Chapter 1: What led to Marjorie Taylor Greene's decision to leave Congress?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene says she plans to leave Congress on January 5th. Her decision comes after months of political infighting and her recent break with President Trump. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports Greene's departure could shift the balance inside the Republican Party heading into 2026.
Marjorie Taylor Greene rose to prominence as one of Trump's biggest defenders and more recently has become one of his biggest critics. In an 11-minute social media video that blasts Republicans, House leadership, and attacks by the president, she says she's had enough.
And I do not want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the president that we all fought for, only to fight and win my election while Republicans will likely lose the midterms.
Chapter 2: What happened during the Christmas tree lighting ceremony in North Carolina?
Green is now one of a record 40 House members and 10 senators, mostly Republicans, who have indicated they do not plan to return to their seats after the 2026 elections. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Atlanta.
Authorities in North Carolina say four people were shot and wounded at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The shooting happened in Concord at a holiday event on Friday. Police Major Patrick Tierney spoke to the media shortly after the gunfire broke out last night.
Chapter 3: What challenges is Ukraine facing regarding the proposed peace deal?
Our annual tree lighting event is one of our most cherished and celebrated events in downtown Concord. That sense of safety was shattered tonight by senseless gunfire.
Police say the shooting broke out between two suspects who were known to each other. A fire broke out on a ship at the San Pedro Port in Southern California last night. All crew members have been safely evacuated. The fire caused an explosion.
Chapter 4: What details emerged about the recent attack on a Catholic school in Nigeria?
Officials say the ship's cargo includes hazardous materials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country is facing one of its hardest moments in history. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports he's being pressured to sign on to a peace deal widely viewed as favoring Russia.
Neither Ukraine nor the Europeans knew anything about the 28-point plan, which would require Kyiv to surrender significant territory, reduce the size of its military and relinquish weapons. Ukraine may find itself facing a very difficult choice, said Zelensky, either the loss of dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.
Zelensky has been trying to negotiate in good faith with the Trump administration, but Ukrainians call this deal a plan for capitulation.
Chapter 5: What was the outcome of the SpaceX rocket testing incident?
European leaders are scrambling to come up with a response. They say a just peace can only happen with Ukraine and the EU at the negotiating table. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Lviv, Ukraine.
You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Gunmen have attacked a Catholic school in northern Nigeria, kidnapping more than 300 children and about a dozen teachers. It's Nigeria's second mass abduction in a week. UNICEF says only 37 percent of schools across conflicted states have early warning systems in place to detect threats.
The commercial company SpaceX has experienced another failure of its massive new rocket. NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports this time it happened before it even got off the ground.
SpaceX was conducting pre-launch testing of the latest version of a super-heavy booster rocket when something went terribly wrong. The booster is designed to lift the company's Starship spacecraft into orbit, but in this test on the ground, it ruptured, causing a huge explosion. In a statement, SpaceX said the booster failed during structural testing and that no one was injured.
The Starship program has had a mix of successful and failed launches this year. SpaceX founder Elon Musk hopes it will one day carry people to Mars. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News.
The U.S. Supreme Court has put a temporary hold on a ruling that struck down a congressional map in Texas. The state keeps the Republican-drawn map in place for now. The court has given the civil rights advocacy groups that challenged the map until Monday to file a response.
President Trump has been pressuring Republicans in Texas and around the country to enact new maps to help shore up the GOP's narrow majority in the House. This is NPR News.
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