NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-23-2025 9PM EST

Episode Date: December 24, 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 Giles Snyder. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump's deployment of the National Guard to Chicago. Today's ruling is the latest legal setback to the administration's use of troops on domestic source. and it's the first time the High Court has weighed in on the deployments, as NPR's Kat-Lonsdorf reports. President Trump had argued the need to federalize the National Guard against Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker's wishes in order to stop what the administration said was unremitting

violence against federal immigration agents in the city. But two lower courts ruled against such claims, and the administration issued an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court back in October. In an unsigned opinion, the High Court ruled six to three against Trump, saying that, quote, The government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws of Illinois. The decision, which does not set president, is one of only a handful of times the conservative court has ruled against the president in the emergency docket in this term. Kat Lonsdorf, Empire News, Washington. The Justice Department has released a new batch of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This latest release includes multiple mentions of President Trump, including an email from a prosecutor that,

It says Trump flew on Epstein's private jet eight times in the 1990s. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing, and the Justice Department says some documents contain unfounded allegations against Trump. The Trump administration has sanctioned a former top European Union official over allegations on Silicon Valley. And Pierre's Bobby Allen reports he's among five notable Europeans. The State Department says it is barring from entering the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says five Europeans, he describes as radical activists.

are in violation of new visa rules against those who try to suppress speech. Those targeted include former EU Commissioner Tiri Bertone, a longtime antagonist of the tech industry's power. He helped shape an Internet law that was used to find Elon Musk's X $140 million over its deceptive verification system and blocking outside researchers. The other Europeans targeted include officials at non-profit groups such as the Center for Countering Digital Hate and the Global Disinformation Index. Former EU official Bertone wrote in response, quote, is McCarthy's witch hunt back to our American friends. Censorship isn't where you think it is. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says a cause of an explosion today at a nursing home outside Philadelphia is under investigation. We believe preliminarily that it was a gas leak that led to that. The explosion was really quite catastrophic. Shapiro says at least two people were killed and several remain unaccounted for as search and rescue operation is ongoing. Authorities say numerous patients and staff initially trapped inside a collapsed portion of the building were rescued. The fire chief says the first floor was crumbling into the basement.

And you're listening to NPR News. Forecasters say Southern California could see one of its wettest Christmases in years. A series of powerful storms has much of the state in its sights. Officials say as much as 10 inches of rain is in the forecast for the Christmas holiday. leading to concern about flash flooding and mudslides. Officials also warning drivers about the potential for whiteout conditions in the Sierra Nevada. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are funding new research on the effects of hepatitis B vaccination. But NPR Jonathan Lambert reports that many scientists are calling the proposed study unethical.

More than 400 studies suggest that vaccinating newborns against hepatitis B is safe and effective. but the CDC is funding a controversial team of Danish scientists to do more. The group's been praised for the vaccine research by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but many scientists have questioned their research practices. The study isn't designed to test whether the vaccine works. Instead, it will look for potential side effects in babies born in Guinea-Bissau, a country that doesn't currently vaccinate at birth. The researchers will vaccinate some newborns and withhold the newborn dose for others,

then follow both groups for several years. Some experts criticize the withholding of a well-studied, life-saving vaccine in a country where nearly one in five people are infected with Hep B. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News. Millions of Americans expected to hit the road this holiday season, the AAA Motor Club, projecting more than 120 million will travel at least 50 miles from home from the Christmas and New Year's holiday. AAA expects a vast majority to drive to their destination.

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