NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-24-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Chicago. The ruling is the latest legal setback to the administration's use of troops on domestic soil. And it's the first time the high court has weighed in on those deployments. NPR's Kat Lansdorff 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, NPR News, Washington. Stronger than expected consumer spending in the third quarter pushed the nation's gross domestic product to a 4.3% annual rate.

The Commerce Department reports at the total volume of both economic goods and services was higher than the 3.8% rate in the second quarter that ran April through June. NPR business correspondent Elena Salucoff explains. In the third quarter, which is between July and September, the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 4.3%. And that is some of the fastest growth we've seen in a couple of years. And it's propelled by the usual engine, which is consumer spending. This GDP growth is quite a bit faster than the growth in the previous quarter and certainly faster than the start of the year when the economy actually shrank as companies brace for President Trump's sweeping tariffs. However, there are persistent concerns about stubborn inflation, which continues to run about a point higher at nearly 3% annually above the Federal Reserve's annual annual 2% protection.

Brown University has placed its campus police chief on leave in the wake of the deadly shooting there earlier this month. It comes as the federal government says it will investigate the school's response. Oh, Ocean State Media's Jerry Bernfeld reports. Brown University President Christina Paxton says the school's vice president for public safety and emergency. management is on leave. That's while the school works on an after-action review of the shooting. In the meantime, she hired a former Providence police chief to step in. The leadership change comes as the U.S. Department of Education said that it would investigate Brown in response to the shooting. A statement from the agency cited concerns about security at the school and the

university's emergency notification system. Paxson also told the university community that a team is working on upgrades to campus security. The plan is to have them in place before the start of the spring semester. For NPR news, I'm Jeremy Bernfeld in Providence, Rhode Island. This is NPR. More than a dozen attorneys general have sent a letter opposing a Trump administration proposal to weaken federal reporting of requirements for so-called forever chemicals known as P-FOS. Rachel Myro has more from station KQED San Francisco. In a statement, California Attorney General Rob Bonta wrote the EPA is putting industry convinced over public health. PFS are found in everything from non-stick cookware to drinking water,

and they've been linked to cancer, infertility, and other health effects. Miguel Mendes is an environmental scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute. You know, the federal government is backtracking, and not only PFAS, but other contaminants, too, and so we really have to be the ones to fight for what we want. California has recently moved to ban PFAS and paper food packaging and firefighting foam, but Mendez says other states, like Washington and Minnesota, have done more to protect consumers. For NPR News, I'm Rachel Myro in San Francisco. The Trump administration began sending notices that it will begin seeking to garnish wages of student loan borrowers

who the White House says are in default and money will start to be taken from paychecks to resolve that dispute. It's estimated that millions of borrowers are considered in default and the government must give them 30 days notice before wages can be garnished. In May, the Trump administration ended a Biden-year program that paused student loan payments that were halted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden White House tried to extend the program but was stopped by several federal judges. I'm Dan Ronan, NPR News. Support for 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.