NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-30-2025 9AM 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 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 building. building up weapons and other things. Earlier this year, Trump warned 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin has told his army to take more Ukrainian territory despite ongoing talks to end Russia's war on Ukraine. NPR's Joanna Kikis reports that Ukraine is accusing the Kremlin of undermining peace negotiations. Russia controls about 70 percent of Ukraine's southeastern region of Zaporizia. President Trump says Putin tells him he wants peace, but Ukrainian president Volodyemar Zelensky says the Russian leader is not sincere. Zelensky is saying Putin tells the president of the United States that he wants to end the war,

but then says through media that he will continue the war, striking Ukrainian cities with missiles and drones. Russia says it is changing its stance in negotiations after claiming Ukraine tried to attack one of Putin's homes. Zelenskyy says this is a lie, and Russia is using it as a pretext to expand attacks on Ukraine. Joanna Kikisis, NPR News, Kyiv. More than a dozen states will raise their minimum wage on January 1st. NPRs, Jennifer Leden, report. the move comes as more Americans struggle with the cost of living. The federal minimum wage has been stuck since 2009 at just 7.25 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 Levin and Pierre News, Washington. On Wall Street, Dow Futures are down 13 points at this hour. You're listening to NPR News from Washington.

A powerful winter storm is sweeping across the northern U.S., 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. saw temperatures fall by 50 degrees in a day. The National Weather Service is also warning of whiteout conditions. and possible travel shutdowns. More than 127,000 customers are without electricity this morning. According to poweroutage.us, more than a third, have been reported in Michigan. A Texas-based firm, Ocean Infinity, will resume a deep-sea search for the missing Malaysia airliner today.

NPR's Jennifer Pack reports it's been more than 11 years since the plane went missing. Flight MH370 was on a routine flight. from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, when it vanished, with 239 people on board. Among them, American passenger Philip Wood. His partner, Sarah Bejek, says she still needs closure. All of the family members have a right to find out what happened to their loved ones. Malaysian authorities say the plane inexplicably crashed the southern Indian Ocean. The search area is challenging.

Picture a mountain range submerged under the ocean sitting in the dark. But experts say technology has advanced. a lot. Jennifer Pack, NPR News. Stocks closed mixed across Asia today. Markets in China and Japan traded lower while shares were higher in Hong Kong. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News, in Washington.