NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-21-2025 8PM EST

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Herbst. The Department of Justice is defending its partial release of the Epstein files, arguing it is following the Epstein Transparency Act. But as NPR's Luke Gaird reports, the sponsors of the law disagree. Congress passed a law requiring the DOJ release its files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by this past Friday. But the partial release included heavy redactions and was mostly already public.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC News, privacy laws required redactions to protect Epstein victims. Redacting information very much trumps some deadline in the statute. But Republican Representative Thomas Massey of Kentucky told CBS News, Blanche is not protecting victims and is breaking the law. Our law trumps the prior law. That's just common sense. Law School 101. Yet Todd Blanche is using a different theory that wouldn't survive first contact with any court. Massey says he hopes to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress. 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 have been productive. But as His Empire's Joanna Kikis reports several barriers to a peace deal remain. Writing on social media, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr 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, Kiev. The state of the economy will be front and center for Wall Street investors this holiday week when the GDP data for the third quarter comes out.

NPR's 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. Raphael NUMM, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Officials in Michigan recently confirmed two Cougar Cubs have survived into adolescence. Brianna Edgar of Member Station WCMU reports, these are the first cubs spotted east of the Mississippi River in over a century. The existence of the Cubs was documented in March in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Until now, they remained evasive, leading local officials to believe

they hadn't survived. But earlier this month, they appeared on a trail cam. Brian Rohl with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says the Cubs survival is, quote, historic. Because of the proximity to where the kittens were in March, we're seeing two animals now that we are comfortable agreeing that this probably the same animals. Cougars are on Michigan's endangered species list, with fewer than

200 adult sightings in the last decade. For NPR News, I'm Brianna Edgar in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. 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,

it's the best opening weekend for Angel Studios, the Christian-oriented studio. And in third place, the psychological thriller, The House Maid, debuted with $19 million, that's against a $35 million production budget. I'm Janine Herbst, NPR News, in Washington.

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