NPR News: 12-26-2025 3AM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now: 12-26-2025 3AM EST — Episode Summary

Overview

This five-minute episode of NPR News Now delivers concise updates on key national and international stories as of early December 26, 2025. Anchored by Dan Ronan, the top stories include U.S. military action in Nigeria, severe winter storms across the U.S., large-scale government layoffs, student math achievement post-pandemic, and renewed graphite mining in the U.S.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S. Military Strike on ISIS in Nigeria

[00:14]

• President Trump announced on Christmas Day that U.S. military forces targeted ISIS in Nigeria, working with local authorities.
• The strikes were said to be in response to ISIS attacks on Christians, though Nigeria's government frames the crisis as affecting all who oppose extremist ideology.
  • Quote:
    “We agreed that the statement that would be put out was also going to emphatically clarify that because we understand the security threats that we're facing to do with terrorist groups that are targeting innocent lives. Not a matter of religion.”
    — Yousef Maithai Tugar, Nigerian Foreign Minister ([00:53])
• Residents and security specialists confirm both Christians and Muslims are impacted by persistent violence.

2. Major Winter Storms Impacting the U.S.

[01:15]

• New York & Tri-State Area:
  Up to 8 inches of snowfall expected late Friday into Saturday, complicating Friday commutes.
• California:
  • Record rains in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles County (over 3 inches).
  • Flash floods, mudslides, road closures, power outages (over 120,000 affected).
  • Major flight delays at San Francisco International Airport (average 2 hours).
  • Several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada.
    • Quote:
      “Southern California has seen record setting rainfall totals... Bursts of intense rain caused scattered mudslides, flooded freeways and prompted evacuation orders in parts of LA and San Bernardino counties.”
      — Joel Rose, NPR Reporter ([01:49])

3. Federal Government Layoffs and Restructuring

[02:24]

• 317,000 federal jobs are at risk after widespread office closures and firings under the Trump administration.
• The administration claims these steps target “waste, fraud and abuse.”
• Critics argue government functions are being privatized to serve those in power.
  • Quote:
    “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.”
    — Max Steyer, Partnership for Public Service ([02:52])
• The White House asserts President Trump’s “only motivation is improving the lives of the American people” ([03:02]).

4. Student Math Achievement Still Lags Post-Pandemic

[03:12]

• National data show student math scores remain below pre-COVID-19 levels.
• In Maine, teachers are using real-world projects (e.g., analyzing Skittles) to teach mean, median, and mode.
  • Quote:
    “When we did our first project, we had to relate something in the real world to some of the stuff that we were learning in math. So I just did based off of, like, the crime rates.”
    — Andre Lutz, Brewer High School Senior ([03:59])
• Educators say showing math’s relevance increases student engagement, while random candy color distribution offers practical lessons in statistics.

5. Graphite Mining Revival in the U.S.

[04:20]

• Domestic graphite production is resurging, driven by demand (for uses from pencils to nuclear plants) and global trade tensions.
• Federal approval has enabled the recent opening of the Kilbourne Deposit mine near the New York–Canada border.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Clarifying the Nature of Conflict in Nigeria:
  “Not a matter of religion.” — Yousef Maithai Tugar ([00:53])
• On Trump Administration Layoffs:
  “This is a horror show.” — Max Steyer ([02:52])
• Engaging Math in Schools:
  “So I just did based off of, like, the crime rates.” — Andre Lutz ([03:59])
• Storm Impacts:
  “Record setting rainfall totals... caused scattered mudslides, flooded freeways and prompted evacuation orders.” — Joel Rose ([01:49])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:14] — News headlines, U.S. strikes in Nigeria
• [01:15] — Winter weather alerts for New York; California storm update
• [02:24] — Federal employee layoffs and administration motives
• [03:12] — National math scores and creative teaching in Maine
• [04:20] — U.S. graphite mining resurgence

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Tone and Language

The reporting maintains NPR’s objective, fact-driven tone, featuring direct statements from officials, critics, and affected individuals. Brief, clear, and balanced, the episode offers quick yet comprehensive coverage of each story.

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This summary captures the core news and perspectives from the 12-26-2025 3AM EST NPR News Now episode, streamlining essential information for listeners who missed the broadcast.

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from Capital One with the Quicksilver card. Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com for details.

[B]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dan Ronan. President Trump says the US Military on Christmas Day struck Islamic state targets in the West African nation of Nigeria. This after he claimed the group had been targeting Christians in the evenly split Christian, Muslim, Muslim country. The US Says the strikes were carried out in coordination with Nigerian authorities and multiple ISIS targets were killed. Nigeria says the recent Islamic attacks are targeting all of those who reject their version of Islam. The country's foreign minister, Yousef Maithai Tugar, spoke with the BBC.

[C]

We agreed that the statement that would be put out was also going to emphatically clarify that because we understand the security threats that we're facing to do with terrorist groups that are targeting innocent lives. Not a matter of religion.

[B]

Residents and security experts say Nigerity in their security crisis. It's impacting both Muslims and Christians. A fast moving winter storm could batter New York City in the Tri State area with up to 8 inches of snow late Friday into Saturday. The National Weather Service says travel could be difficult, especially as the snow is during the Friday afternoon commute. Meanwhile, a powerful winter storm is lashing much of California. NPR's Joel Rose reports. The storm is causing flash flooding, power outages and road closures.

[D]

Southern California has seen record setting rainfall totals with more than 3 inches of rain in Santa Barbara and parts of Los Angeles County. Bursts of intense rain caused scattered mudslides, flooded freeways and prompted evacuation orders in parts of LA And San Bernardino counties further north, the storm knocked out power to more than 120,000 customers in Central and Northern California, according to Poweroutage U.S. while high winds delayed inbound flights to San Francisco International Airport by an average of two hours, according to the faa. The storm also dumped several feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

[B]

Some 317,000 federal employees could be out of work by the end of the year. Here's Andrea Hsu.

[E]

This year, the Trump administration shuttered offices, fired tens of thousands of people, 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.

[F]

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.

[E]

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.

[B]

It's NPR Federal data shows that student math scores are still down compared to where they were before the COVID 19 pandemic. Maine Education officials are responding with an effort to get kids invested in math. Maddie Smith of Maine Public reports on what that looks like in the classro going to do the Candy Crush data.

[G]

Challenge in Shaun Donovan's career math class. High school students in Brewer, Maine, are using Skittles to get the mean, median and mode of the color distribution across each pack. Donovan says these skills are necessary for things like election polling, medical sampling and more. Senior Andre Lutz appreciates learning about math's real world relevance. He wants to study criminal justice.

[H]

When we did our first project, we had to relate something in the real world to some of the stuff that we were learning in math. So I just did based off of, like, the crime rates.

[G]

As for the color distribution of Skittles, turns out it's pretty random, a lesson that also applies to the real world. For NPR News, I'm Maddie Smith in Brewer, Maine.

[B]

Graphite mining is making a comeback in the United States after largely being shut down in the 1950s. Now demand for the mineral found in everything from pencils to nuclear power plants is surging. And with the ongoing trade tensions with domestic production is expected to increase. The federal government approved the permitting for a graphite mine, what's called the Kilbourne Deposit, that's near the New York Canada border, and the facility recently opened up this month. From Washington, this is NPR News. I'm Dan Ronan.

[I]

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