NPR News: 12-26-2025 12PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now — December 26, 2025, 12PM EST

Host: Doua Khalilzad
Episode Theme:
A concise roundup of the top global and U.S. news, including U.S. military action in Nigeria, major federal workforce changes, a surprisingly robust holiday shopping season, fresh U.S.-China tensions over Taiwan arms sales, and new North Korean military developments.

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1. U.S. Strikes on ISIS Targets in Nigeria

[00:17 - 01:15]

• Headline: President Trump announced U.S. military strikes on ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria, coordinated with the Nigerian government.
• Background:
  • Trump’s attention to Nigeria heightened last month via social media, especially around the safety of Christians.
    • Notable Quote:
      • Pete Hegseth / Max Steyer [00:41]: “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.”
  • Trump’s message tied the operation to protecting Christians:
    • Notable Quote (Trump, read by Tamara Keith) [00:52]:
      • “Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues.”
• Nigerian Reaction:
  • While Nigeria’s foreign ministry confirmed providing U.S. intelligence on ISIS, they distanced the operation from religious motivations, emphasizing protection of "Nigerians and innocent lives."

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2. Federal Government Job Cuts

[01:15 - 02:24]

• Headline: Over 300,000 federal employees expected to leave government by year's end—twice the average of recent years.
• Context:
  • Trump administration accelerated office closures, layoffs, and buyouts.
  • Trump argued this was about eliminating “waste, fraud, and abuse.”
  • Criticism from Max Steyer (Partnership for Public Service):
    • Notable Quote [02:02]:
      • “If you look at the facts and if you look at the impact of the actions of this administration, this is a horror show.”
• White House Statement:
  • Administration says cuts are purely to "improve the lives of the American people and make the country greater than ever before."

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3. Holiday Retail Sales Surge

[02:24 - 03:05]

• Headline: Despite tariff concerns, 2025’s holiday shopping season broke records.
• Spending Details:
  • Tariffs and trade volatility did not dampen consumer activity.
  • Black Friday and Cyber Monday both saw record spending.
    • Data Points:
      • Black Friday set new highs
      • Cyber Monday: Over $10 million spent "every minute" on evening of the event (Adobe Analytics).
      • MasterCard reported nearly 4% growth in November and December sales.
• Drivers:
  • Growing wages fueled much of the shopping.
  • Job market trends are flagged as the top factor to watch in 2026.

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4. China Sanctions U.S. Defense Companies over Taiwan Arms Sales

[03:05 - 04:17]

• Headline: China imposes new sanctions on American defense companies (Northrop Grumman, Boeing St. Louis, etc.) in response to U.S. arms deal with Taiwan.
• Details:
  • Sanctions include asset freezes and business bans in China.
  • Retaliation for recent $11 billion U.S. arms sale to Taipei, which features HIMARS, atacms, and drones.
  • China reiterates claim over Taiwan and urges the U.S. to stop "dangerous arms sales."
  • Taiwan's government publicly welcomes U.S. support.

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5. North Korea Military Advancements

[04:17 - 04:56]

• Headline: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un calls for ramped up missile and artillery production.
• Media Reports:
  • KCNA, North Korea’s state outlet, claims Kim inspected military factories in South Hamgyeong Province.
  • KCNA released first images of what it calls an “80,700 ton nuclear powered strategic guided missile submarine” — reportedly a completed hull of a nuclear sub (not independently verified).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Nigeria strikes (Trump, via Tamara Keith) [00:52]:
  • "Merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues."
• On Federal Job Cuts (Max Steyer) [02:02]:
  • "This is a horror show."
• On Holiday Spending (Alina Selyukh) [02:37]:
  • "We saw Black Friday set a record, then Cyber Monday set a spending record. Adobe analytics... saw people spending over $10 million every minute on the evening of Cyber Monday."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• U.S.-Nigeria military strikes – 00:17–01:15
• Federal workforce reductions – 01:15–02:24
• Holiday shopping data – 02:24–03:05
• China-Taiwan arms sanctions – 03:05–04:17
• North Korea missile/submarine news – 04:17–04:56

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This fast-paced episode covers the major political, economic, and geopolitical stories shaping headlines as 2025 draws to a close.

Transcript

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[Doua Khalilzad (NPR News Anchor)]

Live from NPR News in New York City. I'm Doua Elisa Kowtel. President Trump has announced a series of military strikes on ISIS targets in northwest Nigeria. NPR's Tamara Keith reports. The action was in cooperation with the Nigerian government.

[Tamara Keith (NPR Correspondent)]

President Trump first drew attention to Nigeria last month with a series of social media posts, including this video.

[Pete Hegseth / Max Steyer (Political Commentators)]

Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands and thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter.

[Tamara Keith (NPR Correspondent)]

In a post announcing the strikes, Trump wrote, quote, merry Christmas to all, including the dead terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues. In his own post, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth thanked the Nigerian government for its cooperation and said there would be more to come. Tamara Keith, NPR News.

[Doua Khalilzad (NPR News Anchor)]

Nigeria's foreign ministry said it provided the US with intelligence on ISIS extremists ahead of the Christmas Day strikes, but said it is not to do with religion. It is protecting Nigerians and innocent lives. The White House says more than 300,000 federal employees will be out of the government by year's end. And Piers Andrea Hsu reports that's more than double the average of the past five years.

[Andrea Hsu (NPR Correspondent)]

This year, the Trump administration shuttered offices, fired tens of thousands of people and paid far more to quit. President Trump says he's ridding the country of waste, fraud and abuse. But Max Steyer, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, says Trump is turning the government into one that serves the private interests of those in power, not the public good.

[Pete Hegseth / Max Steyer (Political Commentators)]

I think we are in a battle of narrative. I think that if you look at the facts and if you look at the impact of the actions of this administration, this is a horror show.

[Andrea Hsu (NPR Correspondent)]

In a statement, the White House told NPR Trump's only motivation is improving the lives of the American people and making the country greater than ever before. Andrea Hsu, NPR News.

[Doua Khalilzad (NPR News Anchor)]

In January, more accurate numbers will be released about the biggest holiday spending. But NPR's retail correspondent Alina Selyuk says so far, all signs point to a surprisingly big year, considering all the tariffs.

[Alina Selyukh (NPR Retail Correspondent)]

For how much we've talked about tariffs, with all the delays and changes, they did not disrupt the holiday season as much as feared. We saw Black Friday set a record, then Cyber Monday set a spending record. Adobe analytics, which tracks online shopping, saw people spending over $10 million every minute on the evening of Cyber Monday, MasterCard, which tracks spending online and in stores, estimates that spending grew nearly 4% in November and December.

[Doua Khalilzad (NPR News Anchor)]

She adds, so far it's been growing wages fueling much of the shopping. But one big thing to watch in the New Year's is the job market. This is NPR News from New York. China has announced sanctions on several American defense companies over arms sales to Taiwan. Ashish Valentine reports any assets these companies have in China will be frozen and Chinese companies are forbidden from doing business with them. The sanctions hit Northrop Grumman, Boeing's branch in St. Louis and several other companies.

[Ashish Valentine (NPR Correspondent)]

The sanctions hit Northrop Grumman, Boeing's branch in St. Louis and several other companies. China's Foreign ministry said they were retaliation for an $11 billion arms sale the U.S. recently signed with Taipei. It urged the U.S. to stop dangerous arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory. The package, which needs to be cleared by Congress, includes long range weapon systems like the HIMARS and atacms that the US has been sending to Ukraine and a billion dollars worth of drones. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense praised the US for helping it build strong deterrent power. For NPR News, I'm Ashish Valentine.

[Doua Khalilzad (NPR News Anchor)]

North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un announced an increase in its production of missiles and artillery shells while visiting factories in his country's South Hamgyeong Province. This is according to the state run Korean Central News Agency, or kcna, and is not independently verified. Images released this week by KCNA also showed pictures of what its state media described as a 80, 700 ton nuclear powered strategic guided missile submarine. This is reportedly the first reveal of what appears to be a completed haul of a nuclear submarine. This is NPR News.

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