NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-30-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: December 30, 2025

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Want to get strong in 2026? Turns out you don't need to spend hours at the gym every week. Even just one session, 30 to 45 minutes a week, doing about one or two sets per exercise, that can be quite effective. How to get started with strength training. This week on the Life Kid podcast. Listen in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Steve. Evans. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are praising each other following a meeting on the next stage of the Israel-Gaza peace plan. Netanyahu sounded optimistic in his remarks to reporters at Mar-a-Lago. We work together. We talk about our ideas. Sometimes we have different ideas, but we work it out. And most of the time we see eye to I. But it's been a remarkable experience. And this was a very, very productive meeting. Trump says the two leaders are making private.

progress with some serious issues still remaining. Well, we have had a discussion, big discussion, for a long time on the West Bank, and I wouldn't say we agree on the West Bank 100%, but we will come to a conclusion on the West Bank. Trump added that Hamas will have to disarm, or there will be, as he put it, held to pay. The President is sounding optimistic that Russia and Ukraine will soon reach a ceasefire. Trump met with Ukraine's President Zelensky in Florida Sunday following a phone call with Russian leader Putin. President says he believes Russia wants peace. The war in Ukraine began in 2022 when Russia invaded its neighbor. The Trump administration is threatening to take away

funding to states that failed to implement policies that were promised under a $50 billion fund for rural health care. Details from NPR, Sprinkel Ordonias. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, announced the first tranche of money is currently being distributed. The purpose of this $50 billion investment in rural health care is not to pay off bills. The purpose of this $50 billion investment is to allow us to right-size the system and to deal with the fundamental hindrances of improvement in rural health care. The funds were added to help rural hospitals following deep cuts to Medicaid.

Half the money will be divided equally among states that apply. But the second half of the funds will be dispensed based on criteria. that urges states to enact White House-favored policies in order to increase their share. Franco, Ordonez, NPR News. A vaccine advisory commission is required to meet four times a year, but NPR Sidney Lubkin reports that the panel held all four meetings back-to-back on Monday. The advisory commission on childhood vaccines convened on December 29th with six new members, two lawyers, three pediatricians, and a parent of a child who said they had some possible complications from vaccines.

The Commission, among other things, is tasked with updating the list of vaccines and injuries or conditions that can receive compensation. According to its charter, the Commission consists of three lawyers, three health care professionals, and three members of the public. It met virtually, but some members weren't able to make it due to scheduling conflicts. The Commission did not vote or make any decisions. Sydney Lopkin, NPR News. You're listening to NPR. Taiwan is on alert after China carried out. a second day of joint live military drills around the island. Beijing says the intent is to deter what

it calls separatist and external interference. It is also concerned about a U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, which China has long considered a part of the mainland. Taiwan considers itself an independent sovereign nation. The United States is promising an initial $2 billion, and humanitarian aid for over a dozen countries plus the U.N. Central Emergency Fund. As Linda Fasula report, the pledge is smaller than usual, but the U.N. is welcoming it. After drastic cuts to U.S. spending on foreign aid, U.N. humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, says the organization is resetting its approach to reduce red tape and duplication of efforts and prioritize better. The U.S. has warned U.N. agencies to, quote, adapt or die.

U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Mike Walts says the U.N. reset should deliver more aid with fewer tax dollars. The U.S. pledge is well short of years past. Its contributions have been as much as $17 billion. But the U.S. remains this year's largest U.N. donor. Other major Western donors are also making cuts. The U.S. aid prioritizes 17 countries, including South Sudan, Ukraine, Haiti, Syria, and Nigeria. Aid to Gaza will be handled separately. For Empire News, Melinda Fasulow in New York. U.S. futures are flat and after-hours trading

on Wall Street following Monday's losses on Asia-Pacific market shares are mixed. This is NPR News.