Trump’s address; ACA Vote; Venezuela Oil Tankers : NPR
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Today’s best stories
President Trump insisted the United States is poised for an economic boom during a prime-time speech. to the nation yesterday. He said high prices were on the decline and blamed much of the country’s problems on his predecessors and immigrants. The message comes as Trump’s rating on the economy is historically low and high prices remain a major concern, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
President Trump addresses the nation from the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, DC, December 17, 2025.
Doug Mills/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
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Doug Mills/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 The president basically asked people to wait because his policieswhich he adopted this year, will have benefits in the new year, says NPR’s Deepa Shivaram First. Trump said families would get a bigger tax refund next year. He also announced an initiative that would pay $1,776 to the military and an upcoming plan to help reduce the cost of housing. Shivaram said overall it seemed like a pretty typical Trump speech, which included a long list of everything he considers his accomplishments all bundled together.
The House of Representatives voted yesterday on a Republican-led health care plan that did not include expanding enhanced health care subsidies. More than 20 million Americans rely on these subsidies, which expire at the end of this month. Several Republicans opposed the party leadership and joined Democrats to force a vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies.
- 🎧 The Speaker of the House must now make the decision whether or not to move the vote earlier.says NPR’s Barbara Sprunt. If the vote doesn’t happen by the end of this week, it won’t happen until next year, when lawmakers go on vacation. Sprunt said some Republicans might change their position on these subsidies because next year is a midterm year. Lawmakers recognize what is important to their constituents – in this case, the impact of expiring subsidies on insurance premiums.
Trump ordered a ban on all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. This threat of a partial blockade intensifies the pressure campaign led by the administration against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. It also raises the question of whether the two countries are moving closer to direct military conflict.
- 🎧 A total blockade is considered an act of war, but the Trump administration appears to be targeting only oil tankers already on the sanctions list.according to NPR’s Greg Myre. For years, the United States has sanctioned “ghost ships,” i.e. oil tankers that attempt to conceal their identity and location in an attempt to evade U.S. and Western sanctions. This latest move could prove to be a major blow to Venezuela, as the country is heavily dependent on oil exports. A large, fully loaded tanker carries more than $100 million worth of oil. If the United States seizes a number of ships, it could scare off unsanctioned tankers who might decide the risk is not worth it.
Deep dive
Ailsa Ostovitz, left, and her mother, Stephanie Rizk, at their home in the Maryland suburb of Washington, D.C. In mid-November, Rizk met with Ostovitz’s teachers to discuss accusations that her daughter used AI to do some of her homework.
Beck Harlan/NPR
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Beck Harlan/NPR
More than 40% of surveyed teachers in grades 6-12 used AI detection tools in the previous school year, according to a Center for Democracy and Technology survey. Teachers did this despite numerous studies highlighting the unreliability of these tools. Popular detectors like Turnitin, GPTZero and Copyleaks falsely identified some things as AI that were not, and vice versa, according to findings by Mike Perkins, a leading researcher on academic integrity and AI at Britain’s Vietnam University. Their accuracy rates drop even further when users manipulate the AI test to appear more human. Despite these challenges, NPR found that school districts across the United States are spending thousands of dollars on these tools.
- ➡️ John Grady, language and literature teacher, uses AI detection tools as a starting point to engage in conversations with students about the use of AI.
- ➡️ Grady says it analyzes all essays with GPTZero, and if the tool reports a 50% probability of AI use, it digs deeper using revision history tools to measure writing time and number of edits. If a student submits their work with few edits and minimal writing time, they will make a save.
- ➡️ High school student Zi Shi, whose native language is Mandarin, fears that AI software will undermine his work due to his writing style and limited English vocabulary.
Life advice
zip with banknotes on blue background
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Parkpoom/Getty Images
More holiday shoppers are choosing buy now, pay later (BNPL) this season. On Cyber Monday, consumers financed a record $1 billion in online purchases through this payment option, according to data from Adobe Analytics. Adobe predicts that by the end of the season, that figure will reach $20.2 billion, an 11% increase from last year. BNPL allows shoppers to buy products instantly through lenders like Afterpay and Klarna, and pay them back over time. However, like any form of credit, it has disadvantages. Financial experts shared with Life kit tips for using BNPL responsibly. Here are some of the tips provided to help you protect yourself against risks:
- 💲If you already have credit card debt or can’t afford to cover payments, be wary of using BNPL.
- 💲 Try to only take out these loans from one lender, so that all your payment plans are in one place, allowing you to better track payments.
- 💲 Avoid impulse purchases just because BNPL is an option. One way to avoid buyer’s remorse is to imagine talking with your future self, who is looking over all those invoices.
If you’re curious to learn more about how BNPL loans work, check out these six advantages and disadvantages. Subscribe to THE Life kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.
3 things to know before you leave
“Rusty rivers” are becoming more common in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska due to thawing permafrost. The orange color is caused by natural iron, but it also often indicates high levels of heavy metals.
Josh Koch/U.S. Geological Survey
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Josh Koch/U.S. Geological Survey
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Arctic report for this year finds that the northernmost part of Earth is warming faster than the global average. This leads to melting glaciers, shifting fish populations and orange-colored rivers.
- On the island of Chiloé, Chile, NPR’s Michele Kelemen noticed many stores selling images of witches. She asked her Chilean anthropologist friend Alejandra Leighton to explain why. Discover the story of these witches in this week’s edition of the Far-Flung Postcards series.
- Stealing a kiss under the mistletoe is a centuries-old holiday tradition, but the origins of the word aren’t as romantic. For NPR’s “Word of the Week,” we explore the history of the plant’s name, delve into the tradition of kissing, and take a scientific detour.
This newsletter was published by Suzanne Nuyen.
