NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-27-2025 7AM EST

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jail Snyder. A ceasefire has come into force along the border between Thailand and Cambodia, where weeks of clashes have displaced a million people. The ceasefire agreement freezes the front lines and bans reinforcements. The BBC's Jonathan Head reports that the 72-hour truce was agreed by the two countries' defense ministers following Chinese diplomacy. Unlike the last ceasefire in July, President Trump was conspicuously absent from this one, although the U.S. State Department has also been involved. Thailand had been reluctant, claiming that the last ceasefire was not properly implemented. The ties also resented what they saw as Cambodia's efforts to internationalize the conflict. In the end, they struck the deal at a bilateral meeting, led only by the two countries' defense ministers. The BBC's Jonathan Head reporting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Halifax today. The CBC is reporting that Zelensky

will make a stopover before heading to Florida for a meeting with President Trump tomorrow. Russia, meanwhile, launched another wave of missile and drone attacks on Kiev overnight. Crime rates dropped across much of the U.S. in 2025. That was true for both property and violent crime. NPR's Meg Anderson reports. Crime declined nearly everywhere. In big cities and small towns, in red and blue states, murders in particular fell dramatically. And that large decrease was preceded by a large increase. In 2020 and 2021, homicide rates surged across the country. Crime analysts point to the instability of the pandemic for that increase. There were fewer police patrolling, many people lost their jobs. Some government services like mental health

care and community centers went away for a while. John Roman with Nork, a research group at the University of Chicago says it's helpful to think of violence as an epidemic. If epidemics cause things to spiral up, they should create virtuous cycles on the way down. More crime leads to more crime and less leads to less. Meg Anderson, NPR News. Stock markets gained over this holiday week with the S&P 500 hitting a record high, NPR's Raphael NOM reports. The economy grew at a robust annual rate of 4.3% in July, August.

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, And you're listening to NPR News. The Alberta clipper that's been dumping heavy snow in the northeast is expected to move out into the Atlantic today. The storm packing a mix of snow and ice has disrupted post-holiday travel and has prompted the governors of New York and New Jersey to issue emergency declarations.

On the west coast, heavy rain has eased in Southern California. However, officials say there is still a risk of flash flooding. Less than a month after opening for the winter season, the Telluride Ski Resort in southwest Colorado will be closed today. That's because of failed contract negotiations between the ski resort and the local ski patrol union. Julia Caulfield, a member station KOTO has more. The Telluride Ski resort, known as TELSki, will be closing just in time for the small mountain community's busiest week of the winter. When an estimated 9 to 10,000 visitors are in town per day, between Christmas and the new year. The privately owned ski company has been in contract negotiations

with the local ski patrol union since June. Telski says their contract offer is, quote, generous and market leading. Ski Patrol, on the other hand, argues it doesn't provide a livable wage in the expensive resort town. While Telski's owner is placing the blame for the shutdown on ski patrol, union representatives say the ski company would rather close the mountain than give them a fair contract. For NPR news, I'm Julia Culfield in Tell Your Perry Bimante has died. He was a longtime member of the English indie rock band The Cure. The band announced his death on the group's official website saying he died after a short illness. He was 65. I'm Trial Snyder, NPR 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. T's and C's apply. Thank you.