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

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rom. This is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year between Christmas and New Year's. A winter storm has complicated travel in the northeast, although it turned out to be not as big as advertised. Bruce Convicer reports from New York. The forecast called for five to nine inches of snow here in the city and across a large swath of New Jersey, but warm air from the Atlantic Ocean pushed into the upper atmosphere, causing a mix of sleet and snow. That depressed snow totals here on the ground. Still, more than four inches was recorded in Central Park, making it one of the most significant snowstorms to hit the city in recent years. The storm pushed out to sea early Saturday, but delays on outbound flights at all three area airports were more than 30 minutes as of late Saturday morning.

Incoming flights to JFK were more than two and a half hours behind schedule. Heavy snow amounts in line with forecasters' predictions did fall upstate. For NPR news, I'm Bruce Confeiser in New York. has declined this year. A new podcast hopes to change that. NPR's Ping Huang reports. It's a podcast called Why Should I Trust You? And it was started by scientists and journalists that identify more with traditional public health. But they also saw that institutions lost trust during the pandemic when people felt failed or ignored by the rules in the health system. Host Brenda Adikari says people's deeply held beliefs are not easily swayed.

I think it happens between people who trust each other, people who really love each other. Usually their values tend to be aligned in some way. The podcasts hosts conversations between traditional public health leaders and organizers in Maha or the Make America Healthy Again movement. Adikari says among their regular guests, they're starting to build some trust. Ping Huang, NPR News. Ukrainian officials say Russian drone and missile attacks on Kiev and the surrounding region have killed at least two people and injured dozens. The attacks came a day before President Vladimir Zelenskyy is expected. to meet President Trump in Florida to discuss efforts to end Russia's invasion.

Zelensky says the bombardment shows Russia does not want to end the war. The BBC Samir Hussein reports. Into this morning, in fact, the air raid sirens have been sounding off. There are still drones that are coming into Ukrainian airspace. And according to Ukrainian officials, there were some 500 drones that were launched from Russia over Ukraine and some 20-odd missiles as well. the main target has been the capital here in Kyiv. And there has been some infrastructure damage. And according to the Ukrainian military,

there has been damage to some residential buildings here as well. The BBC Samira Hussein. Defense ministers from Thailand and Cambodia met at their border today to sign a ceasefire agreement after weeks of fighting. Both sides have suffered civilian and military casualties. Hundreds have been displaced. This is NPR News in Washington. Rescue teams are searching for a boat that capsized in choppy water off the coast of Indonesia last night.

A man from Spain and three of his children are missing. They had been visiting Komodo National Park, a popular tourist spot. Another child and the children's mother were rescued, along with four crew members and a tour guide. Israel has formally recognized the self-declared republic of Somaliland as an independent state. making it the first country in the world to do so. Michael Koloki reports there has been immediate reaction to the announcement. In a swift response, Somalia's government termed Israel's move as an unlawful step, claiming that Somaliland is an inseparable part of Somalia.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991, but until now, it had not been officially recognized as an independent state by any country. In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel recognizes Somaliland as a sovereign state, and plans to immediately expand its relations with Somaliland through extensive cooperation in various sectors. Meanwhile, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Yusuf, said he rejects any recognition of Somaliland, adding that the African Union had an unwavering commitment to the unity of Somalia.

For NPR News, and Michael Kaloki in Nairobi. Annette Dionne has died at 91. She was the last surviving member of Canada's famous quintuplets, born in 1934. The first to survive past infancy. The Ontario government took the babies from their parents and placed them in a nursery-style exhibit that made hundreds of millions of dollars. The province apologized in 1998 and paid a $4 million settlement. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.