NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-23-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. The U.S. Supreme Court has dealt a setback to President Trump's use of national guard troops in largely Democratic-led cities. In a six-to-three opinion, the court let stand for now a lower court's ruling that block the deployment of guard troops to Chicago. Four governors from states along the Atlantic Coast say they'll fight President Trump's latest effort to block wind power developments. Trump paused completion of five major offshore wind. wind projects Monday citing national security concerns. Here's NPR's Brian Mann reporting. Trump has opposed wind power for years and his administration now says five big projects along the Atlantic coast need further review from the Defense Department. Critics point out the projects all received federal permits after extensive scrutiny by the military. In a joint statement, governors from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island called this pause baseless and reckless. They said further delays for completed and nearly completed wind projects will cost jobs and drive up electricity costs for consumers.

Trump's opposition to wind power hasn't fared well in the courts. Earlier this month, a federal judge struck down Trump's executive order, halting offshore wind projects, calling the ban unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York. The U.S. economy expanded in the third quarter. The latest report from the Commerce Department says economic growth hit a 4.3% annual rate from July through September. by consumer spending and a rebound in exports, but bank rate analyst Ted Rossman says other factors

are weighing on the economy. Prices are still too high for many people's liking, and tariffs could be making that worse. We also have a very unequal economy. We have the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer. Consumer sentiment is in the dumps. Following the Commerce Department report, Wall Street closed higher. The S&P 500 rose half a percentage point, up 31 points to close at 6,909 and topping a record set earlier this month. Israel's defense minister said the military will help establish Jewish settlements in northern Gaza, remarks that contradict President Trump's ceasefire plan signed by Israel. But as NPR's Ayapetrawe reports, the minister appeared to walk back his remarks only hours later.

Defense Minister Israel Katz was addressing Jewish settlers in the West Bank to mark the expansion of 1,200 new housing units there when he said, God willing in due time, Israel will establish Israeli communities in areas of northern Gaza, where Jewish settlements were dismantled 20 years ago. And he said, quote, we will not leave all of Gaza. But only hours later, the Israeli defense minister issued a statement saying the government has no intention of establishing settlements in Gaza and that his remarks were made solely in a security context without elaborating. But his initial comments had already grabbed headlines in Israel and were welcomed by a

far-right settler group. A. Abelterawi, NPR News. This is NPR. An Ohio Democrat is suing President Trump for adding his name to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The lawsuit also names Trump appointees to the Kennedy Center board. NPR's Chloe Veltman reports on Representative Joyce Beatty's lawsuit alleging the new Trump-Kennedy Center name is unlawful. Joyce Beatty's federal lawsuit argues that rechristening the Kennedy Center requires an act of Congress. One of Beatty's councils, Norm Eisen, says the former name was established through legislation in 1964. The law is very clear. The Kennedy Center is to be named after John F. Kennedy and only John F. Kennedy. New signage bearing Trump's name appeared on the Center's website and

facade late last week. In a written statement to NPR, the Center's Vice President of Public Relations, Roma Daravi, blamed critics like Congresswoman Beatty, Fassad. having, quote, sat idly by while America's cultural center slowly crumbled and justified the change of name by pointing to the millions of dollars she says Trump has raised to repair the building. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. New data show cash and credit card sales rose during the first seven weeks of the holiday shopping season. MasterCard spending pool says sales since November 1st rose 3.9 percent and visas consulting and analytics division says sales rose 4.2 percent. Both say the increase is less than the same period last year.

And Visa says when adjusted for inflation, retail sales rose more modestly. Prices at the pump lower this holiday season. AAA says the national average for unleaded has stayed below $3 a gallon since December 2nd. This is NPR. 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.