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Dale Willman
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released two rounds of photos Friday that came from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump was asked later about he described them as no big deal.
Donald Trump
Well, I haven't seen it, but I mean, everybody knew this man. He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, almost there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him.
Dale Willman
The photos are a small part of more than 95,000 photos released to Congress by the estate. The Trump administration, meanwhile, faces a deadline of next week to release the Epstein case files being held by the Justice Department. The Department of Justice is suing the biggest county in Georgia to obtain its 2020 general election ballots. Fulton county has at the center of baseless claims by President Trump that his 2020 election loss was rigged. From member station WABE, Raul Bali reports.
Raul Bali
The DOJ lawsuit filed in Atlanta names the Fulton county clerk of courts. The county has said the sealed ballots and other records cannot be produced without a court order. The Department of Justice is now asking the federal court in Atlanta to issue one. The DOJ claims the U.S. attorney General has the right to obtain ballots and other records under the Civil Rights act of 1960 and that the attorney attorney general is investigating Fulton County's compliance with federal election law. Trump and some of his supporters have long claimed widespread fraud leading to his 2020 loss in Georgia. Multiple investigations have not borne that out. For NPR News, I'm Rahul Bally in Atlanta.
Dale Willman
The man at the center of a months long deportation fight has avoided being rearrested, at least for now. As NPR's Martin Costi reports, Kilmar Abrego Garcia was was released from detention on Thursday.
Martin Costi
Abrego Garcia had been ordered to check in at the ICE field office in Baltimore, and his lawyer, Simon Sandoval Moshenburg, told a crowd of supporters that there was concern he wouldn't come back out.
Simon Sandoval Moshenburg
We'll never know what their plans were for this morning, whether it was a check in, whether they were planning to arrest him. But he's walking out the door and he's heading back to Prince George's county to be with his family, with his child, with his wife who are waiting there for him.
Martin Costi
A federal judge ordered ICE not to detain him while a legal motion is pending. Earlier this year, the administration deported him wrongfully to a prison in his native El Salvador. Abrego Garcia originally entered the US Illegally but is shielded from being sent to El Salvador. He also faces criminal charges for human smuggling. Martin Costi, NPR News.
Dale Willman
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is renewing an effort to end collective bargaining for TSA airport screeners. She says those employees serve a primary function for national security, so they should not be represented by a union. The the American Federation of Government Employees says it's a violation of a preliminary injunction that blocked Nome's first attempt to terminate that contract. Stocks finished down on Wall Street Friday. You're listening to NPR News. The same atmospheric river that flooded parts of Washington state this week is also causing damage further inland. Tonight, Montana Public Radio's Erin Bolton reports on flooding in one corner of that.
Erin Bolton
State, the small northwest Montana towns of Libby and Troy. Several inches of rain over the past few days. Local creeks and rivers washed away several bridges. Libby resident Sandy Oliveira and her daughter stood in awe as they looked at what remained of one bridge near their home. The only thing left connecting both sides was a metal guardrail.
Sandy Oliveira
Our home is fine. A lot of water in the yard, but that has receded now and about a half an inch in our shop of water, but we got that all cleaned up.
Erin Bolton
Governor Greg Gianforte declared a state of emergency. Local officials are still assessing the damage. That could take a while with 2 inches of rain in the forecast. For NPR News, I'm Aaron Bolton in Libby, Montana.
Dale Willman
Russian athletes say they have visas allowing them to compete in a World cup luge event at Lake Plass in New York next weekend. They'll be competing under a neutral flag. They have not competed in a World cup event since the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost four years ago. Ukrainian athletes say they should not be allowed to compete. Indiana's Fernando Mendoza has won the Davey o' Brien Award as the nation's top college quarterback. Earlier in the week, he was also named the APA Player of the Year. The California transfer led the hoosiers to a 13. 0 record this season. Indiana is now the top seed in the college football playoffs. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.
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Host: Dale Willman
Air Date: December 13, 2025
This five-minute NPR news update covers several major stories of national and international importance, including newly released photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, a federal lawsuit over 2020 election ballots in Georgia, the ongoing deportation fight involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, renewed debate over TSA collective bargaining, flood damage in Montana, Russian athletes re-entering international competition, and a college football award for Indiana’s quarterback. The brief but information-rich segment delivers key headlines and context with input from NPR correspondents and named sources.
[00:20 – 00:44]
News: House Oversight Committee Democrats released two rounds of photos from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s estate.
Volume: More than 95,000 photos provided to Congress by the Epstein estate.
Political Response: President Trump downplayed the photos’ significance when asked for comment.
"Well, I haven't seen it, but I mean, everybody knew this man. He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, almost there are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him."
— Donald Trump ([00:34])
Developing Story: The Trump administration faces a deadline next week to release Epstein case files held by the Department of Justice.
[00:44 – 01:54]
[01:54 – 02:50]
"We'll never know what their plans were for this morning, whether it was a check in, whether they were planning to arrest him. But he's walking out the door and he's heading back to Prince George's county to be with his family, with his child, with his wife who are waiting there for him."
— Simon Sandoval Moshenburg, Abrego Garcia’s lawyer ([02:17])
[02:50 – 03:14]
[03:31 – 04:22]
"Our home is fine. A lot of water in the yard, but that has receded now and about a half an inch in our shop of water, but we got that all cleaned up."
— Sandy Oliveira, Libby resident ([03:56])
[04:22 – 04:37]
[04:37 – 04:59]
"He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody."
— Donald Trump on Jeffrey Epstein photos ([00:34])
"We'll never know what their plans were... but he's walking out the door and he's heading back to Prince George's county to be with his family..."
— Simon Sandoval Moshenburg on Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s release ([02:17])
"Our home is fine. A lot of water in the yard, but that has receded now..."
— Sandy Oliveira, regarding flood impacts in Libby, MT ([03:56])
For those seeking a concise but comprehensive update on the latest U.S. and international news, this NPR News Now episode delivers quick, authoritative reporting on fast-moving political, legal, and human interest stories.