NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-28-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: December 28, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. President Trump posted today that he had a good and very productive telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump is meeting now at his Florida resort with Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, and a possible agreement between Ukraine and Russia to end nearly four years of war. Republican Congressman Mike Turner serves on the House Armed Services Committee. He told ABC News he's hoping for progress. I think that Zelensky is coming with a plan that is workable and that could get us there and hopefully with our allies in Europe that have come together, which with they seem to be working and advancing the type of security assurances we're going to need with the United States that hopefully we can deter Russia in the future. Before the meeting, President Trump said there will be a strong security agreement for Ukraine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is next. He's on his way to the U.S. to meet President Trump in Florida tomorrow. He's planning to raise Israel's concerns about Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. Trump's 20-point peace plan for Gaza is still in phase one. The president has yet to name his so-called Board of Peace for Gaza, and there's still no international force there. Israel has set up a yellow line in the territory controlling one side,

and continuing to carry out strikes on the other. Netanyahu has said the peace plan can't move to the next phase until Hamas returns the body of the last Israeli hostage, though Hamas, as everyone who knew where that body was, has been killed. Gaza isn't the only thing on Netanyahu's agenda. Israeli officials say that Iran is building up its arsenal of ballistic missiles months after Trump ordered massive strikes on nuclear sites in Iran. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Jerusalem.

The Legal Advocacy firm Democracy Forward is asking a federal whistleblower agency to investigate violations of the HASS Act by the Trump administration. The Hatch Act restricts federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities well-in-duty. NPR's Andrea Shue reports. The law is meant to ensure federal workers can do their jobs free from partisan political influence or coercion. Democracy Forward alleges the Trump administration violated the law in multiple ways during the government shutdown. They point to messaging on government websites and out-of-office email replies, blaming Democrats for the shutdown, sometimes referring to them as the radical left. But it's unclear where the complaint will go.

Earlier this year, President Trump fired the special counsel, who leads the agency that enforces the Hatch Act and replaced him with one of his cabinet members. And in a press release, the Office of Special Counsel said 2025 has been one of the most productive and impactful years in its history, Andrea Shue and PR News. This is NPR News in Washington. Many of the most successful movies over the past few months have been driven by female ticket buyers. The House Maid and Wicked for Good have performed better than some films aimed more towards men. NPR's Neta 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 Ulippi, NPR News. French sex symbol of Brigitte Bardot died today at her home in southern France. She appeared in more than two dozen films than later became an animal rights activist. Here's how she viewed her career in a BBC interview heard here through an interpreter. I never plan anything that happens to me.

I took life as it came on a daily, yearly basis, and I didn't ask myself bizarre questions, because when you have the career I've had, you don't turn up your nose at it. I did appreciate what I had. I found it extraordinary. On the other hand, later, I understood I couldn't spend my life making films. Brigette Bardot was 91. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News, in Washington.