NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-21-2025 2AM EST

Episode Date: December 21, 2025

NPR News: 12-21-2025 2AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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. More than a dozen files originally released with Friday's batch of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case have subsequently been removed from public view.

But additional files were released on Saturday, NPR's case C. Morel reports. The removed documents, which included a photograph showing an image of President Trump, are part of the Department of Justice's Epstein Library. It's an online repository where people can access the files that have been released so far. NPR was able to access the files on Friday when they were initially made available for. for public consumption. On Saturday, the files were no longer available for view in the Epstein Library or for download. It's unclear if this is due to a technical error, a formal removal from the DOJ or other officials, or something else. The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why the files were no longer available. Casey Morel, NPR News, Washington.

After days of speeches from prominent conservative politicians and media personalities, Turning Point USA will wrap up its annual conference in Phoenix on Sunday, as NPR Zelen More reports. It's the largest event the group has held since its founder, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated three months ago. Turning Point says more than 30,000 supporters are attending this year's conference known as America Fest, roughly a 10,000 person boost from last year, a potential sign of continued momentum moving forward, despite losing Charlie Kirk. That said, for many attendees, his death remains gutting. Twenty-five-year-old Angie Perez credits the late activist with helping reinforce her conservative Christian beliefs.

It makes me really emotional because I viewed him as like, he's my hero. And I always saw him as like an older brother than I never had. Several of Kirk's close allies will close out the conference on Sunday, including Vice President J.D. Vance, who's expected to give the final address. Elena Moore, NPR News, Phoenix. Ukraine's president is pressing for stronger air defense in cities outside Kiev after Russian ballistic missiles struck that country's main port city Saturday, at least eight people were killed in the attack. MPR's Geronika Kisasas has our reports.

Russian strikes on Odessa in Ukraine's south have also left several parts of the city without electricity or water. Speaking to reporters via voice message, Ukrainian president of Vladimir Zelensky, said Russia is targeting Ukraine's power grid to sow chaos and put pressure on people. He said, no matter how difficult it is for us to react to these attacks, we must find a way to protect people as much as possible. Zelensky said he will hold those in charge of the region's air defense accountable and ensure Odessa and other regions are better defended. He said that Russia still aims to destroy Ukraine and that if the Kremlin cannot compromise to end the war, the U.S. must pressure it to do so. Joanna Kikisis, NPR News, Kiev. And you're listening to NPR News. Police are asking residents to stay home after a large power outage at San Francisco Saturday evening.

It left some 130,000 businesses and homes in the dark. The outage affected about one-third of PG&E customers in the city. Fire officials say at least part of the outage was caused by a fire that broke out inside a PG&E power station. Comedian Bowen-Yang has quit Saturday Night Live midway through the season, NPR's Chloe Valpin reports that he co-hosted his final show Saturday night with Wicked Star, Ariana Grande. Bowen Yang has not publicly shared the reason for his abrupt departure from SNL. But in a social media post on Saturday, the comedian thanked the team and expressed gratitude for every minute on his time with the show. A promo for Yang's final appearance on

SNL's YouTube channel has accrued hundreds of thousands of views. You'd better be watching Olivia. You hear me. You're not going to want to miss this one. Who's Olivia? The most common name in the US if we capture the Olivia demographic will be guaranteed ratings gold. Yang has risen through Saturday Night Live's ranks since joining a as a staff writer in 2018. A year later, he was promoted to on-air talent and eventually an on-screen regular. Though uncommon, there have been a few other mid-season departures in the past,

including Cecily Strong, Dana Carvey and Eddie Murphy. Chloe Veltman, NPR News. Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noam says the U.S. military has stopped another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The action follows the seizure by American forces on December 10th of an oil tanker off Venezuela's coast. The move comes just days after President Trump announced a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers that are heading to or coming from that

South American country. 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. T's and Cs apply.