Up First with NPR News

 

by Suzanne Nuyen

NPR

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!” Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images 🎧 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.

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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.