What recent events have escalated tensions between Ukraine and Russia?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says this weekend's Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine show that Russia is not taking peace efforts seriously. This attack is, again, Russia's answer. Zelensky speaking during a stopover in Halifax where he met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Zelensky is now in Florida preparing for today's meeting with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The two are to discuss a plan to end the war in Ukraine. Major differences remain on crucial issues. Yesterday, Russia launched hundreds of missiles and drones targeting Kiev and other parts of Ukraine, knocking out power and heat in the capital. A titan of French cinema has died. Brigitte Bardot was 91.
Bardot was a worldwide icon in the 1950s and 60s. She announced her retirement before the age of 40, and with later court controversy, with her comments on race and homosexuality. The BBC's Katie Russell looks back at her life.
In the stodgy 1950s, Brigitte Bardot brought a blast of continental sensuality to cinema screens. By the age of 15, she was one of France's top models and in love with film producer Roger Vadim. In 1956, they made And God Created Woman. In it, Bardot's character pursues her sexual desires without shame. Many cinema goers were shocked. On turning 40, Bardot quit to campaign for animal rights.
In later life, she was fined multiple times for inciting racial hatred and caused offence when talking about homosexuality. Scars on the memory of an icon who put the bikini, female desire and French cinema on hold.
The BBC's Katie Russell reporting Bordeaux's Animal Rights Foundation says she died at her home in southern France but did not provide a cause. Student loan borrowers have spent much of 2025 trying to keep up with massive changes to the federal student loan system. NPR's Corey Turner reports that 2026 will bring even more turmoil.
Republicans have overhauled a lot, from repayment plans to how much Americans can borrow in the first place. Earlier this month, the Trump administration unveiled a proposed agreement to shut down the Biden-era SAVE repayment plan. Next year, the roughly 7 million borrowers in SAVE will likely have to move to a new plan.
Also, big changes passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will kick in starting in July. Those include borrowing limits for grad students and for new borrowers, replacing all of the old repayment plans with just two new ones. Borrowers are clearly feeling uncertain, though latest data show that 12 million Americans are either late on their payments or in default. Corey Turner, NPR News.
This is NPR News. Another winter storm is threatening to further disrupt the holiday travel rush. Forecasters warning a strengthening storm could lead to blizzard conditions in the upper Midwest. The flight tracking website FlightAware says there are more than 2,000 delays and nearly 300 cancellations in the U.S. so far today.
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