Chapter 1: What are the Federal Reserve's anticipated actions regarding interest rates?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Federal Reserve is about to conclude its final meeting of the year. Another quarter percentage point interest rate cut is widely expected. But the Fed's next steps for 2026 are less clear, as it works with limited information about inflation and jobs because of delays caused during the historically long government shutdown.
At a campaign-style rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, President Trump disputed reports that polls suggest voter confidence in his handling of the economy has fallen. Here's NPR's Tamara Keith.
Last night, yet again, he mocked the preoccupation with affordability. He says that he inherited a mess. In other words, don't blame me, blame the former guy. And he says things are already cheaper. In particular, he talks a lot about gas prices. According to GasBuddy, prices are down about 8 cents on average a gallon from a year ago.
But that's not really enough savings to make up for higher grocery prices and utility bills and health care costs.
NPR's Tamara Keith. The Affordable Care Act subsidies millions of people have relied on are due to expire in a few weeks. Many Afghan soldiers who fought under CIA leadership during the war in Afghanistan have struggled since fleeing to the U.S. Some believe they did not receive enough support navigating America's complicated immigration system. We have more from NPR's Brian Mann.
The Afghan accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers was part of a CIA zero unit fighting the Taliban. Some zero unit fighters, including Daoud, now say after coming to the U.S., they didn't receive help getting permanent asylum or work visas that would allow them to start new lives.
It's like that feeling of like you did something, but nobody is appreciating. And the promise that was given to you by your employer was a fake promise.
Daoud spoke on condition of anonymity because he fears for the safety of families still living in Afghanistan. Daoud and an aid group called FAMIL that works with zero-unit fighters say at least four men have taken their own lives since coming to the U.S.
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Chapter 2: How is President Trump addressing concerns about the economy?
The CIA declined comment. Brian Mann, NPR News.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he will not give up territory as part of any deal to end the war with Russia. More from NPR's Joannika Kisses.
Zelensky had no time to hold a press conference after back-to-back meetings with European leaders in London, Brussels and Rome. So he answered reporters' questions through WhatsApp messages during his flights. In one message, he said it is Russia that has been pushing for Ukraine to give up land, something he says he has no moral right to do.
Undoubtedly, he said, we want America on our side in this case because America acts as a mediator here. If Russia wants us to give up our territories, he added, we will defend our interests. Ukraine's constitution forbids changing the country's borders.
A judge has ruled in favor of releasing secret grand jury transcripts from the 2019 sex trafficking case of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, citing a law passed by Congress to release the files.
Two other judges have also granted the Justice Department's request to unseal material from investigations into the financier's actions and those of his former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. who is currently in prison on sex trafficking charges. Epstein died by suicide in a federal jail cell in New York in 2019.
In Boulder, Colorado, high school students are building homes for low-income residents. The program is helping address both the need for affordable housing and a shortage of skilled workers in the building trades. Sam Fuqua has the story. Ready up there?
A pair of two-story modular homes are being hoisted by crane onto foundations at an old mobile home park. They were built a few miles away in a 32,000 square foot factory on land owned by the Boulder Valley School District. The city of Boulder built the factory and pays for the materials. The local Habitat for Humanity chapter manages the program.
All the groups involved say the three-way partnership is the first of its kind in the nation. Students get hands-on experience building homes, course credit, and a head start on careers in the building trades. An industry group reports the U.S. will need 500,000 more workers to keep up with demand. For NPR News, I'm Sam Fuqua in Boulder, Colorado.
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