3AM ET 12/24/2025 Newscast

Summary

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Fox News Hourly Update — 3AM ET, 12/24/2025: Episode Summary

Theme:
This episode delivers concise updates on major breaking news, public safety incidents, a high-profile health announcement, a cherished holiday tradition, and a record lottery jackpot, all within a tight, urgent newscast format.

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Key News Stories & Insights

1. Bucks County, Pennsylvania Nursing Home Explosion

[00:03–00:45]

• Incident:

  • An explosion occurred at a nursing home in southeastern Pennsylvania, leading to emergency response.
  • Preliminary reports suggest a gas leak as the cause.

• Casualties and Damage:

  • Governor Josh Shapiro:

    "We believe preliminarily that it was a gas leak that led to that. The explosion was really quite catastrophic. We know that at this time there are at least two fatalities." (Granad Scott, 00:12)

  • Part of the facility, including the dining hall and admissions area, collapsed.
  • Multiple injuries and severe building damage reported.

• Eyewitness Account:

  • A woman on-scene:

    "Chaos, the dining hall, the admissions part to the hospital is going. All the windows are blown out. I'm just praying for everybody at the nursing home." (Nursing Home Witness, 00:35)

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2. Delaware State Trooper Fatal Shooting

[00:45–01:27]

• Incident Location:

  • DMV office near Wilmington, Delaware.

• Sequence of Events:

  • Suspect approached a trooper on overtime duty and shot him (Corporal Rashawn Rich, 00:59).
  • Despite being shot, the trooper moved a DMV employee out of harm’s way before being shot again:

    "After being shot, the trooper pushed a DMV employee out of harm's way and the suspect shot the trooper again." (Corporal Rashawn Rich, 01:11)

• Outcome:

  • Both the trooper and the suspect were killed.
  • Motive remains undisclosed.

• Recognition:

  • The fallen officer was hailed as a hero:

    "Lives today while sacrificing his own." (Ryan Reynolds quoting Delaware State Police Superintendent, 01:24)

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3. Former Senator Ben Sasse Announces Cancer Diagnosis

[01:37–02:00]

• Announcement:

  • Ben Sasse, former U.S. Senator from Nebraska, revealed he is battling advanced pancreatic cancer.
  • Disclosed via social media, diagnosis received the previous week.

• Background:

  • Age 53, served in Senate since 2014, re-elected in 2020.

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4. NORAD Santa Tracker Marks 70 Years

[02:31–03:20]

• Tradition Highlight:

  • NORAD’s annual Santa Tracker celebrates its 70th year of following Santa's journey each Christmas Eve.

• Origins:

  • Started in 1955 when a child accidentally called military operations for Santa info, sparking the tracking custom.

    "The tradition of tracking Santa started in 1955 when a young child accidentally called... NORADS predecessor." (Tonya J. Powers, 02:39)

• Participation:

  • Over 1,000 volunteers answer public calls for Santa’s location updates.
  • Website and phone options available for tracking: noradsanta.org or 1-877-Hi-NORAD.

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5. Powerball Jackpot Climbs for Christmas Eve

[03:20–04:13]

• Jackpot Details:

  • The Christmas Eve Powerball stands at $1.7 billion (no winner since September 6th).
  • Lump sum payout: approximately $781 million.

• Potential Records:

  • If no winner, the jackpot could approach or surpass $2 billion on Saturday.
  • "If your Christmas miracle happens tonight, you could take home a lump sum payment slightly more than $781 million." (Granad Scott, 03:30)

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6. DOJ Labels Jeffrey Epstein Letter a Fake

[04:13–04:28]

• DOJ Statement:
  • A letter, purportedly from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar and referencing President Trump, is confirmed to be fake.
  • The letter surfaced with other files related to Epstein.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Nursing Home Explosion (Governor Josh Shapiro, via Granad Scott, 00:12):

  "The explosion was really quite catastrophic. We know that at this time there are at least two fatalities."

• Eyewitness Account (Nursing Home Witness, 00:35):

  "All the windows are blown out. I'm just praying for everybody at the nursing home."

• State Police Bravery (Corporal Rashawn Rich, 01:11):

  "After being shot, the trooper pushed a DMV employee out of harm’s way and the suspect shot the trooper again."

• Holiday Tradition (Tonya J. Powers, 02:39):

  "More than 1,000 volunteers will answer questions about Santa’s location."

• Powerball Hype (Granad Scott, 03:30):

  "That Powerball ticket in your stocking may be worth at least $1.7 billion."

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Important Timestamps

• Nursing home explosion: 00:03–00:45
• Delaware trooper shooting: 00:45–01:27
• Ben Sasse cancer diagnosis: 01:37–02:00
• NORAD Santa Tracker: 02:31–03:20
• Powerball lottery update: 03:20–04:13
• Epstein letter declared fake: 04:13–04:28

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Fox News’ update this hour blends urgent breaking news, seasonal features, and public service information while maintaining its straightforward, composed delivery style.

Transcript

[Ted Lindner]

An explosion in southeastern Pennsylvania. I'm Ted Lindner. FOX News emergency crews responding Tuesday after that explosion at a nursing home facility in Bucks County.

[Granad Scott]

Governor Josh Shapiro saying, we believe preliminarily that it was a gas leak that led to that. The explosion was really quite catastrophic. We know that at this time there are at least two fatalities. We know that there are some number of individuals.

[Ted Lindner]

Part of the building collapsed in the blast. This woman saw it all, described the.

[Nursing Home Witness]

Chaos, the dining hall, the admissions part to the hospital is going. All the windows are blown out. I'm just praying for everybody at the nursing home.

[Ted Lindner]

Meantime, a Delaware state trooper was shot and killed while on duty Tuesday. Fox's Kevin Uretsky with those details.

[Corporal Rashawn Rich]

The incident took place at the DMV office near Wilmington. Delaware State Police spokesman Corporal Rashawn Rich explains what happened.

The suspect approached the trooper who was working an overtime assignment sitting at the reception desk and shot him.

Corporal Rich says the trooper then saved someone else's life.

After being shot, the trooper pushed a DMV employee out of harm's way and the suspect shot the trooper again.

Delaware State Police Superintendent William Crotty called.

[Ted Lindner]

The fallen trooper a hero who saved.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Lives today while sacrificing his own.

[Corporal Rashawn Rich]

The suspect was also killed. Authorities have not yet discussed a possible motive. Kevin Uretsky, FOX News and former Nebraska.

[Ted Lindner]

U.S. senator Ben Sasse on Tuesday announcing he was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer. The 53 year old making the announcement on social media saying he learned of the diagnosis last week. Sasse was first elected to the senate back in 2014 and he won re election in 2020. America's listening to Fox.

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[Ted Lindner]

The NORAD Santa Tracker celebrating its 70th year of keeping an eye on the Christmas Eve skies. Fox's Tonya J. Powers with more.

[Tonya J. Powers]

Every year on December 24th, the North American Aerospace Defense Command tracks Santa's sleigh as he makes his way around the world. More than 1,000 volunteers will answer questions about Santa's location. The tradition of tracking Santa started in 1955 when a young child accidentally called the unlisted phone number of the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, NORADS predecessor. The operations director answered the phone and instructed his staff to check the radar for Santa sightings. And it's been going on ever since. You can track [e-mail] or call 1-877-High- NORAD from 4am until Midnight Mountain Standard Time. Tanya J. Powers, FOX NEWS.

[Ted Lindner]

Is there a better last minute Christmas gift than cold hard cash? Well, tonight's your chance to win it all. If you're playing Powerball, you've got to be hoping for that. Fox's Granad Scott with more.

[Granad Scott]

It's Christmas Eve and that Powerball ticket in your stocking may be worth at least $1.7 billion. There's been no jackpot winner in the multi state games since September 6th when winning tickets in Texas and Missouri split a jackpot of $1.78 billion. If your Christmas miracle happens tonight, you could take home a lump sum payment slightly more than $781 million. If there is no lucky ticket tonight matching five numbers and the red Powerball, the total for Saturday's after Christmas drawing will get closer to the all time record jackpot of more than $2 billion. Good luck. Grinal Scott, FOX NEWS and a graphic.

[Ted Lindner]

Letter said to have been written by Jeffrey Epstein's a fake. According to the Justice Department, the letter was supposedly written from Epstein to his fellow sex offender Larry Nassar. The letter made reference to President Trump and was released along with other files related to Epstein. I'm Ted Lindner. This is FOX News.

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Granad Scott]

Yeah.

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Chevron Representative]

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