NPR News Now: December 25, 2025 – 5AM EST

Host: Louise Schiavone
Length: ~5 minutes

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a concise roundup of national and international news, focusing on Southern California’s weather crisis, significant religious and holiday observances, travel industry updates, a Powerball jackpot win, a look at a revived Nashville Christmas tradition, and cybersecurity concerns in Europe.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Southern California Storm Emergency

[00:14–01:12]

• State of Emergency Declared:
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declares a city emergency due to severe flooding, mudslides, and widespread power outages.
  • California Governor Gavin Newsom also issues a statewide emergency earlier.
• Storm Severity:
  • Steve Futterman details the situation: “The declaration comes after a day of floods, fallen trees, mudslides, traffic jams and power outages... a new series of powerful storms will hit the area today.” (00:27)
• National Weather Service Warning:
  • Oriel Cone (paraphrased by Louise Schiavone) warns:

    “We're going to see the flood waters be reinforced with landslides, rock slides and mudslides all being reinforced across the area.” (00:53)

• Ongoing Impact:
  • Over 10 inches of rain fell in some mountain areas Wednesday; storms expected through Friday.

2. Global Christmas Celebrations Amid Change

[01:12–02:12]

• Historic Papal Christmas Mass:
  • Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Christmas Mass at St. Petersburg’s basilica and plans a second on Christmas Day in the Vatican Basilica—a first since Pope John Paul II.
• Return to Bethlehem:
  • Thousands gather in Bethlehem and Holy Land cities, reviving holiday festivities “after two years of war.”
  • Groups also celebrated in Gaza, Bethlehem, and Nazareth: “The cities where Christians believed Jesus was born and lived.” (01:12)
• Airlines Brace for Holiday Travel:
  • Joel Rose reports airlines are focused on avoiding IT disasters from past years, especially after Southwest Airlines’ notorious 2022 meltdown.

3. Airlines & Technology: Learning From the Past

[02:12–02:53]

• Southwest’s Improvements:
  • Lauren Woods, Southwest CIO, discusses major investments in technology to handle outages more quickly after their previous crisis.
  • Quote:

    “We may have a tech outage, but you care less about it if it's a five-minute recovery ... versus I had one major tech outage and it took me down for a day.” (02:30, Lauren Woods)

• Industry-Wide Challenge:
  • Focus is on speed of recovery—”The test is how quickly they can get their planes and their customers back in the air.” (02:40, Joel Rose)

4. Lottery Win & Holiday Markets

[02:53–03:34]

• Powerball Jackpot:
  • After three months without a winner, Powerball’s $1.8 billion ticket is claimed in Arkansas.
• Asian Markets Update:
  • Asian shares show mixed results as most markets are closed for Christmas.

5. Rediscovering a Nashville Christmas Tradition

[03:34–04:11]

• Bank Employee Choirs:
  • Reporter Justin Barney revisits Nashville’s lost tradition of bank choirs performing carols in the 1970s.
  • Memorable Moment:
    • Archival audio: “We wish you a merry Christmas. We wish you a merry Christmas.” (03:34)
  • The tradition revived after a bank employee choir record resurfaced.

6. Major Cyber Attack in France & U.S.-EU Diplomatic Tension

[04:11–04:54]

• French Post Office Hacked:
  • French prosecutors say a pro-Russian hacking group disrupted postal services days before Christmas.
• U.S. Travel Bans on European Officials:
  • The Trump administration bans five EU officials over regulatory issues relating to tech companies and free speech.
  • Notable Attribution:

    “Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the five radical activists.” (04:50)

  • One official banned, Thierry Breton, was the former EU commissioner who supervised social media rules.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We're going to see the flood waters be reinforced with landslides, rock slides and mudslides all being reinforced across the area.”
  — National Weather Service (via Louise Schiavone), [00:53]
• “We may have a tech outage, but you care less about it if it's a five-minute recovery ... versus I had one major tech outage and it took me down for a day.”
  — Lauren Woods, Southwest Airlines CIO, [02:30]
• “We wish you a merry Christmas. We wish you a merry Christmas.”
  — Nashville bank choirs (archival audio), [03:34]
• “Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the five radical activists.”
  — Louise Schiavone, [04:50]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Southern California storm crisis: [00:14–01:12]
• Christmas Mass at Vatican & Bethlehem celebrations: [01:12–02:12]
• Holiday travel, Southwest Airlines tech upgrades: [02:12–02:53]
• Powerball jackpot, Asian markets: [02:53–03:34]
• Nashville bank choir tradition: [03:34–04:11]
• Cyber attack on France, US-EU tensions: [04:11–04:54]

This episode delivers brisk, essential news across weather, religion, travel, business, culture, and international affairs—offering a snapshot of Christmas morning in a global context.