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Today’s top stories
The U.S. has launched a “deadly strike” against Islamic State fighters in northwest Nigeria, President Trump announced yesterday. Trump said in a Truth Social post that the strike was directed at “ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not see for many years, and even Centuries!”
President Trump listens during a ceremony for the presentation of the Mexican Border Defense Medal in the Oval Office of the White House on December 15, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images North America
- 🎧 The attack is a “significant intervention and inflection point” in U.S. military involvement in Nigeria, NPR’s Emmanuel Akinwotu tells Up First. He notes that the Christmas Day timing also carries religious symbolism. While ISIS has become a governing force in the rural areas and is one of several militant groups in the country, experts say the group targeted by the U.S. is not one of the main groups targeting Christians, according to Akinwotu. The key question now, he adds, is whether the strikes are about defending Christians, as the president says, or degrading ISIS in the region.
Holiday spending exceeded expectations, despite polling that shows Americans have low confidence in the economy. Black Friday and Cyber Monday set records, with Mastercard estimating that spending grew by nearly four percent in November and December.
- 🎧 “More and more, it’s the wealthy that are doing much of the spending,” NPR’s Alina Selyukh says. Many consumers are switching to more affordable options, such as T.J. Maxx or thrift stores, but luxury brands like Ralph Lauren continue to perform well. Growing wages have fueled much of the country’s spending, Selyukh says, and the job market will be a key thing to watch in the year ahead.
Congress entered 2025 with an ambitious agenda: strengthening the economy, addressing the border crisis, boosting the military and more. But throughout the year, it ceded much of its power to Trump. Lawmakers passed a record low number of bills as Trump dismantled parts of the government and clawed back billions in previously approved funding.
- 🎧 Nearly 30 House Republicans are not seeking reelection next year, NPR’s Claudia Grisales says. Speaker Mike Johnson saw pushback from his own party when he virtually closed the House during the 43-day shutdown. With a potential government shutdown in January and spiking health care premiums, affordability is expected to dominate the campaign trail — and Republicans aren’t guaranteed to hold on to their majority, Grisales notes.
Deep dive
A police officer stands guard as demonstrators march through downtown during a protest against President Trump’s immigration policies on Sept. 6 in Chicago, Ill.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Crime fell across much of the U.S. in 2025 — both violent and property crimes — in big cities and small towns across red and blue. NPR spoke to researchers who study crime about what drove this trend, and whether it could last. Here’s what they said:
- Homicide surged in 2020 and 2021 amid the economic, financial and psychological stress of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers say the country is now moving past that surge.
- The nationwide decline contrasts with the Trump administration’s depiction of crime, particularly in Democrat-led cities.
- Tahir Duckett, who directs the Center for Innovations in Community Safety at Georgetown Law, warns that using crime to justify crackdowns can erode civil rights and expand government power.
- Crackdowns can also backfire, increasing mistrust and making people less likely to call 911 or cooperate with police.
- Researchers aren’t optimistic that the trend will continue into 2026. Funding cuts worry experts like Ames Grawert, of the Brennan Center for Justice.
Weekend picks
Check out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:
🍿 Movies: Can Timothée Chalamet play a supremely annoying character and still captivate audiences from beginning to end? Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour discuss his latest film, Marty Supreme, to find out.
📺 TV: TV critic David Bianculli says 2025 offered so many great shows he couldn’t narrow them down to a list. But in a year of intense TV, this is the series he says stands apart.
📚 Books: Next year marks America’s 250th birthday. Consider these 10 books before the Fourth of July to gain a deeper understanding of U.S. history.
🎵 Music: Now that the radio stations have switched off the Christmas music, you can admit it: Was there a song you got sick of hearing? NPR breaks down why we hear the same songs year after year, and why the Christmas music canon is so hard to break into.
🎭 Theater: Love “The Nutcracker”? You’re not alone. The holiday staple brings in about half of many U.S. ballet companies’ annual revenue. And since the pandemic, they’ve relied on it more than ever.
3 things to know before you go
- This week’s Far-Flung Postcard takes readers to an iconic hair salon in the Jaffa flea market, in the greater part of Tel Aviv. When she needed a break from the news, NPR’s Hadeel Al-Shalchi would take refuge at the shop, which is deliberately protected by its owner and welcomes Jews and Palestinians alike.
- The original Betty Boop, the first four Nancy Drew books and Greta Garbo’s first talkie are among the many works from 1930 that will enter the public domain starting Jan. 1.
- Is gaining strength one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2026? Life Kit’s Guide to Building Strength newsletter will give you a month of expert tips on how to create a lasting strength and resistance training routine.
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
