NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-29-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: December 29, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. President Trump says the U.S. has struck a dock in Venezuela, where he says drugs were being loaded onto boats. He also says he recently spoke with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. This comes as the U.S. has amped up aggression towards Venezuela, NPR's Adipa Shivaram reports. President Trump was about to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he confirmed to reporters that the U.S. had, quote, hit a Venezuelan dog. There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats. Trump did not provide further detail, but such a strike likely indicates an escalation in aggression toward Venezuela.

In recent weeks, Trump announced a blockade on sanctioned oil tankers coming in and out of Venezuela, and the U.S. has struck multiple boats off the coast of the South American country, alleging that they're carrying drugs. More than 100 people have been killed in those attacks. Deepa Chivaram, NPR News. Homeland Security Secretary Christine Nome says federal officials are conducting a fraud investigation in Minneapolis. Noam posted a video showing DHS officers going into an unidentified business and questioning the person working behind the counter. Noam says officers were, quote, conducting a massive investigation on child care and other rampant fraud.

The Trump administration has ramped up immigration. enforcement efforts in Minnesota in recent weeks. There's been a big increase in the rates of pregnant women developing diabetes. As NPR's Ping Huang reports, it's jumped by nearly 40% in the past decade. Around 8% of pregnant women in the U.S. get gestational diabetes. It's a health problem that's risen consistently over the past 10 years. That's according to an analysis of more than 12 million births led by scientists at Northwestern University and published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. The researchers say the rise is likely related to worsening health than young people who are eating less healthfully and getting less exercise.

In pregnancy, certain hormones can lead to a rise in blood sugar, causing gestational diabetes, which poses risks to the mother and child if it's not managed. While this type of diabetes usually resolves after giving birth, it has been linked with developing diabetes and cardiovascular problems later in life. Ping Huang and PR News. Authorities have identified two pilots who died. after their helicopters collided in southern New Jersey. 65-year-old Kenneth Kirsch and 71-year-old Michael Greenberg were friends who both lived in New Jersey.

Video from the scene showed a helicopter spinning rapidly to the ground. Police and fire crews had to put out flames that engulfed one of the aircraft. Stock slipped on Wall Street today. The S&P 500 fell three-tenths of a percent, though it's up more than 17 percent for the year. The Dow and NASDAQ each fell half a percent. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. French prosecutors say a pro-Russian hacking group has claimed responsibility for a major cyber attack on France's National Postal Service. The attack halted package deliveries just days before Christmas. France and European allies accuse Russia of waging hybrid warfare to undermine support for Ukraine.

British boxer Anthony Joshua has been involved in a deadly car crash in Nigeria. Authorities say two people were killed in the crash, but Joshua escaped with minor injuries, as NPR's Jewel Bright reports. Nigerian authorities say Joshua was traveling along the Lagos Ibadon Express Way as yet a day when his car collided with a truck parked at the side of the road. The car's driver and another person in the front seat were killed on impact. Joshua was seated at the back of the car and was rescued with minor injuries. Videos of Joshua wincing in pain while being pulled from the vehicle have gone various. on social media. The Zegosibadon Expressway is one of Nigeria's busiest roads. According to local media, Joshua was reported he travels into the hometown of his Nigerian parents in Shagamo,

southwest Nigeria, when the crash occurred. The accident comes a week after Joshua defeated American boxer Jake Paul in a six-run boxing bout in Miami. Drew Bright, MPR Newslegos. A $400,000 load of lobster bound for Costco locations vanished after being. being picked up in Massachusetts. According to Boston 25, the shipment disappeared just before Christmas. The CEO of the freighter, Rexing, says it was the second major seafood theft in Massachusetts this month, raising concerns about repeat targeting. This is NPR.