NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-27-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Wilman. In rain-drenched Southern California, there were more downpours on the day after Christmas, but the intensity of those storms is finally diminishing. Steve Futterman reports. The storms may be less intense, but with the ground and hillsides already waterlogged, it didn't take much to cause new flooding along with more mudslides and rock slides. Some intersections again filled with water and became hard to drive through. In a few areas, there are still power outages.

The next few days should bring some relief. Yeah, we're definitely improving. Dave Gomberg is with the National Weather Service. We'll start to see the shower activity starting to decrease in coverage and intensity. This has been one of the wettest Christmas weeks ever. Some areas have received more than 15 inches of rain. There have been several deaths. One of the hardest hit areas has been the small mountain town of Ritewood,

where many homes suffered extensive damage. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. The flight tracking website, Flood Aware, says U.S. Airlines canceled or delayed thousands of flights on Friday. Most of that came from Winterstorm Devon, which is dropping snow in the Great Lakes and on to the northeast this weekend. 350 National Guard troops will be mobilized to New Orleans through the end of February to provide extra security during major events. In a statement, the Defense Department has confirmed that the federally funded troops, including some now stationed in Washington, D.C., will deploy to support law and efforts for New Year's, the Sugar Bowl, and Mardi Gras. Mel Bridges with member station WNO reports.

A spokesperson for the Louisiana National Guard confirmed deployment should start around the 30th. This comes after New Orleans safety officials requested more federal presence in the city during those events, citing the terror attacks on New Year's Day and an alleged terrorist plot that authorities say was recently thwarted. Governor Jeff Landry had also previously requested 1,000 federally funded troops to New Orleans in September. This is separate from the federal immigration sweep currently happening in southeastern Louisiana. For NPR news, I'm Mel Bridges. It was another record holiday season for Christmas sales.

I talked to Alfred Mai. His company, ASM Games, sells card games. Think like family trivia or date night ideas. And usually you cannot get him on the phone one week before Christmas. That's the busiest time of year for him. And last week, he was like, yeah, call me now. I'm free. It honestly blew my mind because we just.

sold out of inventory like a few days ago. Sales just exceeded all my expectations. And I had this question, like, did sales exceed his expectations because his expectations were too low or because people spent with abandon? And he said, it's probably both. That's NPR Zelina Seljuk, who says the amount of money spent was not spread evenly across income brackets. She says the wealthiest Americans spent more this year, while those with less money and more

concerns over the shape of the economy spent much less. You're listening to NPR News. We're beginning a huge holiday weekend for basketball fans who tend to skew younger and more diverse than those of other major league sports. And now the NBA hopes to attract more women by working with online creators who enjoy predominantly female followings, as NPR's NETA Ulaby reports. The nail artist Vivian Zhu Rehi promotes the National Basketball Association on her social media feed. She shows off hand-painted portraits of players that are literally thumbnail-sized. I grew up in L.A. and now live in the Bay Area. The Lakers and the Warriors are simply my teens.

But I will say I am just a basketball fan in general. Major League sports have noticed what's been called the Taylor Swift effect in bringing female fans to football. Now the NBA is courting female fans with other online collaborations, including with a popular rugmaker and a food artist who uses fried rice. as her medium. Netta Ulippi, NPR News. Ukrainian president, Vlomir Zelensky, says he'll meet on Sunday with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida. Zelensky told journalists on Friday that the two leaders will

be discussing security guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday's talks. A man has been arrested in Japan after stabbing eight people. Police say he also injured seven other people with a chemical believed to be bleach. The attack took place at a rubber factory in the central part of that country. Officials say that five of those who were stabbed are in serious condition. The attacker's identity and possible motive are both unknown.

I'm Dale Wilman and PR News. 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.

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