NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-04-2025 11AM EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

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Noor Rahm Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. Observances began a short time ago in Georgia for former President Jimmy Carter, who died there Sunday at the age of 100. It's the first of six days to remember the 39th president. A motorcade is carrying his body to the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, where it will lie in repose around the clock from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday to allow the public to pay final respects. His grand niece Cameron Carter

says she'll miss him terribly. Things won't feel the same as they used to because you're just so used to him being a part of everything, seeing the Secret Service all the time and so it's gonna be a lot different knowing that he's not around and you can't just call him up or ask if you can go see him so it's going to be a lot different knowing that he's not around and you can't just call him up or ask if you can go see him. So it's going to be tough. Carter's remains will be brought to Washington next week to lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda. His funeral will be held Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral.

Police have released notes from a phone found in the Tesla's cyber truck that exploded in front of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday. Joe Shaneman of Member Station KNPR reports the notes suggest the driver's motive. In a note-taking app, Matthew Livelsberger, an active duty special forces sergeant, complained about the country's leadership, said the explosion was not a terrorist attack, and wrote, quote, I needed to cleanse my mind of the brothers I've lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I took.

Las Vegas police sheriff Kevin Mcmahill said Littlesberger appeared to have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. So I think, A, we need to really pay attention to those individuals, pay attention to what mental health in America looks like. And I think this is just one more incident that brings that to the forefront. Police, the FBI and ATF all said they're still working to learn more about Lillezberger's motivation. For NPR News, I'm Joe Shaneman in Las Vegas. Security officials killed two Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

At least 14 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks as officers there have launched a crackdown on militants. NPR's Emily Fang reports. The Palestinian Authority, or PA, currently governs most of the West Bank, but it also has ambitions of governing the Gaza Strip again if there is a ceasefire with Israel. And the PA has made it its mission to bring order over what it says are lawless militants

in the West Bank, particularly in the Jenin refugee camp. For more than a month now, the PA has besieged the camp, creating resentment among fellow Palestinians. On Friday, a father and a son were killed while eating breakfast. The man's wife, Lamia Youssef Mahmoudoud blamed the PA. May you suffer like we are suffering, she shouted at PA soldiers, who residents in the Jenin camp accuse of collaborating with Israel. Emily Fang, NPR News, Jenin. This is NPR News in Washington.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves this weekend on what is expected to be his final overseas trip in office. He's to first visit South Korea and Japan. He'll wrap up his trip in France to discuss the Middle East and European security. On his ex-platform, billionaire Elon Musk has expressed support for far-right politicians around the world. In recent days, the adviser to President-elect Donald Trump has stepped up his criticism of Britain's center-left government and prime minister. NPR's Lauren Frere reports from London. It started last summer when Elon Musk,

a self-described free speech advocate, called Britain a police state for arresting people who'd posted disinformation that led to race riots. Zinssenes called for the release of a far-right Islamophobe jailed in the UK for assault and fraud. This week, Musk falsely accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of failing to go after child rapists and endorsed a post calling for the King to remove Starmer from power, something the monarch isn't allowed to do.

Even the far-right British MP Nigel Farage, who's courted Musk for donations, has distanced himself from some of his comments. Many Britons are perplexed by Musk's interest and wonder what it pretends for U.S. policy, with Musk slated for a role in the incoming Trump administration. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. President Biden will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom this afternoon. It's the nation's highest civilian honor. The 19 recipients will include former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,

Democratic philanthropist George Soros, and actor-director Genzel Washington. This is NPR News.