NPR News Now — December 15, 2025, 6PM EST

Host: Ryland Barton
Duration: 5 minutes
Overview:
This episode presents a quick round-up of major national and international news, focusing on policy moves from President Trump, legal challenges to California's redistricting, delayed economic reports post-government shutdown, labor actions in Paris, a pivotal move by Ford away from electric trucks, and the auction of the last U.S. pennies.

1. President Trump Classifies Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction

Timestamps: 00:18–01:24

• Main Point:
  President Trump signed an executive order declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, emphasizing the scale of opioid-related deaths and suggesting a new level of governmental response.
• Key Quotes:
  • "No bomb does what this is doing. 200 to 300,000 people die every year that we know of. So we're formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction."
    — President Donald Trump [00:44]
  • "President Trump said there's no doubt that adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the US in order to kill Americans. Speaking in the Oval Office, he said the drug kills more Americans than any war."
    — Ryland Barton/Narration [00:32]
• Additional News:
  • Trump announced consideration of downgrading marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 to facilitate more research.
    — [00:59]
• Reporter: Franco Ordonez

2. Legal Challenge to California Redistricting

Timestamps: 01:24–02:23

• Main Point:
  Federal court in Los Angeles is hearing a challenge to California’s newly-approved congressional maps amid allegations they were drawn to benefit Latino voters and Democrats as a result of Proposition 50.
• Details:
  • The California GOP and the U.S. Justice Department filed the lawsuit.
  • Proposition 50 passed with nearly 65% and changed district lines.
  • The Supreme Court recently allowed Texas’ map (another partisan redistricting) to stand, suggesting a trend toward permitting partisan but not racially-based gerrymandering.
• Quote:
  • "The lawsuit claims that Proposition 50 illegally drew new districts to favor Latino voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The ballot measure...changed California’s congressional maps to give Democrats a leg."
    — Marisa Lagos [01:40]
• Reporter: Marisa Lagos, KQED

3. Delayed Economic Data & iRobot Bankruptcy

Timestamps: 02:23–03:11

• Main Point:
  Investors await overdue data on jobs and inflation due to disruptions from the recent six-week government shutdown; also, the bankruptcy of iRobot (Roomba maker).
• Details:
  • Labor Department jobs report for October/November and inflation data for November are being released this week.
  • Some economic data (like October unemployment rate) won't be recovered, creating historic gaps.
  • iRobot, maker of Roomba, is filing for bankruptcy and will be acquired by its main contract manufacturer.
• Quote:
  • "Some of the missing data will not be made up, though. Furloughed federal workers were unable to conduct price checks or tally the unemployment rate for October. So for the first time, there will be gaps in those long-running seasons."
    — Scott Horsley [02:32]
• Reporter: Scott Horsley
• Note: U.S. stocks were down slightly in anticipation of reports. [03:11]

4. Louvre Museum Workers Strike

Timestamps: 03:11–03:28

• Main Point:
  Workers at the Louvre in Paris voted to strike over working conditions, leading to a closure of the museum amid escalating security and staffing fears.
• Details:
  • Recent jewelry theft has intensified concerns.
  • Talks between labor unions and officials did not resolve key issues.

5. Ford Discontinues the F150 Lightning Electric Truck

Timestamps: 03:28–04:34

• Main Point:
  Ford announced it would discontinue its F150 Lightning electric truck due to financial losses on each vehicle sold and shifting market and policy conditions.
• Details:
  • Ford will pivot to hybrids, smaller EVs, and battery production for utility/data markets.
  • The move responds to lower-than-expected sales and reduced government support for EVs under President Trump.
• Quote:
  • "Model E. Ford is following the customer. We are looking at the market as it is today."
    — Andrew Frick, President of Ford [04:01]
  • "That leaves Ford with more battery factories than it needs...it’ll use them to supply batteries for the electric grid and data centers instead."
    — Camilla Domonosky [04:15]
• Reporter: Camilla Domonosky

6. Final U.S. Pennies Sell at Auction

Timestamps: 04:34–04:56

• Main Point:
  The last set of pennies minted at the Philadelphia Mint sold at auction for over $16 million.
• Details:
  • These pennies feature a special Omega symbol.
  • Production halted this year via a Trump executive order as a cost-saving measure.

Notable Quotes

• "No bomb does what this is doing. 200 to 300,000 people die every year that we know of. So we're formally classifying fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction." — President Donald Trump [00:44]
• "Some of the missing data will not be made up, though...So for the first time, there will be gaps in those long-running seasons." — Scott Horsley [02:32]
• "Model E. Ford is following the customer. We are looking at the market as it is today." — Andrew Frick, President of Ford [04:01]

For listeners:
This concise report offers a snapshot of evolving national policy, legal disputes over election fairness, the impacts of federal shutdowns on economic reporting, international labor struggles, industry upheaval in the auto sector, and a quirky coda as the U.S. penny era closes.