NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-22-2025 1PM EST

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

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Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dua Lisei Kautau. President Trump's designs on Greenland are back in the news after he appointed a special envoy on the issue. NPR's Michelle Callumann reports Denmark and Greenland are making clear they won't allow the U.S. to take over the territory. The leaders of Denmark and Greenland issued a joint statement demanding respect for their territory after Trump announced that he's appointing Louisiana Governor Jeff Langell. Andry to be a special envoy. Landry posted on X that he's honored to take up what he called a voluntary position to, quote, make Greenland a part of the U.S. Denmark and Greenland call this totally unacceptable, say national borders are rooted in international law. Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, the statement went on to say.

Polls there show that while most Greenlanders want independence from Denmark, an overwhelming majority reject the idea of joining the U.S. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. The White House says President Trump will hold an event today about the Navy. NPR's Deepa Shivram reports it comes as the U.S. ramped up its posture towards Venezuela. Over the weekend, the U.S. seized a second Venezuelan oil tanker after Trump announced a blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers coming in and out of the South American country. Then the U.S. announced it's pursuing the seizure of a third tanker.

Venezuela has disputed the U.S.'s actions and called them criminal. The seizures come as the Trump administration also continues to launch strikes on boats off the shore of Venezuela that they say are carrying drugs. More than 100 people have died in those strikes. Trump, who's spending the rest of the year in Florida, is holding the event with Defense Secretary Pete Hegsef and Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan. Deepa Shiverom and PR News. Annie Farmer, a sister of one of the earliest whistleblowers who filed a complaint against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 1996, says too little information is coming out now from the Department of Justice. My sister Maria, she reported a lot more than just what's in that document. She made that call at the FBI.

She reported her own assault at the hands of Epstein and Maxwell that occurred on Les Wexner's property in Ohio. and the fact that she tried to leave and she reported there what was happening and she was held and she reported what had happened to me at Zora Ranch in New Mexico. None of that is in that document which leads me to believe

there are other documents even from that report that we're not seeing. She told NPR in this moment she remains grateful for her sister Maria's courage speaking out when she did

but she adds she's also heartbroken that other people did not do the same or help in the way she says they should have. On this shortened holiday week for Wall Street, stocks are in the positive. This is NPR News. Defense officials from Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to hold a meeting on Wednesday

to try and find a way to pause fighting along their 500-mile-long border. Ashis Valentine reports it was the result of a day of negotiations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Foreign ministers from throughout Southeast Asia gathered in the Malaysian capital to try and revive a truce Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to in July, which President Trump helped broker. Fighting had restarted earlier this month after both sides claimed the other had attacked first. After rounds of air, drone, and artillery strikes, dozens of soldiers and civilians in both nations have lost their lives. The meeting in Kuala Lumpur ended with a call for both sides to exercise maximum restraint, cease hostilities, and ensure civilians evacuated from the affected areas

can return safely to their homes. China has also been mediating between both sides. For NPR News, I'm Ashish Valentine. A bus traveling from Indonesia's capital to the ancient city of Yogya Karta in the south central part of Java province crashed early this morning, killing at least 15 people. Nearly double that number were also injured and taken to area hospitals. The crash took place near a toll road exit where the driver may have hit a concrete barrier at high speed, according to a rescue agency chief. In Texas, a program called ATX vinyl, headed by a Dr. Tyler Jorgensen, uses records to help

patients recover faster from difficult diagnoses and treatments. I'm Dwa Lisei Kautau, NPR News in New York.