NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-25-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: December 25, 2025

NPR News: 12-25-2025 12AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Roman. A state of emergency has been declared in six southern California counties because of relentless rains and high winds that are pounding the region. The declaration will free up resources for first responders and other emergency teams. Across the region, the devastating impact of the downpours fueled by atmospheric rivers are being felt. Altadena resident Michael Burdick says he's trying to prepare for flooding. We got some sandbags, but we figured with this whole downpour coming for the next couple of days. We have a pool, so the pool might overflow, and then plus we have all the debris from up there from up in the fire area. So I was just like, I can go out, grab some sandbags, you know, so we're safe because our house is like a little bit lower, so that slope.

It's the water can come in. So we've had that issue before. So trying to keep my family, you know, like dry. The high water has made portions of Interstate 5 in the Ventura Freedway in the Los Angeles area impassable. An NPR analysis of immigration court records showed an increase in people being ordered deported because they did not show up for their appointments. As NPR's Jimenez-Bustil reports, fears of arrest and logistical challenge caused these no-shows. Earlier this year, immigration and customs enforcement officers began making arrests in immigration court. that coincided with an increase in what is called a removal order in absentia.

If someone is told to go to immigration court, they have to show up. Otherwise, the government may have the right to order them removed. Immigration lawyers, though, say that there are several reasons why someone may not show up. It's possible that the notices were sent to the wrong address. There could be mail delays, or the person may have even left the country already. Still, advocates say most immigrants are showing up to court and hope to get their chance to argue why they should stay. Hima Bustillo, NPR News, Washington. President Trump is spending some of the evening tracking Santa Claus with the help of NORAD,

the North American Defense Command, that tracked Santa's location. The president answered calls from children who are wondering where Santa is. Here's NPR's Deepa Shiveron. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump answered calls from their Florida Mar-a-Lago home and spoke with children around the country. Well, we track Santa all over the world. We want to make sure that Santa is being good. He's a very good person. We want to make sure that he's not infiltrating, that we're not infiltrating into our country of Banned Santa.

The president tried to boast about his economy, but he said the kids weren't interested in hearing about that. Trump later made calls to service members as well. Deepa Chivaram and PR News. The decision last week to add President Trump's name to the Kennedy Center in Washington continues to have repercussions. Wednesday, the longtime host of the Christmas Eve, performance said he was canceling his contour to protest the name change. This is NPR. ICE agents on Wednesday shot a man in suburban Baltimore. Another person was injured after a traffic stop turned violent. ICE says as they approached a van the driver of the vehicle attempted to run over

officers. Shots were fired. The driver was struck as second person suffered minor injuries. The Department of Homeland Security says the driver of the van was in the U.S. illegally. Pope Leo has said to reject the poor or strangers amounts to a rejection of God himself. NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports on the Pope's inaugural Christmas Eve Mass. In his sermon at St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Leo made what he called a, quote, timely reminder that there is, quote, no room for God if there's no room for the human person. To refuse one is to refuse the other, he said. Leo has made care for immigrants a theme of his papacy. and this first American Pope has criticised President Trump's immigration crackdown.

Leo also quoted his predecessor, Pope Francis, saying that Christmas rekindles hope. It's with this hope, perhaps, that Pope Leo addressed this week the other focus of his papacy, peace, calling twice for warring sides across the globe to lay down their weapons, even if only for Christmas Day. Ruth Sherlock, MPR News. The numbers in the $1.7 billion powerball lottery have been drawn, but we don't know if anyone is won. Still, the odds of getting all the numbers right are won in $292 million. If no one wins the drawing, the jackpot rolls over and expands for Saturday night's drawing.

From Washington, this is NPR News. I'm Dan Ronan. Support for 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.