NPR News: 12-22-2025 3AM 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 have occurred regarding the Epstein files?
The Justice Department has reposted one of the photographs it had earlier removed from the publicly accessible Epstein files. As NPR's Andrea Hsu reports, the photograph in question showed President Trump.
NPR reported on Saturday that more than a dozen files released by the Justice Department a day earlier had been taken down from the Epstein files website. They included an image that showed a desk covered with photos, including at least one of President Trump. That led to questions about why the photos had been removed. On Sunday morning, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC's Meet the Press that the images were pulled down because a judge had told them to listen to concerns from victims and victim rights groups.
How is the Trump administration influencing Venezuelan oil sanctions?
Later, the Justice Department posted on X that it had reviewed the photo of the desk and found no evidence that any Epstein victims were depicted. It has been reposted without any alteration or redaction, the post said. Andrea Hsu, NPR News.
The Coast Guard is pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea.
What role does the new special envoy play in U.S.-Greenland relations?
It's part of the Trump administration's efforts to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Although many legal experts say such actions are illegal, Clayton Siegel of the Center for Strategic and International Studies says it could do what Trump is hoping for.
We are seeing a deterrent effect on those shadow tankers because quite a few of them that were on their way to Venezuela are staying away. Most of Venezuela's oil actually winds up in China.
President Trump says he's appointed the governor of Louisiana as special envoy to Greenland.
What are the implications of the new Israeli settlements in the West Bank?
He made the announcement in a Truth Social post on Sunday night. As NPR's Matt Bloom reports, the first-term Republican governor is a staunch ally of the president's.
Trump congratulated Governor Jeff Landry, saying he understands how essential Greenland is to the U.S.
What discoveries have scientists made in the Pacific Ocean?
's national security. Landry accepted the nomination in a post on X and said he would work to help make Greenland a part of the U.S., Greenland is currently a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. Trump has said that Greenland is crucial for U.S.
How did the Edmund Fitzgerald wreckage auction reflect historical significance?
security. Officials in Denmark and Greenland have pushed back on the idea. Landry comes from a background in state politics. He was elected Louisiana's governor last year after serving as attorney general. The Republican says he will remain governor as he serves as special envoy. Matt Bloom, NPR News, New Orleans.
Israel's far-right finance minister says the cabinet has approved 19 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. The move is part of a broader push by the government to expand those settlements, and it further threatens the possibility of a Palestinian state. The settlements in the West Bank are widely considered to be illegal under international law. You're listening to NPR News. Scientists believe they've discovered new species in the deep part of the Pacific Ocean. NPR's Shondalese Duster has more on what the researchers found.
A team of researchers from the California Academy of Sciences retrieved 13 reef monitoring devices that had been placed in deep coral reefs in Guam nearly a decade ago. They found 20 potential new species, including crabs and sponges. Luis Rocha, a marine biologist and diver on the team, says there could be more new species.
It's probably going to be higher because we confirmed everything with genetics. So we sequence the DNA of the species before we make absolute sure that they're new.
Researchers have also started a two-year expedition to retrieve 76 more deep reef monitoring devices across the Pacific Ocean. Shondalese Duster, NPR News.
Fifty years after the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior, two pieces of the wreckage have sold at auction for $150,000.
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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 have occurred regarding the Epstein files?
0:21–1:01
3
How is the Trump administration influencing Venezuelan oil sanctions?
1:01–1:20
4
What role does the new special envoy play in U.S.-Greenland relations?
1:20–2:01
5
What are the implications of the new Israeli settlements in the West Bank?
2:01–2:17
6
What discoveries have scientists made in the Pacific Ocean?
2:17–2:32
7
How did the Edmund Fitzgerald wreckage auction reflect historical significance?
2:32–4:57