NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-31-2025 12PM EST

Episode Date: December 31, 2025

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Live from NPR news, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Last week's strike on a dock facility in Venezuela, which a U.S. official tells NPR was carried out by the CIA, brings Washington's operations against alleged drugboats at sea to land. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Seth Krummerich predicts the campaigns far from over. Make no mistake. This is going to continue until the U.S. gets the outcome they want, and I believe that is the ousting of the Maduro government. There's been roughly 30 U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific against alleged drug vessels since the summer. They have claimed more than 100 lives.

Authorities in Iran have ordered a shutdown of government offices, banks and universities across much of the country. The regime says the order is due to cold weather, but the move comes as Iran is seeing its biggest protests in years. NPR's Jackie Northam has the latest. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in several cities across. across Iran over the past few days to protest the economy. Inflation is above 40%. The country's currency has plummeted to a record low, and international sanctions have smothered investment. Many businesses have shuttered during this week's protests, and students have joined the demonstrations. Security forces are starting to crack down. Videos on social media show them firing tear gas into

the crowds. Iran's moderate president, Massoud Pasekian, is urging the regime to listen to what he calls the legitimate demands of the protesters. Jackie Northam, NPR News. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show flu cases surging. The agency estimates there have been 7.5 million flu cases so far this season, up from about 4 million cases in data released the previous week. NPR's Gabrielle-Manyuel reports.

One big factor driving the surge is a new strain called subclade K. It's caused huge numbers. numbers of cases from Australia to Japan to the U.K. Florian Kramer of the Ikin School of Medicine at Mount Sinai says genetic changes in the strain mean the flu vaccine isn't great at recognizing the virus. Because it changed, there's less immunity to it, and that's allowing the virus to spread very quickly and extensively. However, early data from the U.K. suggests that the vaccine is still quite effective at keeping

people from getting so sick they end up in the hospital. And the new strain doesn't seem to be more severe or dangerous. And researchers say current treatments still work against it. Gabriella Emmanuel and PR News. On New Year's Day, Bulgaria will become the 21st country to adopt the Europe. Not everyone in the nation of 6.4 million is confident the switch from the left. Currency won't prompt businesses to raise prices. From Washington, this is end. PR news. It's already 2026 in parts of the globe. Crowds of people in Seoul have already counted down to the new year with music dancing and

the ringing of the gong. South Korea is celebrating the lunar new year as well, which actually begins in February. It'll be the year of the fire horse. A lot of people will be ringing in the new year. with sparkling wine. The Washington State Wine Commission says it's becoming more popular, especially in the $16 to $20 a bottle range. Anna King with Northwest Public Broadcasting has details. Some Northwest winemakers say you can go casual with bubbles. Try it with cheeseburgers. Walla Walla winemaker, Gilles Nicole, is from France, but the winemaker has been in Washington

making lux wines for more than 30 vintages. He says, yeah, you're a lot. You can be all romantic with candlelight and sparkles, or you can just open a bottle on a weeknight with takeout. Truth of the matter is, it's a beautiful sparkling wine can be as simple or as complicated as you wanted, but you open the bottle, you pour a glass and you drink it. Sparkling wines from the Northwest vary from the old world style made with a lot of hand labor to force carbonation methods and lower price points. For NPR news, I'm Anna King. U.S. stocks are trading lower. The Dow is down 128 points. The SMPs off 17 points and the NASDAQ, down 52 points. I'm Lakshmi Seng and PR News in Washington.