NPR News: 12-25-2025 3AM EST

Summary

NPR News Now – December 25, 2025, 3AM EST

Host: Dan Ronan | Runtime: ~5 minutes

Episode Overview

This NPR News Now episode delivers a concise roundup of major national headlines as of early Christmas morning. The top stories include a state of emergency in Southern California due to severe storms, updates on financial markets closing for the holiday, efforts by airlines to manage holiday travel disruptions, progress on the release of Jeffrey Epstein files, the cultural tradition of tamaladas among Latino families, and the passing of Dr. Neal Frank, a renowned figure in hurricane forecasting.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Southern California State of Emergency: Severe Weather

• [00:13-01:09]
  • Six Southern California counties are under a state of emergency due to relentless rains and high winds driven by atmospheric rivers.
  • The emergency declaration will expedite aid and resources for first responders.
  • Michael Burdick, Alameda resident, describes his preparations:
    • Quote: “We got some sandbags, but we figured with this whole downpour coming for the next couple days, we have a pool so the pool might overflow and then plus we have all the debris from up there from up in the fire area.” (Michael Burdick, 00:47)
    • Concerns include flooding from pooled water and debris flow from fire-affected areas.
  • High water impacts major highways—parts of Interstate 5 and the Ventura Freeway are impassable.

2. Holiday Financial Markets Update

• [01:09-02:01]
  • U.S. markets are closed Thursday, December 25, for the Christmas holiday; trading resumes Friday at 9:30 AM Eastern.
  • On the prior shortened holiday session:
    • Dow Jones: Up 0.6 points
    • Nasdaq: Up 2.1 points
    • S&P: Up 0.3 points

3. Holiday Air Travel & Airline Tech Challenges

• [02:01-02:42]
  • Millions of Americans are traveling for the holidays.
  • Airlines, especially Southwest, strive to avoid disruptions like the 2022 winter storm meltdown.
  • Southwest CIO Lauren Woods mentions investments in technology to quicken recovery from IT outages:
    • Quote: “We may have a tech outage, but you care less about it. If it's a five minute recovery and I have many of those versus I had one major tech outage and it took me down for a day.” (Lauren Woods, 02:19)
  • Focus industry-wide is on minimizing delays and grounding times for planes.

4. Jeffrey Epstein Files Release Delayed

• [02:42-03:35]
  • The Department of Justice announces further delays in releasing all Epstein-related files, which were due by December 19 per Congress.
  • The DOJ cites the recent discovery of an additional one million potentially relevant documents by the Southern District of New York and the FBI.
  • No details shared on when DOJ was informed of these documents.

5. Tamales Traditions During the Holidays

• [03:35-04:16]
  • Latino families, particularly in Texas, prepare tamales as part of their Christmas celebrations.
  • Joey Palacios reports from San Antonio, highlighting the communal nature of tamaladas (tamale-making gatherings).
  • Anna Fossum, a family member participating, remarks:
    • Quote: “That's what the tamalada means to me. Yes, we're making tamales, but we're also making new memories.” (Anna Fossum, 03:57)
  • The process involves group effort, storytelling, and tradition.

6. Remembering Dr. Neal Frank, Hurricane Forecasting Pioneer

• [04:16-04:56]
  • Dr. Neal Frank, longtime chief/director of the National Hurricane Center, dies at 94 in Houston, Texas.
  • Frank revolutionized hurricane forecasting with satellite technology in the 1970s and '80s, becoming a well-known television figure.
  • After 25 years at the Center, he continued his meteorological career on TV, improving public awareness around severe storms.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On preparing for flooding in California:
  “I can go out, grab some sandbags, you know, just so we're safe because our house is like a little bit lower. So it's at a slope so the...”
  — Michael Burdick, responding to flood risks (00:47)

• On airline tech outages:
  “We may have a tech outage, but you care less about it. If it's a five minute recovery...versus...one major tech outage and it took me down for a day.”
  — Lauren Woods, Southwest CIO (02:19)

• On holiday tamalada traditions:
  “That's what the tamalada means to me. Yes, we're making tamales, but we're also making new memories.”
  — Anna Fossum, San Antonio (03:57)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:13: Southern California weather emergency declared
• 00:47: Resident Michael Burdick describes local flood concerns
• 01:09: Financial markets update and holiday trading
• 02:01: Holiday air travel; Southwest's tech investments
• 02:42: DOJ update on Epstein files
• 03:35: Tamale-making traditions in Latino families
• 04:16: Obituary of Dr. Neal Frank, hurricane forecasting pioneer

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This summary provides a full, story-by-story look at the December 25, 2025, 3AM EST edition of NPR News Now, capturing the language and urgency of the original newscast while highlighting relevant quotes and moments for listeners seeking a detailed news briefing.

Transcript

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[Dan Ronan]

[e-mail] Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. A state of emergency has been declared in six Southern California counties because of relentless rains and high winds that are pounding the region. The declaration will free up resources, sources for first responders and other emergency teams all across much of the region. It is being devastated by the impact of the downpours fueled by atmospheric rivers. Alameda resident Michael Burdick says he's trying to prepare for that flooding.

[Michael Burdick]

We got some sandbags, but we figured with this whole downpour coming for the next couple days, we have a pool so the pool might overflow and then plus we have all the debris from up there from up in the fire area. So I was just like I can go out, grab some sandbags, you know, just so we're safe because our house is like a little bit lower. So it's at a slope so the.

[Dan Ronan]

Wire can back in 2016, the high water has made portions of Interstate 5 and the Ventura Freeway in the Los Angeles area impossible. Markets will be closed on Thursday for the Christmas holiday. Trading resumes Friday morning at 9:30 Eastern Time. On Wednesday, the holiday trading was shortened because on Wall street, the indexes though closed up. The Dow, the S and P and the Nasdaq finished fractionally higher. The markets will be closed Thursday for Christmas. The Dow gained 6/10 of a point. The Nasdaq edged 210 of a point. The S&P added 3/10 of a point as well. Millions of Americans will be flying this holiday season. NPR's Joel Rose reports. The airlines are hoping to avoid a repeat of it meltdowns that have disrupted the aviation industry.

[Lauren Woods]

It's been three years since a major winter storm brought Southwest Airlines to its knees. While other airlines managed to get their operations going within days, Southwest did not. Since then, Chief Information Officer Lauren woods says Southwest has made big investments in technology so it can anticipate and respond to outages more quickly.

[Capital One Advertiser]

We may have a tech outage, but you care less about it. If it's a five minute recovery and I have many of those versus I had one major tech outage and it took me down for a day.

[Lauren Woods]

Southwest is just one of many airlines that have been forced to ground their planes because of it outages. The test is how quickly they can get their planes and their customers back in the air Joel Rose, NPR News.

[Dan Ronan]

The Justice Department says it is finishing the release of all of the files concerning Jeffrey Epstein, but it could take a few more weeks, further delaying the compliance with the December 19 deadline that was set by Congress. The department did say Wednesday that the U.S. attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, as well as the FBI, found additional documents, 1 million documents, they say, that could be relevant to the Epstein case. DoD should not say when it was informed of when it got those documents. You're listening to NPR News. Families are getting ready to sit down at Christmas and the holiday meals. Many tables, especially those of Latino families, will be filled with tamales. To Texas Public Radio's Joey Palacios has more on the story from San Antonio.

[Joey Palacios]

If it's your first time at a tamalada during the holidays, get ready to be put to work. You'll be handed a spoon, a few dozen corn husks, the masa to spread on them, and probably some pork to stuff it with. It's an annual tradition for Hispanic families like the Riojas in San Antonio. Family member Anna Fossum says gatherings like tamaladas are about connecting with every branch of the family.

[Dan Ronan]

That's what the tamalada means to me. Yes, we're making tamales, but we're also making new memories.

[Joey Palacios]

The whole process takes hours, especially if you're making 20 dozen or so. Oh, and if you're going, be sure to bring a bottle and a few really good stories to share. I'm Joey Palacios in San Antonio, the.

[Dan Ronan]

Longtime chief and director of the National Hurricane Center. Dr. Neal Frank has died in Houston, Texas, at the age of 94. Frank is credited with reshaping the way modern hurricane forecasting is done, significantly expanding the use of weather satellites and in the 1970s and 80s, becoming a regular fixture on television, warning people when and where a storm could hit. In 1987, after 25 years with the Hurricane center, he left and began a 20 year career in television as a meteorologist at a CBS station and later helping the network on hurricane coverage. I'm Dan Ronan, NPR News, in Washington.

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