NPR News: 12-28-2025 8PM EST

Summary

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NPR News Now — December 28, 2025, 8PM EST

Host: Jeanine Herbst (NPR)
Length: 5 minutes

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Overview

This brief NPR News Now episode provides key global and domestic news stories as of December 28, 2025, including developments in Ukraine-Russia ceasefire negotiations, severe winter weather across the Midwest and Northeast, the impact of U.S. policy changes on anti-poverty programs, diplomatic tensions regarding Somaliland's recognition by Israel, and an update from NASA’s Psyche mission.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Ukraine-Russia Ceasefire Negotiations

(00:13–01:15)

• President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky met in Florida to discuss a "revised 20-point ceasefire plan" to address Russia's "nearly 40 year old war."
• Progress Update:
  • Trump: Optimistic on progress while acknowledging a few remaining tough issues.
    • Quote:
      • “You can say 95%, but I don't like to say percentages. I just think we're doing very well. We’re very, we could be very close. There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues, but I think we're doing very well. We've made a lot of progress today, but really we've made it over the last month.”
        (President Trump, 00:32)
  • Zelensky: Emphasized U.S. security guarantees and plans for follow-up meetings.
    • Quote:
      • “We agree that our teams will meet in upcoming weeks to finalize all discussed matters. And we agreed with President Trump that he will host us and maybe in Washington, European leaders and Ukrainian delegation. Yes, in January. And Ukraine is ready for peace.”
        (President Zelensky, 00:55)
• Next Steps: Teams will finalize agreements, possibly involving European leaders in Washington D.C. in January.

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2. Severe Winter Cyclone Hits Midwest and Northeast

(01:15–02:15)

• Snowfall Forecast: More than a foot, with up to two feet expected along Lake Superior.
• Travel Disruptions:
  • At Chicago O'Hare, over half of flights delayed; nearly three-quarters at Minneapolis-St. Paul.
  • Sunday marked the heaviest holiday travel day; 2.9 million Americans in transit.
• Ongoing Threat: Storm moving east, bringing snow, sleet, and freezing rain to the Northeast.
  • Quote:
    • “The weather service forecasts more than a foot of snow across parts of the upper Great Lakes and as much as two feet along the southern shore of Lake Superior...The winter storm is expected to continue to move east with freezing rain forecast for the interior of the Northeast later Sunday.”
      (Frank Langfitt, 01:31)

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3. 2025: Year of Chaos for Anti-Poverty Groups

(02:15–03:11)

• Context: The Trump administration introduced and rolled back budget freezes and cuts, targeting safety net programs.
• Impact on Non-Profits:
  • Struggles for stability and funding.
  • Layoffs and reduced hours widespread.
    • Quote:
      • “Uncertainty, the panic and like the day to day not knowing is just really difficult.”
        (Kelly Hadas, HAPCAP, 02:43)
    • “It cut my paychecks completely in half. You know, we have mortgage, a car payment. My husband was like, well, what are we going to do? And I’m like, I don’t know.”
      (Kelsey Sexton, 02:54)
• Outlook: Significant continued cuts to Medicaid and SNAP expected to worsen situation for low-income Americans.

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4. Somalia, Arab, and African States Condemn Israel Over Somaliland Recognition

(03:11–04:08)

• Diplomatic Backlash: Over 20 Arab and African nations join Somalia in denouncing Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, citing violation of international law.
• Political Context:
  • Somaliland: Broke away from Somalia in 1991; plans to join the Abraham Accords, Israel’s normalization initiative started in Trump’s first term.
  • Somalia’s Response: Called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting.

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5. NASA’s Psyche Probe’s Interstellar Encounter

(04:08–04:50)

• NASA Psyche’s Mission: Heading toward a metal-rich asteroid to understand Earth’s core formation.
• Notable Event:
  • Spacecraft captured images of “3I Atlas,” a comet determined to have come from another star system—only the third such interstellar visitor detected.
    • Quote:
      • “The excitement came from an opportunity to take images of an object with the prosaic name Three Eye Atlas. Astronomers spotted Three Eye Atlas last summer and determined it was a comet. Its speed and trajectory have convinced them it came from a distant star.”
        (Joe Palka, 04:08)
  • Psyche will arrive at its asteroid target in 2030.

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Notable Quotes

• President Trump (00:32):
  “There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues, but I think we're doing very well. We've made a lot of progress today, but really we've made it over the last month.”
• President Zelensky (00:55):
  “Ukraine is ready for peace.”
• Kelly Hadas, HAPCAP (02:43):
  “Uncertainty, the panic and like the day to day not knowing is just really difficult.”
• Kelsey Sexton (02:54):
  “It cut my paychecks completely in half... My husband was like, well, what are we going to do? And I'm like, I don't know.”
• Frank Langfitt, NPR (01:31):
  “The weather service forecasts more than a foot of snow across parts of the upper Great Lakes... The winter storm is expected to continue to move east with freezing rain forecast for the interior of the Northeast later Sunday.”
• Joe Palka, NPR (04:08):
  “Astronomers spotted Three Eye Atlas last summer and determined it was a comet. Its speed and trajectory have convinced them it came from a distant star.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Ukraine-Russia Ceasefire Efforts: 00:13–01:15
• Cyclone Disrupts Holiday Travel: 01:15–02:15
• Anti-Poverty Programs in Crisis: 02:15–03:11
• Somaliland Recognition Controversy: 03:11–04:08
• NASA’s Psyche and Interstellar Comet: 04:08–04:50

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This episode presents a concise yet comprehensive snapshot of significant news headlines, global politics, humanitarian challenges, weather emergencies, and space exploration updates as of late December 2025.

Transcript

[A]

This message comes from Capital One with the Venture X card, earn unlimited double miles, a $300 annual capital one travel credit and access to airport lounges. Capital One what's in your wallet? Terms apply.

[B]

[e-mail] Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jeanine Herbst. President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky met in Florida today over a revised 20 point ceasefire plan in Russia's nearly 40 year old war. Trump says they have the makings of a deal.

[C]

You can say 95%, but I don't like to say percentages. I just think we're doing very well. We're very, we could be very close. There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues, but I think we're doing very well. We've made a lot of progress today, but really we've made it over the last month.

[B]

Zelensky wants the US to agree to security guarantees against further Russian aggression and says progress was made to that end.

[D]

We agree that our teams will meet in upcoming weeks to finalize all discussed matters. And we agreed with President Trump that he will host us and maybe in Washington, European leaders and Ukrainian delegation. Yes, in January. And Ukraine is ready for peace.

[B]

Trump spoke to Russian President Putin before meeting with Zelensky. An intense cyclone is expected to dump heavy snow from the upper Midwest to the Great Lakes as people head home following the Christmas holidays. It's a great according to the National Weather Service. NPR's Frank Langfit reports.

[E]

The weather service forecasts more than a foot of snow across parts of the upper Great Lakes and as much as two feet along the southern shore of Lake Superior. As of Sunday afternoon, nearly 180 flights, or more than half, were delayed at Chicago's O' Hare Airport. Nearly three quarters were delayed at Minneapolis St. Paul International. The Transportation Security Administration expects Sunday to be the heaviest travel day of the holiday season with nearly 2.9 million people in transit across the nation. The winter storm is expected to continue to move east with freezing rain forecast for the interior of the Northeast later Sunday. A mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain is projected for northern New England by Monday morning. Frank LangFitt, NPR News.

[B]

2025 will go down as a year of chaos for anti poverty groups. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports. They've had to scramble to keep operating as as the Trump administration targeted a string of safety net programs.

[F]

The turmoil started in January with a presidential order to freeze all funding. Then came a string of budget cuts, pauses and some reversals. Kelly Hadas at community action group HAPCAP in Ohio says the biggest challenge is.

[G]

Uncertainty, the panic and like the day to day not knowing is just really difficult.

[F]

The group laid off some people and shifted others to part time, including front desk clerk Kelsey Sexton.

[G]

It cut my paychecks completely in half. You know, we have mortgage, a car payment. My husband was like, well, what are we going to do? And I'm like, I don't know.

[F]

Advocates see little relief ahead as major cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food aid take hold. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News, Logan, Ohio.

[B]

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. More than 20 Arab and African states are joining Somalia in condemning Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland, calling it a blatant disregard to international law. Now Somalia is calling for an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting tomorrow. Somaliland plans to join the Abrams Accords, the normalization deals with Israel that started in the first Trump administration. Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 after the collapse of Somali's Somalia's central government amid a brutal civil war. A NASA mission to an unusual asteroid is now about 260 million miles from Earth. Joe Pelka reports. The probe known as Psyche recently had a bit of excitement during what is usually the boring phase of an interplanetary journey.

[H]

The excitement came from an opportunity to take images of an object with the prosaic name Three Eye Atlas. Astronomers spotted Three Eye Atlas last summer and determined it was a comet. Its speed and trajectory have convinced them it came from a distant star. This is only the third such interstellar visitor to be detected near Earth. In September, Psyche's mission managers scrambled to orient the probe so it could catch a glimpse of 3i Atlas, helping to refine its trajectory through our solar system. Psyche's main mission is to visit an asteroid made primarily of metals, possibly providing clues about how Earth's metal core formed. The probe will reach its target in 2030. For NPR News, I'm Joe Palka.

[B]

And I'm Jeanine Herbst. And you're listening to NPR News from Washington.

[A]

This message is from Give Directly, a nonprofit that sends cash directly to the world's poorest people. Pods Fight Poverty is supporting 700 families in Rwanda, with donations matched through December 31st. Visit GiveDirectly.org Podcast.