NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-23-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: December 23, 2025

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What's the best Christmas gift you've ever received? Was it the laughter of your children, the love of a good friend, a smile on your partner's face? Yeah, well, we're not talking about any of that nonsense. We're talking about actual tangible Christmas presents, that one toy you found waiting for you under the tree and still think about from time to time. Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman, a Republican and Democratic member of Congress who have called for the full release of this. Jeffrey Epstein files are threatening to fine and possibly arrest Justice Department officials over the slow, much-redacted release of those files. Democrat Rokana and Republican Thomas Massey say this could include arresting Attorney General Pam Bondi. The procedure was last used about 90 years ago. Meanwhile, several of the Epstein victims are speaking out against what they say is the slow pace of the documents release. This is Marina Lassarda. way that justice will be served is to bring these men to light and have everyone see who

they are and what they have done to us and to other women who have not spoken yet. President Trump says the U.S. will begin producing battleships for the first time since World War II. Steve Walsh, W.H.R.O. in Norfolk reports the president unveiled the design Monday at Florida at his Mar-A-Lago estate. would be larger than the current generation of destroyers and cruisers. They would be armed with everything from sea-based nuclear weapons and lasers to the 16-inch guns used by battleships of the Second World War. These are the best in the world.

They'll be the fastest, the biggest, and by far 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built. A Navy official says the vessel is in the design phase and could be under construction by the early 2030s. Battleships were supplanted by aircraft carriers. The last one appeared in combat during the first Gulf War in 1991. For NPR News, I'm Steve Walsh. President Trump has named Louisiana's Governor Jeff Landry to be the special envoy to Greenland.

It's prompting some to question whether he's eligible for that role. From member station WRKF, Brooke Thorrington reports. 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. It was a shortened week on Wall Street because of the holiday. Monday, the Dow, the NASDAQ, and the S&P all finished higher as tech stocks finished stronger. Commodities also touched a high. This is NPR News. President Trump has named Louisiana's Governor Jeff Landry to be able to be.

the special envoy to Greenland, prompting some to question whether he's eligible for that role from member station WRKF, Brooke Thorrington reports. Could it be magical? Come on. Come on. Come on. Legendary entertainer Barry Manilow says he has early stage lung cancer and will undergo surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, a spot he says, that is on his lung. Manelow says he will receive. schedule concerts as a result of that surgery. Manilow had recently been battling a persistent case of bronchitis, and during an MRI, doctors found a cancerous growth that they say can be treated with surgery later this month. Manilow, who has been performing since the late 1960s,

is a multiple Grammy award-winning performer. He has held concerts that were scheduled. They will now be scheduled for February. The chief of police at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, has been put on administrative leave. This is campus officials review security procedures following last week's mass shooting that left two people on the campus dead. The former police chief for the city of Providence has been named the acting chief of police

as the investigation takes place. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education is also investigating whether the university was in violation of federal campus security requirements. Monday, hundreds gathered in. Birmingham, Alabama to remember one of the victims who died from that shooting. I'm Dan Ronan, 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.