NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-30-2025 6AM EST

Episode Date: December 30, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump is threatening to destroy Iran's nuclear program if it tries to rebuild it. The warning came as he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida for talks on Monday. I hope they're not trying to build up again because if they are, we're going to have no choice but very quickly to eradicate that buildup. So I hope Iran is not trying to build up as I've been reading that they're going to. building up weapons and other things. Trump warned earlier this year that Tehran's nuclear capabilities would be completely and fully obliterated if it restarts key enrichment sites.

Israeli media have also raised alarms that Iran may be stockpiling long-range missiles. Netanyahu's visit also comes as the U.S. tries to revive momentum for a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. More than a dozen states will raise their minimum wage on January. first. NPR's Jennifer Lutton reports the move comes as more American struggle with the cost of living. The federal minimum wage has been stuck since 2009 at just 725 an hour. In addition to the state hikes this year, dozens more localities are also raising their minimum wage. It's a growing trend according to the National Employment Law Project as prices outpaced paychecks for millions of workers. The boost

comes from new laws, cost of living adjustments, or voter ballot measures. Supporters say raising the minimum wage reduces hunger and poverty, while critics note it can also lead to job cuts. Both blue and red states are raising rates in 2026 in some places beyond $17 an hour. But the employment law project says 20 states are keeping the lower federal rate, many of them in the south, where most black workers live. Jennifer Lutton and Pierre News, Washington. The Trump administration has pledged $2 billion to the United Nations for humanitarian aid work. NPR's Gabriela Emmanuel reports the State Department says the money will go to 17 countries and the U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund. The recipient countries are all over the world, including El Salvador, Ukraine, South Sudan, Syria, and Bangladesh.

All told, nine of the 17 countries are in Africa. There are some notable absences on the list, including Afghanistan, Yemen, and Gaza. The State Department says this contribution will shield tens of millions of people from hunger, disease, and the devastation of war next year. The $2 billion pledge is much smaller than what the U.S. has given in recent years, which has been as high as $17 billion. Gabriela Immanuel NPR News. On Wall Street, Dahl Futures are trading higher at this hour. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Police in Australia say there's no evidence

too many accused of killing 15 people at a Jewish holiday event in Sydney were part of a broader terrorist cell. Lindsay Arclay reports police made the statement after investigating the men's travel to the Philippines weeks before the attack. 24-year-old Navid Akram is facing. dozens of charges over the Bondi Beach attack. His 50-year-old father, Sajida Kram, was shot dead by police at the scene. Police alleged the two men were inspired by the Islamic State Group. Federal Police Commissioner Chrissy Barrett says the pair are not believed to have undergone any training

or preparation when they spent most of November in Davao City in the Southern Philippines. There is no evidence to suggest these alleged defenders were part of a broad terrorist cell or were directed by others to carry out an attack. However, I want to be clear, I am not suggesting that they were there for tourism. Barrett stressed that the investigation was ongoing. For NPR news, I'm Lindsay Arkley in Melbourne. A powerful winter storm is sweeping across the northern US, bringing blizzard conditions, dangerous travel and power outages from the plains to the Great Lakes. Forecasters say the system is rapidly intensifying, what's known as a bomb cyclone. The central part of the U.S. soil temperatures fall by

50 degrees in a day. The National Weather Service is also warning of whiteout conditions and possible travel shutdowns. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.