NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-20-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: December 20, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Hurst. Now that the Justice Department has released some of the files related to the late-convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, questions are emerging about what hasn't been released. And Pierre Stephen Fowler has more. Only a small fraction of the Epstein files released Friday is information that was not made public before in court filings, open records request, or turned over to Congress by Epstein's estate. Even in the new records, many people and pages are heavily redacted. And lawmakers who push for the law to force disclosure of the documents say the DOJ is not complying with their intention by planning to release more later. Republican Congressman Thomas Massey and Democrat Rocana are among those who argue there's missing information, including about powerful people near Epstein, also accused of crimes. Stephen Fowler, NPR News.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have left for their holiday break without addressing premium subsidies for Obamacare. Elena Simmons-Duffin reports open enrollment runs until January 15th. On average, premium costs are doubling in Affordable Care Act plans. Congressional Democrats have been pushing for months to extend enhanced subsidies that helped keep premiums low. But Republicans have blocked those efforts, offering alternative health bills that are not likely to become law instead. However, a bipartisan effort called a discharge petition reached the required number of signatures this week. That process can force the House to consider a bill that would extend the subsidies for three years, but it likely won't be voted on until January. Millions of enrollees are expected to become uninsured.

Selina Simmons-Duffin, NPR News, Washington. A U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to NPR that the Coast Guard was in the process of seizing a tanker in international waters off Venezuela today. This is tensions mouth between the Trump administration and the government of Venezuela. and president, Nicholas Maduro. An Israeli strike in northern Gaza has left at least six Palestinians dead. That happened yesterday, and that's according to local health officials. The Israeli strikes continue even after a ceasefire deal was brokered in October. M.P.R.'s Hadil al-Sholchi has more.

Gaza health officials say at least one child was killed in the Israeli strike on a school in the eastern neighborhood of Gaza City, al-Tufa. The Israeli military said it had identified some, quote, suspicious individuals west of the yellow line, and that the incident was under review. Drawn during the ceasefire deal, the yellow line divides the Israeli held part of Gaza from the rest of the enclave.

Across the line, Palestinians have been sheltering in schools after being displaced several times during the war. Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed over 390 Palestinians since the ceasefire deal came into effect in October, according to local health officials. Hadil al-Shalchi, NPR News, Tel Aviv. And you're listening to NPR News, from Washington.

Ukraine says Russia launched a ballistic missile strike on Odessa, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens of others. The attack late yesterday hit the port's infrastructure and damaged vehicles. Meanwhile, a Kremlin envoy is in Florida this weekend for talks on a U.S. proposed plan to end Russia's nearly four-year-old war on Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is emphasizing the importance of the U.S. response, after discussions with Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine and Poland

have signed an agreement to jointly produce maritime drones to enhance defense cooperation. Pope Leo is naming a pro-immigrant priest as the new head of the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, where Mar-Lago is located. In Pierce, Jason DeRose, has more.

Leo is appointing Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez to lead the church in southeast Florida. He's currently a priest in Queens, New York, serving a mostly Latino congregation there. Rodriguez is himself originally from the Dominican Republic. His appointment to the diocese in which President Trump's home is located is the latest indication that Pope Leo is willing to go toe to toe with the administration's crackdown on immigration. Earlier this year, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement, calling out the Trump administration for mass deportations and creating a climate of fear in migrant communities throughout the U.S.

According to Pew Research, more than four in ten U.S. Catholics, our immigrants or the children of immigrants. Jason DeRose, NPR News. Earlier this week, Leo appointed an Illinois bishop to replace Cardinal Timothy Dolan in New York. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News.