NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-04-2025 2PM EST

Episode Date: January 4, 2025

NPR News: 01-04-2025 2PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Noor Rahm Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. Former President Jimmy Carter's funeral services have begun in his home state of Georgia. The body of the 39th president will lie in repose in Atlanta, where the public is invited to pay respects. From Ember Station WABE, Marlon Hyde reports. The remains of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter left the Phoebe Subner Medical Center in Americas, Georgia, then rolled through his boyhood home of Plains.

The motorcade is expected to arrive at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta in the afternoon, where Governor Brian Kemp, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, and members of the state legislature will hold a moment of silence. From there, the route continues to the Carter Center, where mourners have started laying flowers to honor the late president. Carter's remains will lie in repose at the center for viewing by the general public until Tuesday before heading off to Washington, D.C. For NPR News, I'm Marlon Hyde in Atlanta. New Orleans is trying to recover after a man rammed a pickup truck through New Year's

revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and wounding dozens more. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports. The city was in the process of replacing steel columns intended to block vehicles from entering Bourbon Street when the deadly attack happened. Now extra security measures are called for, says Louisiana State Senator Royce DiPlessis. We can't control what some person's going to do, but whatever the best practices are to try to prevent that person or persons from carrying out acts of harm, I believe those strategies will be in place and I believe that we will be as safe as humanly possible. Millions of tourists are expected in the coming months for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.

Debbie Elliott, NPR News, New Orleans. The 119th Congress convened yesterday. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was re-elected as the Speaker of the House. He said he intends to make border security a top priority. On the other side of the Capitol, John Thune of South Dakota is the new Senate Majority Leader. He says his top priority will be to confirm President-elect Donald Trump's choices for his cabinet. NPR's Deirdre Walsh has more. Deirdre Walsh, NPR First, Thune is focused on getting Trump's

cabinet nominees confirmed in the Senate. So far, there's been no Republican senator who's come out publicly as a no for any nominee. But if any four Republicans did break, you know, one of Trump's nominees couldn't get confirmed. You know, there are some controversial nominees that we've talked about before, like Pete Hegseth to be the defense secretary, Tulsi Gabbard to serve as the director of national intelligence, and there's still some Republican senators who want more details. NPR's Deidre Walsh reporting. At a White House ceremony

this afternoon, President Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. Recipients included former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This is NPR News in Washington. A federal judge last night rejected a legal challenge to a congestion toll in New York City. Starting tomorrow, the city will charge passenger cars $9 to enter some parts of the city during peak hours. The toll is higher for trucks and tour buses. It's designed to reduce traffic and raise billions of dollars for the city's public

transit system. Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves this weekend on what's 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. South Korea is experiencing political turmoil. Presidential guards and military troops have prevented authorities from arresting the impeached president. In Australia, Team USA made it to tomorrow's final of the United Cup

International Team Tennis Tournament in Sydney, Australia. Kristina Kukula reports the steps of the showdown with Poland. It took Coco Goff less than 90 minutes to secure a straight set's win over Czechia's Karolina Mukova 6-1 6-4 in the women's singles semi-final. American Taylor Fritz initially faced a tougher opponent on the men's side, coming back from one set down to break Tomas Mahac and take the lead in the second set. But before it was over, Mahac retired from the match, sending the US top seeds and 2023 tournament champions through to Sunday's final against Poland, which earlier beat Kazakhstan to advance. For NPR News, I'm Christina Kukhagia in Melbourne, Australia.

And I'm Nora Rahm. NPR News in Washington.