NPR News: 12-30-2025 9PM EST
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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.
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton.
What new CIA operation in Venezuela did NPR report on tonight?
The CIA struck a dock facility in Venezuela as the Trump administration continues to attack alleged drug operations in the region. That's according to an official not authorized to speak publicly. The U.S. has been targeting both, allegedly transporting drugs, but as NPR's Tom Bowman explains... This is the first known attack against Venezuela on land.
We also don't know what else the CIA is doing in Venezuela. If history is a guide, in past decades when the CIA gets involved in an effort to pressure or oust a political leader, the agency would reach out to military leaders, maybe retired leaders, to see if they would either work with a new government, maybe remain cohesive, even mount a coup. So that will be something to watch in the coming weeks. NPR's Tom Bowman reporting.
A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a brief reprieve today for hundreds of people from South Sudan who have temporary protected status, allowing them to live in the U.S. From member station GBH in Boston, Craig LaMolt reports the Trump administration is seeking to end that legal status.
The Trump administration announced in November that a review determined conditions in South Sudan no longer justify temporary protected status for about 300 South Sudanese nationals living here. Diana Kanate is with the group African Communities Together, which sued the government, along with four unnamed plaintiffs from South Sudan. Anybody who is even paying any attention to what's happening in South Sudan knows that South Sudan is not safe for South Sudanese TPS holders to be returned to. And so that was the reason for us bringing the lawsuit. Their temporary legal status was set to end on January 5th. For NPR News, I'm Craig LeMoult in Boston.
A federal judge has stopped the Trump administration's latest attempt to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. NPR's Stephen Basaja reports.
CFPB gets its funding from the Federal Reserve. The Trump administration argues that since the Fed has been operating at a loss, there is not the money to keep the financial watchdog running. But Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected that argument. She already has a preliminary injunction preventing the White House from shutting down the CFPB. And she wrote in a ruling that this is an unabashed attempt to just do that in a different way. Other legal battles have prevented several mass layoffs there. But President Trump has been clear he wants the CFPB gone. Acting Director Russell Vogt has stopped most of the consumer-oriented bureau's work. And Judge Berman Jackson wrote that the CFPB is hanging by a thread.
Stephen Basaha, NPR News.
More artists have canceled performances at the Kennedy Center after President Trump's name was added to the facility. Saxophone player Billy Harper criticized the venue's association with Trump, citing concerns over racism and cultural destruction. Kennedy Center President Richard Grinnell says the cancellations are politically motivated. and that the center has received inquiries from artists wanting to perform. Stocks fell slightly on Wall Street today. The S&P 500 slipped a tenth of a percent.
How might CIA involvement influence Venezuela's military and political future?
It's NPR. Israel says it will suspend more than 30 humanitarian organizations for failing to meet its new rules to vet international organizations working in Gaza. Israel says the organizations did not meet its new requirements for sharing information about staff, funding, and operations. It accused Doctors Without Borders of failing to clarify roles of employees. Israel accuses some of its staff of cooperating with Hamas. International organizations have said that Israel's rules are arbitrary and could prevent the provision of essential services to people in both Gaza and the West Bank. In Minnesota, scientists are using pine needles to measure forever chemicals.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:18
2
What new CIA operation in Venezuela did NPR report on tonight?
0:18–3:13
3
How might CIA involvement influence Venezuela's military and political future?
3:13–5:08
4
Why did a federal judge temporarily extend protected status for South Sudanese nationals?
5:08–5:18