Episode Overview

Podcast: Apple News Today
Episode: What to know about the suspected Brown University shooter
Date: December 19, 2025
Host: Gideon Resnick (in for Shumita Basu)

This episode dives into several pressing news stories, centered first on the resolution of the Brown University shooting investigation, with updates on the suspect, police response, and aftermath. The episode then pivots to major international and domestic developments, including European funding for Ukraine, the evolution of U.S. executive orders under President Trump, controversial policy announcements, and closes with a lighthearted roundup of listeners’ favorite entertainment from 2025.

Main Story: Brown University Shooting Investigation

Summary

The episode begins with the conclusion of a days-long manhunt for the person suspected of shooting and killing two students and injuring nine others at Brown University. Authorities have found the suspect, Claudio Nieves Valente, deceased, bringing closure to a shaken community but leaving open questions regarding motive and investigative challenges.

Key Discussion Points

• Discovery of the Suspect’s Identity and Death

  • Providence Mayor Brett Smiley addressed the community, praising unity in crisis.
  • Claudio Nieves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown student, was identified as the suspect.
  • Valente’s body was found in a storage unit in New Hampshire; officials state he died by suicide.

    “I know this has been hard on all of us. Over the past five days. Minutes have felt like hours. But the people of Providence have... showed the nation what a tight knit community looks like.”
    — Mayor Brett Smiley [00:49]

• Investigation Timeline and Challenges

  • Authorities' focus shifted to Valente only late on Wednesday when new evidence emerged.
  • He had attempted to evade capture by changing license plates and using other people's credit cards.
  • Previous persons of interest were cleared as the investigation progressed.

    “As soon as you have a name, I believe you can find anybody in this country and the fact that this team was able to do it in around 24 hours I think is a tribute to them.”
    — Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Narona [01:52]

• Connection to Additional Crimes

  • Authorities linked Valente to both the Brown University shooting and the murder of MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro.

    “On December 13, Nieves Valente entered an auditorium on Brown University's campus... Between December 13 and December 14, Nies Valente returned to Massachusetts. On December 15, he murdered MIT professor Nuno Luriero at Luriero's home in Brookline.”
    — Leah Foley, U.S. Attorney [02:39]

  • FBI believes Valente knew Loureiro from their time at university in Lisbon, but found no connection between Valente and the Brown students.

Open Questions and Next Steps

• Investigation continues into motive, with no clear answers yet.
• The timeline and process of the manhunt likely to face further scrutiny.

European Support for Ukraine

Discussion Points

• European Unity and Security Concerns

  • EU leaders agree on a €90 billion loan to fund Ukraine, amid U.S. withdrawal of support.
  • Heightened fears about Russian aggression spilling beyond Ukraine.

    “Now we have a simple choice, either money today or blood tomorrow. And I am not talking about Ukraine only, I'm talking about Europe.”
    — Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister [04:06]

• Increasing Threat from Russia

  • Wall Street Journal’s Max Colchester describes Europe’s psychological shift and measures to prepare for possible future conflict.

    “Now it's slowly evolving towards, well, we as a European people need to be ready to potentially fight Russia.”
    — Max Colchester [04:54]

  • Reports of sabotage, cyberattacks, and general destabilization tactics by Russia across Europe.

    “We're really in this era where Russia seems to be trying to sow confusion and cause panic and cause economic damage in Europe without actually engaging in a full blown war.”
    — Colchester [05:39]

  • European societies facing tough choices between increased defense spending and maintaining benefits from the "peace dividend."

• Public Opinion and Political Challenges

  • Many Europeans still see Russia as a distant threat, making increased military spending a hard political sell.

    “Having to now reverse those gains potentially is going to be a very difficult political sell and it's going to be a very difficult social reality for a lot of people who have benefited enormously from this so called peace dividend.”
    — Colchester [07:20]

Executive Orders in Trump’s Second Term

Key Points

• Surge of Executive Orders

  • President Trump has issued more executive orders this year than in his entire first term.

    "On Monday, he signed his 221st executive order of his second term, which really shows how much he's evolved and changed in the last decade."
    — Emily Davies, The Washington Post [08:29]

  • Many orders aimed at bypassing Congress to fulfill campaign pledges.
  • Roughly a third of orders have faced legal challenges.

• Areas of Focus

  • Policies have ranged from tariffs and immigration to social issues like transgender athletes in sports and AI regulation.
  • Orders often serve communicative or symbolic purposes as much as substantive ones.

    "He is a producer in many ways, and he really produces those events for the reporters and therefore for the world."
    — Davies [10:51]

• Implementation Difficulties

  • Speed and volume of executive orders make careful implementation hard, compounded by ongoing legal battles.

    "It's very hard for the Trump administration to implement each one of them with great care, especially given the slew of court challenges."
    — Davies [09:54]

Policy Announcements and Cultural Shifts

Notable Stories

• Renaming the Kennedy Center

  • The Board, now filled with Trump appointees, votes to rename the center for Trump, but legal and political challenges loom.

• Transgender Healthcare Policies

  • The Trump administration announces plans to cut federal funding for hospitals providing transgender care to minors. Proposed changes now enter a public comment period.

    “We're not going to let taxpayer money go to hurt these children.”
    — Dr. Mehmet Oz, US Medicare and Medicaid administrator [13:18]

Listener Entertainment Picks of 2025

Highlights

• The show ends on a lighter note, featuring listener-submitted favorites:

  • Top Album: “Lady Gaga’s Mayhem” — Evan, Chicago [13:34]
  • Top TV Show: “Severance” — Jennifer, East Bell, CA [13:41]
  • Best Movie: “Sinners” — Thomas, Durham, NC [13:45]

    “I think the best movie of 2025 has to be Sinners.”
    — Thomas Billington [13:45] “That movie absolutely rocks.”
    — Gideon Resnick [13:47]

• Teaser for the upcoming "Apple News In Conversation" episode featuring critics' takes on the year’s cultural standouts.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Mayor Brett Smiley: “I know this has been hard on all of us... we’ve leaned on one another, come together and supported one another and showed the nation what a tight knit community looks like.” [00:49]
• Attorney General Peter Narona: “As soon as you have a name... you can find anybody in this country and the fact that this team was able to do it in around 24 hours I think is a tribute to them.” [01:52]
• Leah Foley: “On December 13, Nieves Valente entered an auditorium on Brown University's campus... killing Ella Cook and Mohammed Aziz Umer zokov and injuring nine others.” [02:39]
• Donald Tusk: “Now we have a simple choice, either money today or blood tomorrow.” [04:06]
• Max Colchester: “We're really in this era where Russia seems to be trying to sow confusion and cause panic and cause economic damage in Europe without actually engaging in a full blown war.” [05:39]
• Emily Davies: “He is a producer in many ways, and he really produces those events for the reporters and therefore for the world.” [10:51]
• Dr. Mehmet Oz: “We're not going to let taxpayer money go to hurt these children.” [13:18]

Conclusion

This episode of Apple News Today delivers comprehensive updates on the Brown University shooting investigation, spotlights evolving global security as Europe rallies support for Ukraine, analyzes the booming use of executive orders by President Trump, and surfaces controversial new federal policy proposals. The show wraps with a celebration of pop culture moments drawn from listener voice notes, offering a fitting end-of-year snapshot of news and culture.