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Korva Coleman
O.Com live from NPR News. In Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. President Trump is citing progress in talks aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine, and he says he's talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European officials. Nprzd Beshivaram has more.
Deepa Shivaram
Trump sees himself as a global peacemaker, and his inability to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, which started in 2022, has been a point of frustration for him. But now the president is signaling progress in negotiations that took place in recent days in Berlin.
Jim McDonald
They're closer now. We had numerous conversations with President Putin of Russia, and I think we're closer now than we have been ever.
Deepa Shivaram
US Officials say that as part of the peace deal, Ukraine could get some NATO protections, though they would not be joining the alliance. But that and other measures are still under discussion. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, Washington.
Korva Coleman
Palestinians in Gaza are scrambling to rebuild today. That's after more heavy rain from Storm Byron devastated many of their already weak shelter. NPR's Hadil Al Shalchi reports. Humanitarian agencies say their efforts are hindered by Israel's restriction of aid into the enclave.
Hadil Al Shalchi
The United nations has renewed an appeal to the Israeli government to allow more aid into Gaza, warning that Palestinians are, quote, freezing to death. The UN Said that the ruins of buildings are being waterlogged and causing them to collapse and kill families. Mahmoud Basal is the spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense. These buildings are a major nightmare in Gaza, he said, and threaten the lives of thousands of people. Basal said unless there's an immediate plan to rebuild Gaza, this scenario will repeat itself with more bad weather. He said the main hospital in Gaza City was flooded, ruining some supplies and medical equipment. Hadil Al Shalgi, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
Korva Coleman
The son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michelle, remains jailed in Los Angeles. And LA Police Chief Jim McDonald says he's being held in the case of their killings last Sunday.
Jim McDonald
We have our robbery homicide division handling the investigation. They work throughout the night on this case and were able to take into custody Nick Reiner, a suspect in this case.
Korva Coleman
LA police say they'll turn over the homicide case to Los Angeles prosecutors today. The prosecutors will then decide what charges to bring, although police say the younger Reiner is responsible for his parents deaths. There is no indication of when Nick Reiner will make his first court appearance. The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a year ago will return to a New York state courtroom today. Lawyers for Luigi Mangione are trying to get some evidence in the case thrown out. The defense says Mangione made statements to police before he was advised of his right to remain silent. You're listening to npr. President Trump has signed an executive order that declares fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. He says American adversaries are trafficking fentanyl into the US to kill Americans. But experts say it would be hard to use it as a weapon of mass destruction. Others say people are dying from opioid addiction, not because cartels are weaponizing fentanyl. A new study finds people who use tanning beds are nearly three times as likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, compared to people who have never tanned indoors. NPR's Maria Godoy reports. They're more likely to get it in unusual places such as the lower back.
Maria Godoy
The study found the more often people visited the tanning bed, the higher the risk. Those with 10 to 50 visits had twice the risk of melanoma. If they had over 200 visits, their risk was more than eight times as high. Study co author Hunter Shane of the University of California, San Francisco says younger indoor tanners also had more DNA damage in their skin cells than people twice their age.
Hunter Shane
So women in their 30s and 40s, they had more mutations than people in their 70s and 80s from the general population. Basically, they somehow were able to cram in two lifetimes worth of UV damage in 30 years.
Maria Godoy
The findings appear in the journal Science Advances, Maria Godoy and PR News.
Korva Coleman
Scientists say an interstellar comet will reach its closest point to Earth on this Friday. They say the ancient comet is only the third object that's ever been spotted coming from outside of our solar system. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.
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Podcast: NPR News Now
Host: Korva Coleman
Date: December 16, 2025
Duration: 5 minutes
Summary compiled by: [Expert Podcast Summarizer]
This NPR News Now episode delivers the latest global and national headlines in a concise five-minute update. The main topics include President Trump's progress in Ukraine-Russia peace talks, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza following severe storms, high-profile crime updates, President Trump’s new executive order on fentanyl, new health research on tanning beds and cancer, and a rare interstellar comet approaching Earth.
[00:16 – 01:15]
[01:15 – 02:14]
[02:14 – 03:15]
[03:15 – 03:58]
[03:58 – 04:35]
[04:40 – 04:58]
This episode offers a rapid, information-rich overview of major international conflicts, public health warnings, ongoing legal sagas, and rare astronomical events—capturing the pressing concerns and curiosities of December 16, 2025.