NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-22-2025 6AM EST

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

NPR News: 12-22-2025 6AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Vice President J.D. Vance closed out the final day of Turning Point USA's America Fest last night, urging conservatives to rally around Christianity and the America First Movement. You'll find Christians sitting patiently beside hospice beds and in recovery rooms and in all the places of the world where people have given up on other people. And this is the moral. truth we strive to center in our work in the Trump administration and in this great movement of ours. Erica Kirk, the organization's CEO and widow of founder Charlie Kirk, has publicly endorse fans for president in 2028. The annual convention marked the first America Fest since Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in September. President Trump has appointed the governor of Louisiana as special envoy to Greenland. Trump made the announcement on social media, last night. And PR's Matt Bloom reports the first term Republican governor is a longtime ally of the

presidents. Trump congratulated Governor Jeff Landry saying he understands how essential Greenland is to the U.S.'s national security. Landry accepted the nomination in a post on X and said he would work to help make Greenland a part of the U.S. Greenland is currently a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. Trump has said that Greenland is crucial for U.S. security. Officials in Denmark and Greenland have pushed back on the idea. Landry comes from a background in state politics. He was elected Louisiana's governor last year. After serving as attorney general, the Republican says he will remain governor as he serves as special envoy.

Matt Bloom, NPR News, New Orleans. NPR has learned the Coast Guard is pursuing another tanker in the Caribbean. Officials say the vessel is trying to evade sanctions for transporting oil from Venezuela. NPR's Kerry Kahn reports it's part of the Trump administration's ongoing campaign against the Venezueling government. A U.S. official tells NPR that the U.S. Coast Guard, quote, is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion. The official was not authorized to speak publicly, but did add that the tanker is, quote, flying a false flag and is under a judicial seizure order. The Pentagon and the U.S. Coast Guard referred all inquiries to the White House, which has yet to comment. President Trump said last week that he was ordering a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers coming and going from Venezuela.

On Saturday, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noam said the U.S. Coast Guard had boarded an oil tanker, which a White House official later said was flying a false Panamanian flag. Kerry Kahn, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro. This is NPR News. Flood watches are in effect across California, as forecasters warn of heavy rain and possible flash flooding over the next several days. The flooding is being driven by a series of atmospheric rivers, expected to continue drenching the West Coast. A flood watch was issued Saturday for much of Northern California, including Redding and Sacramento. Some areas could see four to six inches of rain.

The famed elf on a shelf. now has a holiday competitor. Kendall Crawford from the Ohio Newsroom reports on a new Hanukkah Mascot. Over a decade ago, Neil Hoffman's son asked him for an elf on a shelf. The only problem, the Jewish family didn't celebrate Christmas. And I kind of made this joke and said, no, man, you can have a munch on a bench. He turned that joke into a popular Hanukkah toy and a tool to teach kids the meaning behind the Jewish Festival of Lights. We could call it putting the phonica into Hanukkah.

The mench on a bench comes with a storybook that teaches kids how to be a mench, the Yiddish word, for a good and honorable person. Hoffman says it's a way to lighten the holiday with more than just a monora. Many families agree he sold over a half a million of his Hanukkah heroes. For NPR News, I'm Kendall Crawford in Cincinnati. Thousands of people gathered at Stonehenge in England on Sunday to celebrate the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The ancient monument was built to align with the sun's movement on both the summer and winter solstice. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington. 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.