NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-07-2025 6PM EST

Episode Date: January 7, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The Naval Academy Glee Club in the Capitol Rotunda, as family members of Congress and Supreme Court justices paid tribute to the nation's 39th President, Jimmy Carter. Escorted by the military, Carter's body was taken by horse-drawn caisson to the steps of the Capitol, then into the rotunda where he will lie in state. Vice President Kamala Harris praised Carter for his good works and ethics while in office and for his fundamental decency and humility. James Earl Carter Jr. loved our country. He lived his faith. He served the people. And he left the world better than he found

it. After eulogizing Carter today, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, Carter's body will return to Georgia after a state funeral at Washington National Cathedral Thursday. President Carter died last month at the age of 100. Judge Aileen Cannon is temporarily blocking the Justice Department from releasing a final report by special counsel Jack Smith in his two cases against President-elect Donald Trump. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports defense lawyers had asked the Florida judge to weigh in. Judge Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump, ordered the DOJ not to share Jack

Smith's final report until a federal appeals court resolves the legal fight. Smith had been set to transmit his report to Attorney General Merrick Garland with an eye toward releasing it to the public as soon as this week. But Trump argues the special counsel was appointed unlawfully and that any public report would be legally invalid and hurt his transition into the White House. Federal prosecutors dropped two criminal cases against Trump after he won the 2024 election, and the final report by Smith may be the last chance for prosecutors to explain their decisions. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington. Last week's deadly truck attack in New Orleans

will get a full review from Louisiana's Attorney General Matt Bloom with Member Station WWNO as more. Attorney General Liz Murl says her review of last week's attack will look at quote patterns and conduct within the New Orleans Police Department and City Hall. Murl says security changes are needed. I would expect that to happen because we can't ignore what happened and pretend like it didn't happen or that it was just a one-off event. City leaders have faced criticism for the lack of protective barriers around Bourbon Street on New Year's Eve.

Temporary barriers have since been installed. And this week, President Biden granted a request from city officials to provide additional federal resources for Mardi Gras season security. For NPR News, I'm Matt Bloom in New Orleans. Stocks lost ground on Wall Street today. The Dow was down 178 points. The Nasdaq fell 375 points. The S&P 500 was down 66 points.

This is NPR. Authorities in South Florida say the bodies of two people were found in the landing gear compartment of a JetBlue plane. The airline is saying the bodies were found during a post-flight inspection last night at the Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport. Names of the individuals were not immediately released. The plane arrived in Fort Lauderdale after flying from JFK Airport in New York. Folk singer Peter Yarrow has died at the age of 86. He was best known as a member of the trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Jeff London has this look back at Yarrow's

career. The son of Ukrainian Jewish immigrants, Peter Yarrow grew up in New York City and began performing folk music at Cornell. He met Mary Travers and Paul Stuckey in the Greenwich Village folk scene and the three teamed up as Peter, Paul, and Mary. The trio was an enormous success in the early 1960s and Yarrow co-wrote this top 40 hit. Yarrow was a political activist throughout his life but his reputation was tarnished because of a sexual assault conviction against a minor in 1970. He served three months in prison and was ultimately pardoned by President Jimmy Carter.

For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. It's pretty pricey to bring samples back from Mars, but NASA is pitching some more cost-efficient options. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson pulling the plug on an original plan after costs soared to 11 billion dollars, instead asking industry and others to try to come up with better options to get Martian rock samples back to Earth ahead of astronauts possibly venturing to the Red Planet. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.