NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-31-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: December 31, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Critics say the U.S. strike on a facility in Venezuela is pulling the country deeper into a dangerous conflict. President Trump confirmed new details this week about the operation, targeting a dock where drugs were allegedly being loaded onto boats. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports it's the first known U.S. military action inside Venezuela. Until now, the U.S. has focused on strikes on boats. It claims are trafficking drugs and some oil tankers. But both of those operations have been taking place in international waters. So this is a really big deal to strike on land. It's an escalation. That's NPR's Franco Ordone's reporting. President Trump has vetoed a bill to fund a drinking water pipeline project in rural Colorado. Alejandro Alonzo Galva with Colorado Public Radio has more. The bipartisan finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.

It was meant to help finish a project that's been decades in the making and would bring clean water to 39 communities in the southeastern plains of the state. It was designed to eventually stop groundwater withdrawals in the area, which can produce water tainted with radioactivity. The veto is notable because it's in a rural portion of GOP representative Lauren Bobert's district that voted heavily for Trump. The project would also provide badly needed jobs for the area. While she did not threaten an override vote in a statement Tuesday night, the Republican lawmaker expressed her displeasure with the president's decision. For NPR News, I'm Alejandro Alonzo Galba in Denver. While much of the world is still counting down the final hours of 2025,

some parts of the globe are ringing in the new year. In Sydney, Three, two, one, happy New Year! gathered at the Harbor Bridge to watch the fireworks display over the Opera House to welcome 2026. In Tokyo, a traditional bell-ringing ceremony was held across Japan, marking the passing of the old year while welcoming the new one. Cities across Europe are also preparing to ring in the new year. In Paris, people are gathering along Shanzi Lise to watch the fireworks. In New York City, Times Square is under tight security. Mayor Eric Adams says there will be heavy police presence

throughout the area tonight. We will have plane closed, K-9 teams, officers on horsebacks, on our trains, subway stations, and in helicopters, and on boats. Pedestrians and vehicle closures will be in effect. Millions are expected to pack into Times Square to watch the ball drop at midnight. On Wall Street, the Dow was down 168 points. NASDAQ down 80. This is NPR News. The CDC has suspended child care funding to Minnesota and is calling for an audit over possible fraud in government programs. The agency cited a video posted by a right-wing influencer that accuses several Somali-run daycare centers in Minneapolis of being shell companies. Governor Tim Wall says the state was already investigating and slammed the move as

federal interference. A Democratic candidate in Iowa became the first black woman elected to the state Senate last night. Iowa Public Radio's Isabella Lou reports the candidate won in a special election. Democrat Renee Hardman beat her Republican opponent by more than 40 percentage points. Hardman's win also means Republicans are one seat short of a supermajority and will lead Democratic support to approve the governor's appointees. Hardman will represent part of West Des Moines where she serves on the city council. She also leads a nonprofit Lutheran Services in Iowa. Hardman says running a successful campaign in the winter was a group effort.

We just decided as a collective that we're going to get this job done and we are going to prevent the supermajority. And that is what helped drive our motivation to get this job done. The seat was formerly held by Democrat Claire Salsy, who died in October. For NPR News, I'm Isabella Liu in Des Moines. A company in Idaho. has issued a recall for nearly 3,000 pounds of ground beef over possible E. coli contamination. The meat was produced by Mountain West Food Group and sent to distributors in six states,

including California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Washington. This is NPR.