NPR News: 12-19-2025 4PM EST
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Support for NPR and the following message come from the estate of Joan B. Kroc, whose bequest serves as an enduring investment in the future of public radio and seeks to help NPR produce programming that meets the highest standards of public service in journalism and cultural expression.
Live from NPR News, I'm Janine Hurst.
What recent changes have been made to drug pricing agreements in the U.S.?
The Trump administration expanded a drug pricing deal to include nine additional pharmaceutical makers. These companies agreed to sell new and existing drugs to the U.S. government at the same price as other developed countries. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports.
The White House has been pressuring drug makers to equalize U.S. pricing with other countries.
How is President Trump addressing voter concerns about the economy?
The administration says these agreements will lower Medicaid drug prices. Consumers who pay out-of-pocket will also be able to get lower prices for some of the company's most popular drugs through a government website called TrumpRx. Under the agreements, Amgen, Merck, GSK, and others will also invest $150 billion in U.S. manufacturing operations.
What financial support has the EU offered to Ukraine recently?
In exchange, the companies will be exempt from some of the administration's stiff tariffs for three years. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News.
President Trump is set to speak in Rocky Mount, North Carolina tonight. He's working to overcome voters' gloomy views of the U.S. economy. From the North Carolina newsroom, Adam Wagner has more.
Rocky Mount is the largest city in North Carolina's newly redrawn 1st Congressional District.
What legal challenges is the Trump administration facing regarding Harvard's funding?
There will be a five-way Republican primary there, with the party seeking to defeat two-term Democrat Don Davis. Even as the state's Republican-controlled legislature redrew the district to give the GOP an advantage, Jonathan Sutton owns a barbershop near the venue where Trump will speak. Sutton, a Democrat, says he's noticed a decidedly negative sentiment among friends and clients. Just dealing with people, people who kind of just say and don't know what's going on, not sure of their future. An NPR-PBS Marist poll found that only 36 percent of Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy. For NPR News, I'm Adam Wagner in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
There's relief in Ukraine after the EU approved loaning the country more than $100 billion over the next two years. And here's Joanna Kikissis has more.
What trends are we seeing in the U.S. housing market as of November?
EU leaders failed to agree on using these immobilized Russian assets as collateral for a loan to Ukraine, fearing legal retribution from the Kremlin. Though the loan backed by the EU budget could be more costly, European leaders celebrated it as a win. So did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who says it shows Russia that Kyiv has strong support from its allies. The loan will cover two-thirds of Ukraine's financial and military needs over the next two years. Without the loan, Zelensky had warned that Ukraine would have to drastically cut its domestic drone production, leaving the country more vulnerable to Russian attacks. Joanna Kakisis, NPR News, Kyiv.
Wall Street higher just before the close. The Dow up 183 points, the Nasdaq up 301, the S&P 500 up 59. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Trump administration is appealing a judge's ruling that restored more than $2 billion in federal funding to Harvard. Kirk Carapazza from member station WGBH reports the university already received much of the funding it was owed for work on federal grants and contracts.
The administration is challenging Boston federal judge Alison Burroughs' September decision that found the government had tried to strong-arm Harvard into adopting certain admissions and hiring reforms, using concerns about anti-Semitism as a smokescreen. The administration had also threatened to end Harvard's tax-exempt status and its ability to enroll international students. A Harvard spokesperson says the university is confident the appeals court will affirm Burroughs' ruling, which reinstated, quote, critical research funding that advances science and life-saving medical breakthroughs that strengthen national security and the country's global competitiveness.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:21
2
What recent changes have been made to drug pricing agreements in the U.S.?
0:21–0:42
3
How is President Trump addressing voter concerns about the economy?
0:42–1:05
4
What financial support has the EU offered to Ukraine recently?
1:05–1:30
5
What legal challenges is the Trump administration facing regarding Harvard's funding?
1:30–2:18
6
What trends are we seeing in the U.S. housing market as of November?
2:18–4:56