NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-27-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

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Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Herbst. Ukraine's president, Volodemir Zelensky, met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney today, ahead of his expected meeting tomorrow with President Trump in Florida. NPR's Joanna Kikisis reports, despite the peace negotiations, Russia attacked Ukraine's capital overnight, killing at least two people and injuring dozens. 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 Kikisis, NPR News, Kiev. The Kennedy Center is threatening to sue jazz musician Chuck Redd. Over President Trump's name being added to the Kennedy Center, Red abruptly canceled his longstanding Christmas Eve concert.

And Pierce Chloe Veltman has more. The Center's president, Richard Grinnell, hit back with a letter on Friday, saying he is seeking $1 million in damages from Chuck Red for his. quote, political stunt. The centre's press team shared the letter with NPR and said in an email Grinnell intends to file the lawsuit after the holidays. Red did not respond to NPR's request for comment, but the vibraphonist and drummer told the Associated Press earlier in the week that he backed out of the engagement in protest against the name change. Red has hosted the Centre's Christmas Eve Jazz Jam since 2006. The John F. Kennedy's

Centre for the Performing Arts was established through. legislation in 1964. Trump's hand-picked Board of Trustees voted in favor of the name change on December 18th. Legal experts say the move was unlawful. Chloe Veltman, NPR News. This is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, between Christmas and New Year's. But a winter storm has complicated travel in the Northeast, with more than 1,300 flights canceled and more than 24,000 delayed, according to Flight Aware. Bruce Convier has more 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 one of the most significant snowstorms to hit the city in recent years. The storm pushed out to sea early Saturday. Heavyer snow amounts in line with forecasters' predictions did fall upstate. For NPR news, I'm Bruce Confeiser in New York. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Many of the most successful movies over the past few months have been driven by female ticket buyers. Movies like The Housemade and Wicked for Good have performed better than a number of films aimed more toward a male demographic. And Piersnettah Ulibe has more.

Many of the biggest movies over the past few months brought in men and women in roughly equal numbers. For example, Avatar, Fire, and Ash. or they were movies for kids like Zootopia, too. But a lot of movies targeting men this season were bombs, like The Smashing Machine, The Running Man, and Him. What did much better? Wicked for Good. Haven't you heard? I'm the Wicked Witch of the West. With an audience that's been about 70% female.

Other successful films over the past few months with a largely female audience include the Last Doughton Abbey movie, the romantic drama regretting you, and the Taylor Swift film promoting her album, The Life of a Showgirl. Netta Ulii, NPR News. In Egypt, a boat belonging to Pharaoh Kofu is being reassembled at the Grand Egyptian Museum's exhibition hall.

The cedarwood vessel, one of two found with the king, started coming together this week as visitors watched. The project is expected to take around four years. That's according to restoration officials. The king ruled more than 4,500 years ago and built a great pyramid of Giza. Experts think the boats were used for his funeral or his afterlife journey. The museum located near Cairo houses nearly 50,000 artifacts. I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.