Congress are criticizing the Department of Justice for only a partial release of the Jeffrey Epstein files on Friday.

A law had required a complete release. Democratic Congresswoman Teresa Lager Fernandez of New Mexico says it's important to have those documents released. We should not live in America, repudafiles, sex traffickers, and those who would demean women and use them as sexual objects can go without accountability. Fernandez calls the partial release of the files, shameful. President Trump took his economic message on the road Friday, visiting Rocky Mountain, North Carolina. As NPR's Deepa Shiverm reports, his remarks come as his administration is facing precarious polling. Trump is facing pushback from voters who aren't happy with his economic agenda. An NPR PBS News Merris poll from this week showed just 36 percent approve of his handling of the economy.

But in North Carolina, Trump mocked the term of 14. and once again blamed Democrats for high costs. You talk about affordability. You know, the Democrats, they're the ones that got us into the mess. They're the ones that cost high prices. The president spoke about 90 minutes in a long-winded campaign-style rally speech that included a tax on Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Republican Marjorie Taylor Green, who was once an ally to Trump, who now says Green is a fake.

Deepa Shiveram and PR News. Secretary of State Marco Rubiobe says rebuilding Gaza is a, quote, long-term project, and some of it will take years to complete. But he says the administration is planning to announce a board of peace soon and try to get an international force into Gaza. MPR's Michelle Kellerman has more on the story. In a wide-ranging end-of-year news conference, Secretary Rubio says he feels generally optimistic about the diplomacy on Gaza. He says the immediate goals are to set up a technocratic Palestinian government and a board of peace chaired by President Trump, as well as an international stabilization force. He says disarming Hamas will be key.

If Hamas is ever in a position in the future that they can threaten or attack Israel, you're not going to have peace. You're not going to convince anyone to invest money in Gaza if they believe another war is going to happen in two to three years. Rubio wouldn't get into details about negotiations, nor did he criticize continued deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. Stocks gained ground before the close on Friday.

It was the second day of gains for the market, and it wiped out the losses from earlier in the week. Tech stocks were the major drivers with both the NASDAQ and the S&P 500, closing out the week with gains. The S&P 500 rose 59 points or 9 tenths of a percent, while the NASDAQ finished up 301 points. The Dow finished up 183 points. You're listening to NPR News. Four soldiers were killed, and at least 15 civilians were injured Friday when a suicide bomber and three gunmen attacked a military post in northern Pakistan. The bomb's explosion caused nearby homes to collapse injuring a number of civilians. Pakistan's military says the attackers were killed during an ensuing gun battle.

The Trump administration has launched military strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria. Officials say the strikes are in response for the recent ambush attack that killed two U.S. troops and a civilian. interpreter. The administration says 70 targets have been hit, and they include Islamic state infrastructure, including weapons caches. Donuts have been part of holiday celebrations across various traditions, and as NPR's Chloe Valpin reports, donut makers are seizing the opportunity. The San Francisco Bay Area-based Johnny Donuts sometimes sells out of its Christmassy offerings by lunchtime, including the bourbon, cream-filled, and peppermint candy-topped varieties. Johnny's founder Craig Blum says, Jellyfifes,

filled Hanukkah Donuts or Suf Ganayot are his biggest holiday cellar. It's unbelievable how many jelly donuts we saw during the holidays. Food historian Michael Crandall has written a book about dough. He says other traditions have also long celebrated holidays with fried dough, though not always at this time of year. In the Muslim world, they were served particularly for Eid at the end of Ramadan. Crandall says the holidays provide a great excuse for the doughnut world to get creative with unusual flavours and designs.

Chloe Veltman, NPR News. And again on Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 183 points, the S&P 500, up 59 points. I'm Dale Wilman, 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. Tease and Cs apply.