NPR News: 12-26-2025 5AM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now — December 26, 2025, 5AM EST

Host: Louise Schiavone
Episode Theme:
A rapid-fire recap of key national and international news, covering the US-Nigeria anti-ISIS operation, US immigration enforcement updates, holiday gasoline prices, innovative approaches to boosting math learning post-pandemic, and California weather alerts.

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1. US-Nigeria Joint Strike Against Islamic State (00:17–01:06)

• Summary:
  The US conducted a deadly airstrike against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, responding to ongoing persecution of Christians. The operation took place on Christmas Day, with active cooperation between US and Nigerian authorities.
• Key Points:
  • President Trump announced the strike via social media.
  • Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yousef Maitama Tugar confirmed Nigerian intelligence was vital to the operation.
  • The operation was presented as a joint, cooperative effort.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "This is coming from intelligence, Intelligence also from the Nigerian side. Because it's our country we monitor, we're in a better position to monitor movements. And it's shared intelligence. And it's, like I said, a joint operation between Nigeria and the U.S."
    — Yousef Maitama Tugar (00:42)
• Context:
  The US is taking additional steps such as restricting visas for Nigerians implicated in attacks on Christians.

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2. Islamic State Arrests in Istanbul (01:06–01:23)

• Summary:
  Turkish authorities detained over 100 suspected ISIS members alleged to be planning holiday attacks in Istanbul.
• Key Points:
  • Planned attacks were aimed at Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
• Context:
  This arrest is part of broader concerns over holiday-season terrorism in global hotspots.

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3. US Immigration Enforcement & Family Safeguards (01:23–02:23)

• Summary:
  The Trump administration’s stringent immigration enforcement led to the deportation of over 500,000 undocumented immigrants in 2025.
• Key Points:
  • Immigration lawyers now advise undocumented parents to legally designate emergency guardians for their US citizen children.
  • The emotional and practical impact on families is profound, as volunteers step up to care for children if parents are detained.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "Immigration lawyers are advising that undocumented parents set up emergency guardianship for their US Citizen children."
    — Jasmine Garsd (01:49)
  • Personal story shared by Jasmine Garsd about a mom volunteering as an emergency guardian (01:49–02:23).

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4. Holiday Gas Prices & Travel Cost Trends (02:23–03:17)

• Summary:
  Gasoline prices in the US have dropped to an average of $2.85 per gallon, providing relief to holiday travelers.
• Key Points:
  • Gas prices are down $0.19 from last year, with little seasonal volatility.
  • OPEC’s increased oil output has helped keep prices low.
  • Nearly 110 million Americans expected to drive for the holidays.
  • Lower prices could save Americans approximately $400 million weekly.
  • Public EV charging costs remain steady at an average of $0.38 per kilowatt hour.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "This year, the price of gasoline has been relatively low and remarkably stable...the national average was basically a straight line."
    — Camilla Dominoski (02:39)

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5. Using Candy Crush and Skittles to Teach Math in Maine (03:17–04:35)

• Summary:
  Maine educators are integrating popular games and candies (Candy Crush, Skittles) to help students relate statistics to real life and recover learning lost during the pandemic.
• Key Points:
  • Students in Brewer, Maine, use Skittles to study statistical concepts like mean, median, and mode.
  • Real-world applications, such as crime rates, polling, and sampling, are emphasized.
  • Senior Andre Lutz finds this teaching approach relevant for career ambitions in criminal justice.
  • The randomness of Skittles colors becomes a metaphor for real-world unpredictability.
• Notable Quotes:
  • "We're gonna do the Candy Crush Data..."
    — Maddie Smith (03:46)
  • "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 (04:13)
  • "As for the color distribution of Skittles, turns out it's pretty random, a lesson that also applies to the real world."
    — Sean Donovan (04:23)

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6. California Weather Warnings (04:35–04:56)

• Summary:
  The National Weather Service reports ongoing heavy rain in Southern California, posing risks of flash flooding, especially in the Los Angeles basin. Prolonged snowfall and strong winds threaten travel in the Sierra Nevada.
• Context:
  Drivers are urged to use caution amid hazardous weather conditions.

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End of Content

Transcript

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[Louise Schiavone]

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. The U.S. yesterday launched a deadly strike against Islamic State forces in Nigeria amid persistent charges the militants have been persecuting Christians. President Trump posted news of strike on his social media site. Nigeria's Foreign Minister Yousef Maitama Tugar says that Nigeria was in on the strategic planning of the Christmas Day strike.

[Yousef Maitama Tugar]

This is coming from intelligence, Intelligence also from the Nigerian side. Because it's our country we monitor, we're in a better position to monitor movements. And it's shared intelligence. And it's, like I said, a joint operation between Nigeria and the U.S. tugar.

[Louise Schiavone]

Spoke to the BBC. The U.S. state Department has announced that there'll be restrictions on visas for Nigerians and family members found to be involved in attacks on Christians. In Christmas Day raids at more than 100 locations. In Istanbul, police detained over 100 suspected members of the militant Islamic State group. Authorities there say that terrorists were planning attacks at Christmas and New Year's celebrations. 2025 has been a year of unprecedented immigration enforcement across the U.S. as the Trump administration has deported more than 500,000 undocumented immigrants. NPR's Jasmine Garsd says that some undocumented parents are taking steps to make sure that their children are safe.

[Jasmine Garsd]

Immigration lawyers are advising that undocumented parents set up emergency guardianship for their US Citizen children. What that means is legally designating someone who can step in as a guard. The parents are detained. Over the summer, I spoke to an American mom in Washington, D.C. who asked to remain anonymous because she didn't want to put the Honduran family she's friends with at risk. She had just signed this paperwork to become the emergency guardian for her teenage son's best friend in case his parents were deported to Honduras.

[Louise Schiavone]

NPR's Jasmine Garzed. American motorists are getting a nice Christmas gift this week. According to AAA, gasoline is averaging just 285 nationwide, down 19 cent last year. Prices have been drifting downward. NPR's Camilla Dominoski reports.

[Camilla Dominoski]

This year, the price of gasoline has been relatively low and remarkably stable. Instead of rising in the summer, the national average was basically a straight line. Partly that's because oil prices have been low, thanks largely to the oil cartel, OPEC pushing more barrels onto the market. AAA expects that nearly 110 million Americans will travel by car this holiday season. The app GasBuddy estimates that the lower gas prices this year will save Americans collectively near $400 million weekly on those trips. AAA says the cost of public EV charging remains steady, averaging 38 cents per kilowatt hour. Camila Dominosky, NPR News.

[Louise Schiavone]

This is NPR. Walk down any aisle on a train or airplane, you'll find someone staring at a phone playing Candy Crush seems mindless, but is it? In the state of Maine, education officials think they can make it work for them in math classes about probability and more. Anything that works. As the data shows, students everywhere are struggling to bring their math scores back up to pre pandemic levels. Maddie Smith of Maine Public reports on what that looks like in the classroom.

[Maddie Smith]

We're gonna do the Candy Crush Data.

[Sean Donovan]

Challenge in Sean 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.

[Andre Lutz]

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.

[Sean Donovan]

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.

[Louise Schiavone]

In Southern California today, the National Weather Service says that heavy rain will continue. The heaviest will be in the Los Angeles basin with the potential of flash flooding in the Sierra Nevada. A prolonged heavy snowfall is underway with snow and strong winds making travel difficult. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington.

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