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Details@Capital1.com Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Streaming platforms are battling for the power to reshape the nation's entertainment landscape. Netflix struck a deal last week to buy Warner Brothers Studios and HBO, but now Paramount is up its bid to $108 billion for all of Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN. NPR's David Folkenflick reports.
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Paramount chief David Ellison says he believes deeply in the future of movies and entertainment. But Ellison says Paramount needs Warner Brothers to take on Netflix and Amazon and Apple and Disney. Netflix is already the biggest streamer. President Trump said Sunday he'd be involved in reviewing any deal. Ellison has built warm ties with Trump, and Trump cheered the changes made at CBS News since Ellison acquired it this summer, though you never do know how that will end up. On Sunday, CBS's 60 Minutes interviewed a critic of Trump. On Monday morning, Trump wrote that CBS is worse than ever before under Paramount's new owners. David Folkenflick, NPR News.
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The federal housing agency HUD says it will revise controversial changes to funding for homelessness. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports. The move comes amid two lawsuits challenging HUD's plans to dramatically cut back on long term housing programs.
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States, cities and Nonprofits warned that HUD's overhaul could push 170,000 people back into homelessness. In a surprise move, the agency told the court it will withdraw its changes for now to address such concerns. But a government lawyer said HUD still intends to shift toward more transitional housing and mandated treatment. The agency has also set new conditions for who can get money based on alignment with Trump administration policies, such as DEI and restricting transgender rights. The two lawsuits allege all those changes are unconstitutional. They say Congress has made clear home homelessness funding should be based on need and spent on programs with proven success. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News.
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The Supreme Court appears ready to give the president more control over independent agencies. Justices heard arguments over President Trump's firing of a Federal Trade Commission member today. As NPR's Andrea Hsu explains, such a ruling could upend the balance of power in Washington.
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The justices heard arguments today in a case involving President Trump's firing of Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter. The FTC is one of a couple dozen government agencies designed by Congress to have some degree of independence from the White House under federal law. The FTC's five members can only be removed for cause. That didn't stop Trump from firing Slaughter. Back in March. A lower court found her firing unlawful, citing a 1935 president called Humphrey's executor. It put limits on the president's power to remove members of some independent agencies. Today, Solicitor General John Sauer, representing Trump, asked the court to overrule Humphrey.
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NPR's Andrea Hsu reporting. This is NPR News from Washington.
A federal judge has approved a settlement that will clear the way for the New Orleans Archdiocese to pay at least $230 million to hundreds of victims of clergy sexual abuse. Negotiations had been going on since 2020. The settlement also includes policies intended to improve abuse prevention and increase transparency over church handling of abuse claims. The College Football Playoff is set in the top seed is Indian. Historically one of the sport's least successful programs, the Hoosiers are looking for their first ever national football title. As NPR's Becky Sullivan reports, no program.
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In college football history has lost more games than Indiana. But with coach Kurt Signetti at the helm, they went undefeated this season, including a gutsy 1310 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. The Buckeyes consolation prize is the number two seed in the playoff. Georgia is third and Texas Tech fourth, all of them with just one loss this season. For the first time, two schools outside major conferences will compete in the playoff. That'll be Tulane and James Madison. Rounding out the field are Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas A and M, Oklahoma, Alabama and Miami. The first round games will take place December 19th and 20th. The winners of those games will move on to face the top four seeds in games on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Becky Sullivan, NPR News.
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A California man says he has marked his 15,000th spin on the Disneyland ride based on the animated film Cars. John Allen Hale says he has been tracking his rides on Radiator Springs racers. And a note he says he's gone on it an average of 13 times each time he's been to the park. I'm Ryland Barton. This is NPR News from Washington.
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Host: Ryland Barton
Date: December 9, 2025
Episode Theme:
A fast-paced digest of the day’s biggest news stories, including developments in the entertainment industry, changes to federal homelessness funding, Supreme Court deliberations on agency independence, the outcome of a major clergy abuse settlement, a surprising shakeup in college football, and a quirky Disneyland milestone.
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This episode delivers a whirlwind update on U.S. news—from seismic shifts in media ownership to landmark legal cases and feel-good human interest stories—capturing the urgent, matter-of-fact tone of public radio journalism.