NPR News Now — December 14, 2025, 10 PM EST

Host: Jeanine Herbst
Length: ~5 minutes

Main Theme

This episode provides an essential update on major U.S. and international news, with breaking coverage of the Brown University shooting, significant developments at the Veterans Affairs department, severe flooding in Washington state, the Church of England’s Christmas message, and sports highlights from college football.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shooting at Brown University

• [00:14] Jeanine Herbst: Announces a shooting at Brown University, Rhode Island:
  • At least 2 people killed, 9 injured (8 critically but stable).
  • Suspect described as a male in dark clothing; police in pursuit.
  • Providence Mayor Bret Smiley notes a suspect video has been released.
• [00:45] Ian Donis: Details the location — “This took place in an engineering building, and final exams were being taken in the building earlier in the day. It's not clear if that was still taking place at the time when the shooting happened.”
• [00:41] Quill Lawrence: “Reason to believe that there are any additional threats at this time.”
• [01:00] Jeanine Herbst: Shelter-in-place order remains in effect.

2. Veterans Affairs Workforce Reductions

• [01:00] Jeanine Herbst: Plans for thousands of job cuts at the VA.
• [01:15] Quill Lawrence:
  • VA Secretary Doug Collins states the department “will remove positions he called unnecessary, most of which have been unfilled for a year.”
  • 25,000 jobs to be cut, on top of 30,000 already eliminated via attrition, retirements, and resignations.
  • “Lead Democrat on Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Richard Blumenthal, said continued cuts...are incomprehensible and inexcusable, and that unfilled doesn't mean unnecessary.”
  • August Inspector General report found VA “faces severe staffing shortages for medical officers and nurses.”

3. Severe Flooding in Washington State

• [02:00] Jeanine Herbst:
  • Skagit River (north of Seattle) hit all-time record high.
  • Hundreds rescued from homes, rooftops, cars.
• [02:18] Scott Greenstone:
  • Burlington residents begin post-flood assessments:
    • “Jocelyn Alm's home was still too submerged to get in, so a friend waited in to look in the windows and...told her, he goes, all your couches are floating. All your stuff is just floating. He goes, your bananas are floating. And I said, oh, well, God, if we lost our bananas, we lost everything.” (Jocelyn Alm, 02:34)
    • Jocelyn Alm: “All your couches are floating…your bananas are floating. And I said, oh, well, God, if we lost our bananas, we lost everything.”
  • “Officials are saying it's still a little early to tell the extent of the damage statewide, especially with more rain in the forecast Sunday.” (03:05)
• [03:05] Jeanine Herbst: Thousands may not return home for days.

4. Church of England Counters Far Right’s Christmas Messaging

• [03:28] Vicki Barker:
  • Far-right leader Tommy Robinson framing Christmas as a Christian nationalist event.
  • Church of England releases a 43-second video defending inclusivity:
    • “It's Christmas. It belongs to us all, and everyone's invited.” (Jocelyn Alm & Ian Donis, 03:55–03:58)
    • “The church's message, the story that has brought hope for more than 2,000 years, is open to everyone.”
  • Highlights new rhetoric in British politics: anti-immigrant themes paired with evangelical Christian discourse.

5. College Football Highlights

• [04:15] Jeanine Herbst:
  • Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza wins the Heisman Trophy, the first for the team—“He guided Indiana to the top of the 12 team college football bracket, throwing for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdown passes.”
  • At the Army-Navy game: Midshipmen beat Black Knights for second year (17-16), retaining the Commander in Chief’s Trophy.
  • President Trump attended, handling the coin toss.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ian Donis, on the shooting scene: “This took place in an engineering building, and final exams were being taken in the building earlier in the day.” [00:45]
• Jocelyn Alm, Washington flood victim:
  • “All your couches are floating. All your stuff is just floating. He goes, your bananas are floating. And I said, oh, well, God, if we lost our bananas, we lost everything.” [02:34]
• Richard Blumenthal (via Quill Lawrence): “Unfilled doesn’t mean unnecessary.” [01:31]
• Church of England Christmas message: “It's Christmas. It belongs to us all, and everyone's invited.” [03:55–03:58]
• Vicki Barker: “The church's message, the story that has brought hope for more than 2,000 years, is open to everyone.” [03:58]
• Jeanine Herbst on Mendoza’s Heisman win: “Fernando Mendoza...becoming the first Hoosier to win college football's most prestigious award.” [04:15]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:14] – Brown University shooting
• [01:00] – VA workforce reductions
• [02:00] – Washington State flooding
• [03:28] – Church of England Christmas video
• [04:15] – College football updates

This concise update delivers the day’s urgent headlines and deeper context behind the events, using direct attribution and speaker tone wherever possible.