NPR News: 12-25-2025 8AM EST

Summary

NPR News Now – 12-25-2025, 8AM EST

Host: Windsor Johnston
Date: December 25, 2025
Runtime: ~5 minutes

---

Episode Overview

This concise news update provides listeners with the most important headlines for Christmas morning 2025, spotlighting global and national events. Major stories include Pope Leo’s first Christmas Mass, storm emergencies in California, changes to U.S. immigration and visa rules, developments in the Jeffrey Epstein files, holiday entertainment trends, and a record-breaking Powerball win.

---

Key News Highlights & Insights

1. Pope Leo’s First Christmas Day Mass

[00:11 – 01:25]

• Event: Pope Leo delivered his inaugural Christmas Mass as pontiff at the Vatican.
• Message: The Pope urged unity and peace, referencing Christ’s birth as a path "out of division and hostility".
• Quote:

  “Indeed, he is our peace. He has conquered hatred and enmity through God's merciful love. For this reason, the Lord's birth is the birth of peace.” – Windsor Johnston, translating Pope Leo [00:43]

• Atmosphere: Massive crowds gathered in Bethlehem and Nazareth for the largest Christmas celebrations in years, following two subdued seasons due to the war in Gaza.

2. California Slammed by Severe Storms

[01:25 – 02:11]

• Emergency Declarations:
  • Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency after a day of severe weather: floods, mudslides, power outages.
  • California Governor Gavin Newsom had previously issued a statewide emergency.
• Weather Outlook:
  • A series of powerful storms continue to threaten the region.
  • Specific hazards noted: reinforced flood waters, landslides, rock slides, with more than 10 inches of rain in some mountain areas on Wednesday.
• Continued Risk: Storms are expected to persist through Friday.
• Quote:

  “We're going to see the flood waters be reinforced. Landslides, rock slides and mudslides all being reinforced across the area.” – Ariel Cohn, National Weather Service [01:52]

3. Rule Changes for H1B Visas

[02:11 – 03:08]

• Policy Update: The Department of Homeland Security will overhaul the H1B visa allocation process, effective for the 2027 fiscal year.
• Major Changes:
  • The traditional lottery system is being replaced by a "weighted selection process" prioritizing applicants with higher skills and salaries.
  • Aim: “To prevent employers from using the program to import low wage foreign labor and to protect wages and job opportunities for US workers.” – John Ruich [02:34]
• Caps: The limits remain the same—65,000 visas, with 20,000 extra for those with advanced U.S. degrees.
• Impact: The change, together with a recently announced $100,000 fee per visa, could disrupt the tech industry’s labor market.

4. Jeffrey Epstein Files Release Delayed

[03:08 – 03:54]

• Justice Department Update: DOJ reports needing more time to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
• Reason: Discovery of “more than a million additional records” that require legal review and redaction.
• Congressional Deadline Missed: Attorneys are reportedly “working around the clock” to comply with legal requirements.

5. Christmas Movie Rankings

[03:54 – 04:40]

• Most Popular:
  • Home Alone (1990) is the top Christmas movie on both broadcast and streaming TV for three out of the past four years.
  • Exception: Last year, the Prime Video original Red One (starring Dwayne Johnson) claimed the spot.
• Other Top Movies:
  • Elf, Home Alone 2, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
  • A Christmas Story gains popularity due to a 24-hour cable marathon.
  • Notably, Die Hard made the holiday list at #11 last year.
• Quote:

  “The action movie stars Dwayne Johnson as head of Santa's security detail.” – Neta Ulaby [04:03]

6. Powerball Jackpot Winner in Arkansas

[04:40 – 04:53]

• Record Win: A single ticket sold in Arkansas matched all six numbers, securing a $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot.
• Significance: This is the second-largest jackpot in U.S. history.

---

Notable Quotes

• On Papal Message for Peace:

  “Indeed, he is our peace. He has conquered hatred and enmity through God's merciful love. For this reason, the Lord's birth is the birth of peace.”
  – Windsor Johnston paraphrasing Pope Leo [00:43]

• On California Storm Risks:

  “We're going to see the flood waters be reinforced. Landslides, rock slides and mudslides all being reinforced across the area.”
  – Ariel Cohn, NWS [01:52]

• On H1B Changes:

  “The idea is to prevent employers from using the program to import low wage foreign labor and to protect wages and job opportunities for US workers.”
  – John Ruich [02:34]

• On Christmas Movie Trends:

  “December's Home Alone takes place over Christmas. It's about a little boy left behind when his family goes on vacation.”
  – Neta Ulaby [03:54]

---

Useful Timestamps

• [00:11] Pope’s Christmas Mass & message
• [01:25] California storm emergency
• [02:11] H1B visa announcement
• [03:08] Epstein files update
• [03:54] Christmas movie ranking
• [04:40] Powerball jackpot winner

---

Tone & Style

Consistent with NPR’s concise, informative style, the episode balances urgent news with cultural touchstones, all delivered in a calm and accessible tone. The reporting is factual, with moments of human interest, especially in coverage of Christmas celebrations and pop culture.

---

Summary

This edition of NPR News Now weaves together major international, national, and cultural headlines to keep listeners informed during the holiday season. It covers spiritual messages of unity from the Vatican, weather crises in California, significant shifts in U.S. immigration policy, continued legal transparency efforts, Christmas movie favorites, and the life-changing fortune of one Arkansas resident.

Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

This message comes from Capital one with the Capital One Saver card. Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment. Capital One what's in your wallet? Terms apply.

[NPR News Anchor]

[e-mail] Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Pope Leo celebrated his first Christmas Day Mass as pontiff at the Vatican today. Speaking from the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square, the pope called on the faithful to embrace peace, saying Christ's birth offers a path out of division and hostility.

[NPR Correspondent John Ruich]

Il natale del signore e il natale del apace.

[NPR News Anchor]

Indeed, he is our peace. He has conquered hatred and enmity through God's merciful love. For this reason, the Lord's birth is the birth of peace. In Bethlehem, crowds packed Manger Square last night to celebrate Christmas. EV Scouts played festive music in Bethlehem and Nazareth, where Christians believe Jesus was born and raised. It was the largest celebration in years. After two seasons of scaled back events due to the war in Gaza, Southern California is getting slammed by heavy rain. Steve Futterman reports. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has declared a state of emergency.

[NPR Correspondent Steve Futterman]

The declaration comes after a day of floods, fallen trees, mudslides, traffic jams and power outages. The move paves the way for the city to deploy adequate resources to deal with the storms. Earlier, California Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a state of emergency. Right now, the forecast does not look good. A new series of powerful storms will hit the area today. Ariel Cohn is with the National Weather Service.

[Commercial Announcer]

We're going to see the flood waters be reinforced. Landslides, rock slides and mudslides all being reinforced across the area.

[NPR Correspondent Steve Futterman]

In some mountain areas, more than 10 inches alone fell on Wednesday. The storms are expected to continue into Friday. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.

[NPR News Anchor]

The Department of Homeland Security is changing the rules for H1B visas for skilled foreigners. NPR's John Ruich reports. They're set to take effect in late February.

[NPR Correspondent John Ruich]

The new rules will be in place for the 2027 fiscal year. The big change is that they do away with the lottery system that has for years determined who gets H1B visas. Instead, there will be a weighted selection process that favors people with higher skills and higher salaries. The idea is to prevent employers from using the program to import low wage foreign labor and to protect wages and job opportunities for US workers. The cap on the number of H1B visas will stay at 65,000, with an additional 20,000 for foreigners with advance advanced US degrees. H1Bs have been widely used in the tech sector, and analysts say changes to the way they're issued, including a $100,000 fee per visa announced by the Trump administration in the fall, could be disruptive. John Ruich, NPR News.

[NPR News Anchor]

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Justice Department says it may need a few more weeks to finish releasing files tied to the Jeffrey Epstein case, despite missing a deadline from Congress. Officials say more than a min million additional records were recently discovered by federal prosecutors and the FBI. The DOJ says attorneys are working around the clock to review them and apply legally required redactions. The most popular Christmas movie on broadcast and streaming TV is Home Alone. NPR's Neta Ulaby reports. The movie from 1990 has been the top ranked film by Nielsen for three out of the past four.

[NPR Correspondent Neta Ulaby]

December's Home Alone takes place over Christmas. It's about a little boy left behind when his family goes on vacation. It's been the most watched holiday movie every December since 2021, except for last year when the Prime Video movie Red One took the top spot. The action movie stars Dwayne Johnson as head of Santa's security detail.

[Commercial Announcer]

Someone took Nick.

[NPR Correspondent Neta Ulaby]

Other recent top ranked Christmas movies include elf, Home Alone 2 and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The movie, A Christmas Story, benefits from a 24 hour marathon that runs on TBS and TNT. And although there's debate about whether Die Hard is really a Christmas movie, Nielsen says last year it landed on the holiday list at number 11. Neta Ulaby, NPR News.

[NPR News Anchor]

Someone in Arkansas is waking up a billionaire. A single ticket matched all six numbers to win the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot drawn last night, the second largest in U.S. history. This is NPR.

[Commercial Announcer]

This message comes from AT&T. Hearing a voice can change everything, so AT&T wants everyone to gift their voice to loved ones this holiday season because that convo is a chance to say something you can hear forever. AT&T. Connecting changes everything.