NPR News: 12-26-2025 9PM EST

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: NPR News Now
Host: Jeanine Herbst
Episode: 12-26-2025, 9PM EST
Date: December 27, 2025

This five-minute episode delivers concise updates on major national and international news stories, spanning topics from weather and crime to holiday shopping trends, security at the Louvre, groundbreaking research on air pollution, and a quick market summary.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New York City Prepares for Major Snowstorm

• State of Emergency: A winter storm warning has been issued, with the governor declaring a state of emergency in certain counties.

• Snowfall Predictions:

  • Expected accumulation: 7 to 8 inches in NYC.
  • Peak intensity: 1–2 inches/hour, front-loaded in the first 5–7 hours, complicating travel during a busy weekend.

• City Response:

  • Agencies fully coordinated; travel advisory issued.
  • Department of Sanitation pre-deploying salt spreaders, plows on standby.

  "The city is expecting somewhere around 7 to 8 inches of snow. And according to the National Weather Service, at the height of the storm, peak snowfall rates could be 1 to 2 inches per hour."
  — Sarah Ventri, [00:29]

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2. U.S. Crime Rates Decline in 2025

• Drop in Crime: Significant decrease nationwide in both property and violent crimes, including a dramatic fall in murders.

• Context:

  • The pandemic years (2020, 2021) saw spikes attributed to reduced policing, job losses, and suspended government services.

• Expert Insight:

  • John Roman likens trends in violence to the behavior of epidemics, suggesting reductions can be self-reinforcing.

  "If epidemics cause things to sp up, they should create virtuous cycles on the way down.”
  — John Roman, NORC at University of Chicago, [02:00]

  “More crime leads to more crime and less leads to less.”
  — Meg Anderson, [02:05]

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3. Boxing Day Shopping & Returns Surge

• Consumer Behavior:

  • High foot traffic at malls with many returning gifts.
  • Notable number of shoppers seeking post-holiday bargains.

• Shopper Profile:

  • Some are using gift cards/Christmas cash.
  • Others, like Beverly Barisi, shop year-ahead for best deals.

  “We do like the after Christmas sales, the 50% off. We pre-buy things this year for next year.”
  — Beverly Barisi, [02:49]

• Returns Data:

  • Up to 25% of pre-Christmas purchases expected to be returned. Estimated $1 trillion in merchandise value.

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4. Louvre Museum Tightens Security After Jewel Heist

• Action Taken:
  • Workers add security bars to the window breached by thieves in October’s dramatic crown jewel theft.
• Status:
  • Suspects arrested and charged, but $1.2 million worth of jewels still missing.

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5. Air Pollution's Impact on Birth Weight

• New Research Published:

  • Study combined U.S. air pollution data with birth records of 16,000+ mother-newborn pairs.

• Findings:

  • Higher air pollution correlates with lower birth weight.
  • Greatest risk when exposure occurs in the first five weeks of pregnancy.
  • Male newborns slightly more susceptible than females.

  “Exposure during early pregnancy, especially the first five weeks, had an even greater impact. Male newborns were slightly more susceptible.”
  — Jonathan Lambert, [03:55]

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6. Financial Markets Update

• Market Movement:
  • Both the Dow and the Nasdaq closed down by 20 and 2 points, respectively.
• Note:
  • Activity reported on a holiday-shortened trading week.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the nature of crime trends:

  “More crime leads to more crime and less leads to less.”
  — Meg Anderson, [02:05]

• On Boxing Day shopping:

  “We pre-buy things this year for next year.”
  — Beverly Barisi, [02:49]

• On the timing of pollution effects:

  “Exposure during early pregnancy, especially the first five weeks, had an even greater impact.”
  — Jonathan Lambert, [03:55]

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Segment Timestamps

• Winter Storm in NYC – [00:16–01:11]
• U.S. Crime Rate Decline – [01:11–02:12]
• Boxing Day Shopping – [02:12–03:10]
• Louvre Security Update – [03:10–03:36]
• Air Pollution & Birth Weight Study – [03:36–04:39]
• Market Update – [04:39–04:54]

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This concise news episode provides a snapshot of major stories, focusing on impactful developments affecting Americans—from public safety to shopping habits—while offering expert perspectives and research highlights.

Transcript

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[Jeanine Herbst]

I'm Jeanine Herbst. A winter storm warning is in effect for New York City as it braces for what could be its biggest snowfall in years. The state's governor has declared a state of emergency for some counties and peer Sarah Ventri has more.

[Sarah Ventri]

The city is expecting somewhere around 7 to 8 inches of snow. And according to the National Weather Service, at the height of the storm, peak snowfall rates could be 1 to 2 inches per hour. That's because this storm is front loaded, meaning that most of the snow will happen in the first five to seven hours. This makes things particularly challenging on what is a busy travel weekend. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that city agencies have been coordinating and are prepared for the winter weather system while they continue to monitor conditions closely. The city has issued a travel advisory and the Department of Sanitation is pre deploying hundreds of salt spreaders to treat roadways with plows at the ready. Sarah ventri, NPR News, New York.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Crime rates dropped across much of the U.S. in 2025. That was true for both property and violent crime. NPR's Meg Anderson has more.

[Meg Anderson]

Crime declined nearly everywhere in big cities and small towns in red and blue states. Murders in particular fell dramatically, and that large decrease was preceded by a large increase in 2020 and 2021. Homicide rates surged across the country. Crime analysts point to the instability of the pandemic for that increase. There were fewer police patrolling. Many people lost their jobs. Some government services like mental health care and community centers went away for a while. John Roman with norc, a research group at the University of Chicago, says it's helpful to think of violence as an epidemic.

[John Roman]

If epidemics cause things to sp up, they should create virtuous cycles on the way down.

[Meg Anderson]

More crime leads to more crime and less leads to less. Maggie Anderson, NPR News.

[Jeanine Herbst]

It's Boxing Day, the day after Christmas when lots of people return gifts or take advantage of post holiday bargains. Steve Futterman has more from a mall in Los Angeles.

[Steve Futterman]

There was plenty of foot traffic at shopping centers across the nation. At this mall in suburban Los Angeles, we we saw many people arriving with gifts. They are returning. Those people preferred not to talk to avoid embarrassment. Then there were the bargain hunters.

[Beverly Barisi]

We are actually just looking to spend some gift card money and Christmas cash.

[Steve Futterman]

Beverly Barisi came with her two children. Believe it or not, she is shopping for next Christmas.

[Beverly Barisi]

We do like the after Christmas sales, the 50% off we pre buy things this year for next year.

[Steve Futterman]

The returns platform seal estimates up to 25% of pre Christmas purchases for are expected to be returned. That represents around $1 trillion worth of merchandise. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles.

[Jeanine Herbst]

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. In Paris, workers this week started installing security bars on a window at the Louvre. That's the same window thieves used in a dramatic heist in October when crown jewels were stolen. The museum is addressing security concerns exposed by that theft, but the 1, 2 million dollars worth of jewels is still missing. But all four suspects have been arrested and charged. Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy could raise the risk of low birth rate. That's according to new research. And certain periods of pregnancy may be especially sensitive. As NPR's Jonathan Lambert reports, air pollution.

[Jonathan Lambert]

Can cause all sorts of problems, from aggravating asthma to increasing risk of stroke. Researchers have also found that air pollution can lower birth weight, which can cause problems for newborns. But it was unclear whether there were certain windows of pregnancy that matter to a developing fetus. A team of researchers combined localized measurements of air pollution across the United States with birth weight data for over 16,000 mother newborn pairs. In the journal JAMA Network Open. Researchers report that higher air pollution was associated with lower birth weight. Exposure during early pregnancy, especially the first five weeks, had an even greater impact. Male newborns were slightly more susceptible to the effects of pollution than female newborns. Jonathan Lambert, NPR News, Wall Street.

[Jeanine Herbst]

Lower by the closing bell. Both the Dow and the Nasdaq down 20 points, the Nasdaq down 2 points on a holiday shortened trading week. I'm Jeanine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.

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