NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-21-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: December 21, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Hurst. A U.S. official says the Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that's quote part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion. It's not clear which vessel the U.S. says it's chasing, Venezuela is denouncing U.S. interception of oil tankers, saying it will take it up with the U.N. Security Council. Vice President J.D. Vance closed out Turning Point USA's yearly conference in Phoenix today, marking the biggest event the U.S. Young Voter Organization has hosted, since its founder, right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed in September. And peers Elena Moore reports. Vice President Vance used his speech as a call to action, alluding to recent intra-party riffs. We have far more important work to do than canceling each other. We have got to build. It comes after conservative commentator Ben Shapiro called out several right-wing media personalities for entertaining conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's death.

and singled out Tucker Carlson for his recent interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Carlson later disputed those claims and said he's not anti-Semitic, but the pushback comes as leaders deal with a larger fight over spreading misinformation and amplifying people with anti-Semitic views. Elena Moore, NPR News, Phoenix. A memorial service was held today in Sydney, Australia, a week after gunman fired on a Jewish festival killing 15 people. The BBC's Phil Mercer has more.

Thousands of people attended a memorial at Bondi Beach to remember the country's worst mass shooting in three decades. A day of reflection came at the end of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was booed by sections of the crowd. His government has been criticised for its response to rising anti-Semitism. Mr Albanese has promised a crackdown on extremism and a review into the powers and processes of the intelligence. agencies and the police. The BBC's Phil Mercer reporting. More than a dozen states are suing the Trump administration for freezing funding for electric vehicle chargers. Emperors Kamila Dominovsky reports the plaintiffs allege the move violates the separation of powers.

Billions of dollars for EV chargers have been stuck in limbo, unspent, which these mostly Democratic-led states say is unconstitutional. Here is California Attorney General Rob Bonta. These programs were created by statute. Federal agencies have a duty to faithfully execute those statutes. That means spending the money. Even, he says, if the president disagrees with the statute, a similar coalition of states previously sued over a freeze-on funds for EV chargers along highways. That suit was a success, and those funds have been unfrozen. The funds in the new suit aren't just for highway chargers, but things like neighborhood chargers, heavy truck chargers, and charger maintenance. Camila Dominooski, NPR News.

listening to NPR News from Washington. The number of 3D printed guns recovered at crime scenes has skyrocketed in recent years. That's according to a report by the Gun Control Advocacy Group, Everytown for Gun Safety. NPR's Meg Anderson has more. Everytown identified 20 cities with five years of data on 3D printed guns, which can be made at home and are generally untraceable. In 2020, those cities recovered around 30,000. 3D printed guns at crime scenes. In 2024, that number climbed to more than 300.

Nick Soplina is Senior Vice President for Law and Policy at every town. We are at the beginning of this crisis of 3D printed firearms, but we do have, I think, a good sense of how we can address it. Soplina says companies that make 3D printers could develop algorithms to block the printing of firearms, for instance, or states could make it illegal to publish blue. blueprints for 3D printing a gun. Meg Anderson and PR News. At the weekend box office, Avatar, Fire and Ash, took the top spot with an estimated $88 million in

ticket sales. With $345 million in ticket sales worldwide, it's the second best global debut of the year. It's the third film in James Cameron's science fiction franchise. In second place, David, the animated tale of David and Goliath with $22 million, that's the best opening weekend for Angel Studios, the Christian-oriented studio. In third place, the psychological thriller The House Maid debuted with 19 million. I'm Janine Herbst NPR News in Washington.