NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-21-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: December 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Herbst. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are calling foul after the Department of Justice released only some of its files on convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Top Democrats claim this violates the Epstein Transparency Act, but they doubt Congress will sue the DOJ. And here's Luke Garrett has more. Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin is the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee. He tells CNN, he's, can't launch a suit against the DOJ. It's not clear that we've got standing to do that. Speaker Johnson would clearly, standing to do that on behalf of the whole House of Representatives. But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tells ABC News

the DOJ is required by law to explain themselves. The statute requires the so-called Department of Justice at this moment within 15 days to provide a written explanation to Congress and to the American people as to why they've withheld certain documents. The Justice Department has defended its partial release of the Epstein files and the removal of around a dozen files, including at least one that features President Trump's photo. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. U.S. Special Envoy, Steve Whitkoff, says peace talks in Miami over the weekend between the U.S.,

Ukraine, on ending Russia's nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine, I've been productive. But NPR's Joanna Kikis reports several barriers to a peace deal remain. Writing on social media, Ukraine's president, Volodymy Zelensky said talks are moving in a fairly rapid pace and that his team is working with Trump envoys. Speaking to reporters via voice message, Zelensky talked about the most difficult issues in negotiations. He said the issue of Ukraine's territories remains the hardest, followed by the Zaporizia nuclear power plant, funding for recovery, and technical issues about security guarantees. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual press conference last

week that Russia was opened in negotiations, but that Russia's goals in this war remain unchanged. Joanna Kikisis, NPR News, Kyiv. GDP data for the third quarter comes out this week on Wall Street, and Pierce Rafael Nam has more. On Tuesday, the U.S. is set to release an important report card detailing how much the economy grew in the July to September period. It's backwards looking, so it's not going to provide the latest snapshot of the economy. Nonetheless, the GDP report is, coming at a time when Americans are not feeling great about the economy. Recent polls have shown the cost of living and affordability are becoming a top concern

at many households. That's putting a lot of pressure on President Trump, who's aggressively defending his economic record, and it means this GDP data could attract even more attention in the days leading up to Christmas. Rafael NUMM, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Avatar Fire and Ash is blazing a little less fiercely than expected at movie box offices. And Pierre's Bob Mondello has more.

The Avatar threequel is definitely dominating the weekend at cinemas. You want to spread your fire across the world. You need me. But it's not hot enough to be setting records at $88 million for its first three days in North America and another $257 million overseas. It's running more than 20% behind Avatar Way of Water two years ago. Second place finisher, David, which tells the biblical story of David and Goliath, will take in $21 million, the highest opening ever for a faith-based animated film, and Timothy Chalamay's Marty Supreme will easily set this year's record for per theater average,

with more than $145,000 in ticket sales at each of its six theaters. Bob Mandello and PR News. Today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the start of astronomical winter. In England, thousands gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate, cheering and dancing as the sun rose over the prehistoric stone circle. Many wore costumes, some sang and beat drums, while others reflected among the huge stone pillars. The ancient monument was reportedly built to align with the sun's movement on the winter and the summer solstices, important dates for ancient farmers. Many people celebrate winter solstice as a time of renewal, as the days will now start getting longer. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington.