NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-27-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky says he's en route to Canada before his expected meeting tomorrow with President Trump in Florida. NPR's Joanna Kukisis reports from Kiev. Despite the peace negotiations, Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital overnight, killing at least two people and injuring more than 30. Russia attacked Kiev and surrounding areas with hypersonic, ballistic, and cruise missiles, as well as hundreds of strike drones.

Speaking to reporters via voice message, Zelensky said Russia showed what it thinks of intensive efforts to end this war. They responded with a massive attack on Ukraine, he said. If the American side wants to hold a wartime referendum or elections, we cannot do it under conditions like these. Zelensky has said several times that he is ready to hold a referendum on the latest peace proposal if security is guaranteed. for voters. Zelensky said that security guarantees are a main focus of talks with the Trump administration. Joanna Kikisasas, NPR News, Kiev. More people have died in ICE custody this year than in any year since 2005. NPR's Martin Kosti reports. The number of people held by ice at any one time has ballooned. Right now, it's about 66,000. That's 70% higher than when President

Trump took office. But deaths have gone up more to about 30 for the year compared to 11 in 2024. At Syracuse University, Austin Coker studies the immigration enforcement system, and he's troubled by some clusters of deaths. I'm concerned that the rapid increase in the detained population at specific detention centers is creating the preconditions for more immigrants to have medical emergencies and ultimately to die while they're in ICE custody. Ice says in custody deaths this year, quote, average less than 1%. This is the lowest in history, unquote, but it does not explain how that figure was calculated. Martin Kosti, NPR News.

Stock markets gained over this holiday week with the S&P 500 hitting a record high. NPR's Rafael NOM reports. The economy grew at a robust annual rate of 4.3% in July, August, and September, thanks to strong consumer demand. That was according to a delayed report by the Commerce Department. The delay means that the data is actually quite old. But at least it showed the economy was a lot better than many economists had predicted. Stocks rose as a result, with all three indexes, posting gains of over 1% for the week.

There are still areas of concern. A slowing labor market is at the top of the list. But for now, investors were relieved. Raffelnaum, NPR News. A major winter storm is bringing wet snow across the northeast and Great Lakes. The flight tracking site Flat Aware says more than 900 flights have been canceled so far today. This is NPR News in Washington. Washington. In Syria, an ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim group is claiming responsibility for the bombing of a mosque during Friday prayers yesterday. At least eight people were killed and 18 others were wounded. The Syrian foreign ministry denounced the explosion as a terrorist crime. The last of Canada's fame Dion Trin Quintuplets has died, Annette was 91. As Dan Carpenchuk reports, the five sisters became a global sensation at a cost. The Dion Quinn's Home Museum in North Bay, Ontario, posted that Annette died on Christmas Eve. She was the only surviving member of the quintuplets and the last surviving sibling of the 14 children of the Dion family.

The five girls were born on May 28, 1934, the first quintuplets to survive past infancy. When they were just months old, the Ontario government took them away from their parents and put them in the care of a board of guardians, and a nursery style exhibit that millions of tourists lined up to sea, bringing in $500 million for the province. The father's attempts to regain custody failed. In 1998, the Ontario government apologized to the sisters and gave them a $4 million settlement for the years spent on display. For NPR News, I'm Dan Carpinchuk in Toronto.

Thailand and Cambodia signed a new ceasefire agreement today, designed to end weeks of fighting along their border. It took effect at noon local time and calls for an end to all military movements. Both signs also agreed to commit to the Iraq original ceasefire in July brokered by President Trump. Today's deal also calls for the return of civilians to their homes who are displaced by the fighting. I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington. Listen to this podcast, sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.