NPR News: 12-16-2025 2PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he will not release video of a deadly airstrike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean. NPR's Quill Lawrence reports the decision reverses President Trump's earlier comments that he would have no problem releasing the footage to the public.
Hegseth says the U.S. is at war with drug traffickers and can legally kill them on suspicion. Nearly 100 people have died in strikes on small boats. Critics call it murder. Even under the laws of war, the September 2nd strike is controversial because two survivors of an initial strike were targeted and killed as they clung to burning wreckage and waved in distress. Hegseth says the Congressional Armed Services Committees, the Hask and Sask, will see the full video on Wednesday. Of course, we're not going to release a top secret, full, unedited video of that to the general public. Hask and sask and appropriate committees will see it. Reactions from lawmakers that have already seen the video have fallen mostly along partisan lines.
Quill Lawrence, NPR News.
The double homicide case against Nick Reiner is being turned over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office today. The 32-year-old is accused of killing his parents, legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle. NPR's Mandelit Delbarco reports Reiner's son had spoken publicly about his mental health struggles over the years.
Nick had been very candid about using all kinds of drugs, including meth and heroin, and he said he had many, many relapses.
What recent military decisions are impacting U.S. operations against drug trafficking?
I heard him on a podcast talking about how he hated getting sober and how he sometimes chose to be homeless rather than going back to rehab.
That's NPR's Mandelit Delbarco reporting. A key economic report on retail spending shows that sales at stores, restaurants, and auto dealers did not grow at all in October compared to September. That's according to the Commerce Department. NPR's Alina Selyuk reports.
Federal data continues to show consumer spending cooling off. We saw it in September and now again in October. Spending at restaurants and bars actually dipped for the first time in a while compared to a month earlier. So did sales at auto and auto parts dealers, which is the biggest drag on the October data, down 1.6%. Now, compared to last year, shoppers are still spending more going out to eat and drink and shop. Much of it has to do with simply higher prices, though some categories really outpace inflation. People actually shopped more at electronics and clothing stores in October. Even department stores saw a notable jump, and online stores saw sales grow 9 percent compared to October of last year.
Alina Seluk, NPR News, Washington.
Stocks are trading lower on Wall Street at this hour. The Dow was down 353 points, the Nasdaq down 42. This is NPR News. Officials north of Seattle say a person has died as floods continue to cause damage in Washington state. About 10,000 people remain under evacuation advisories. Natalie Akane-Newcomb from member station KUOW reports.
Firefighters north of Seattle and Snohomish County were not able to save a person who they say drove past a road closure sign and onto a flooded street early this morning. Rescue swimmers found the vehicle fully submerged in a ditch under six feet of water. The situation is also severe south of Seattle, where flash flood warnings are in effect after levees on two different rivers failed over the past 24 hours. And in the middle of the night, the sheriff's helicopter flew over homes and urged people to evacuate immediately. Another inch of rain is expected to fall through early tomorrow morning. For NPR News, I'm Natalie Akane-Newcomb in Seattle.
President Trump is suing the BBC for $10 billion, accusing the network of defamation over its editing of his speech on January 6, 2021.
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