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NPR News Now

NPR News: 12-29-2025 7AM EST

29 Dec 2025

Transcription

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.098 - 14.04 Unknown

Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theschmidt.org.

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15.472 - 34.172 Windsor Johnston

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago today. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports Trump is trying to push forward his peace plan for Gaza, but Israel says it's not yet time to move to the next phase.

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34.152 - 54.21 Michelle Kellerman

Under the first part of the deal, Hamas was supposed to return all of the hostages taken in the October 7th attack. Israel says the U.S. shouldn't move forward until the remains of one final hostage are returned, and Hamas agrees to give up power and weapons. But Trump will want to show progress in his peace plan, says Israeli analyst Eyal Hulata.

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54.47 - 66.589 Eyal Hulata

I wouldn't be surprised if at the end of the meeting in Mar-a-Lago, President Trump will declare that there is an agreement on the World of Peace starting to take action.

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67.413 - 76.761 Michelle Kellerman

And the things are moving ahead. Trump is planning to chair the board. He's also trying to get an international force into Gaza. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Jerusalem.

77.162 - 89.073 Windsor Johnston

President Trump says he's making progress in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on ending the war with Russia. He says the two spoke with European Union leaders during their meeting in Florida on Sunday.

89.373 - 92.796 Donald Trump

We spoke to all of those great leaders. They're all great leaders.

Chapter 2: What are the latest developments in Trump's peace plan for Gaza?

93.897 - 115.462 Donald Trump

And we had a great talk with them after we were completed. We thought it was appropriate to speak with them. And our meeting was excellent. We covered, somebody would say, 95 percent. I don't know what percent, but we have made a lot of progress on ending that. war, which is really certainly the most deadly war since World War II.

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115.642 - 135.304 Windsor Johnston

Zelensky says he's open to withdrawing troops from the eastern Donbass region if Russia does the same. China says it will hold military drills around Taiwan. The move follows renewed pressure over Taiwan's defense spending and a U.S. report on China's military buildup. NPR's Emily Fang has more.

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135.284 - 152.234 Emily Fang

China is warning ships and planes to stay out of five large areas around the Asian island of Taiwan on Tuesday. That's where China's Navy, Army, Air Force, and Rocket Force will be practicing joint assaults, sea-to-air combat, and simulating blockades on Taiwan's ports.

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152.835 - 168.203 Emily Fang

China's military said the drills were a warning to any separatists in Taiwan, a democratic society China hopes one day to control. China's last such military exercise was this past April. It has stepped up aggressive drills that entirely encircle Taiwan since 2022.

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168.323 - 185.119 Emily Fang

An annual Pentagon report on China's military capabilities noted that Beijing has developed higher flexibility and coordination among its military branches and recent drills designed to simulate an attack or a blockade on Taiwan. Emily Fang, NPR News.

185.661 - 207.735 Windsor Johnston

On Wall Street, Dow futures are trading higher at this hour. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Heating costs are expected to rise three times faster than inflation this winter. That's according to an outlook published this month by the state directors of a program to help low-energy households heat their homes.

208.256 - 214.566 Windsor Johnston

NPR's Camilla Dominovsky reports rising costs for electricity and natural gas are the root causes.

214.546 - 236.419 Camilla Dominovsky

The National Energy Assistance Directors Association expects that, on average, families using propane or heating oil will see no change or even small savings compared to last year. But total winter heating costs will be up around $50 for those with natural gas heating and more than $130 on average for families that use electricity.

237.04 - 249.76 Camilla Dominovsky

The Energy Information Administration, meanwhile, has also adjusted its winter outlook to anticipate a colder winter and and higher spending than previously predicted. Camilla Dominovsky, NPR News.

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