NPR News: 12-22-2025 1AM 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 Dale Willman.
What recent developments are there in the Epstein files case?
The Department of Justice is defending its partial release of the Epstein files. It's arguing that it is following the Epstein Transparency Act, but the sponsors of that law disagree. NPR's Luke Garrett reports.
Congress passed a law requiring the DOJ release its files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein by this past Friday, but the partial release included heavy redactions and was mostly already public.
How did the Turning Point USA convention address immigration issues?
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch told NBC News privacy laws required redactions to protect Epstein victims.
Redacting information very much trumps some deadline in the statute.
But Republican Representative Thomas Massey of Kentucky told CBS News Blanch is not protecting victims and is breaking the law.
Our law trumps the prior law. That's just common sense.
What progress is being made in the U.S.-Ukraine-Russia peace talks?
Law School 101. Yet Todd Blanch is using a different theory that wouldn't survive first contact with any court.
Massey says he hopes to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt of Congress. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington.
The annual convention of Turning Point USA is wrapped up in Phoenix. It was the first convention since the assassination of its founder, the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
What weather warnings are currently affecting California?
Vice President J.D. Vance spoke at the meeting Sunday afternoon and promised to speed up migrant deportations throughout the country.
We're building an army of patriots and we need good people who care about the country to help us secure the border and do it even faster.
Rapper Nicki Minaj, meanwhile, made a surprise appearance at the event on Sunday, offering her support for President Trump she had condemned Trump in the past. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff says peace talks in Miami over the weekend between the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia have been productive. The talks were aimed at ending Russia's almost four-year-old war in Ukraine, but as NPR's Joannika Kicis reports, several barriers to a peace deal remain.
Writing on social media, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said talks are moving at a fairly rapid pace and that his team is working with Trump envoys. Speaking to reporters via voice message, Zelensky talked about the most difficult issues in negotiations. He said the issue of Ukraine's territories remains the hardest, followed by the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, funding for recovery, and technical issues about security guarantees. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his annual press conference last week that Russia was open to negotiations, but that Russia's goals in this war remain unchanged. Joanna Kekesis, NPR News, Kyiv.
The National Weather Service says a flash flood warning remains in effect for the southern part of Shasta County, California at this hour. Evacuations have been ordered in some areas as water continues to rise in the Yuba River. Along Colorado's Front Range, meanwhile, a fire warning is in effect. Hurricane force winds and tender dry conditions there have increased the threat of wildfires. This is NPR News. In the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, ninth-ranked Texas A&M took advantage of its first trip to the Final Four and won the national title with an upset over second-ranked Kentucky. Greg Eklund has more from Kansas City.
The most outstanding player was Texas A&M sophomore Kendall Stowers. She didn't play volleyball last year because of four concussions within a year, but credits her teammates with helping her through the season.
I hadn't been a college athlete in a long time, and so a season gets long and I hadn't been through that.
How did Texas A&M win the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship?
And so they were with me every single day, regardless of the highs and lows. And genuinely, I feel like the joy that I'm feeling in this moment genuinely is just a testament to everybody around me.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:21
2
What recent developments are there in the Epstein files case?
0:21–0:44
3
How did the Turning Point USA convention address immigration issues?
0:44–1:04
4
What progress is being made in the U.S.-Ukraine-Russia peace talks?
1:04–1:27
5
What weather warnings are currently affecting California?
1:27–3:50
6
How did Texas A&M win the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship?
3:50–4:28
7
What are the implications of recent U.S. actions against sanctioned oil tankers?
4:28–4:57