NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-28-2024 11PM EDT

Episode Date: October 29, 2024

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This message comes from Organic Valley, a dairy cooperative of small organic family farms that is dedicated to protecting the land and all the plants and animals that live there. Learn more at ov.coop. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. Both major party vice presidential hopefuls campaigned in the battleground state of Wisconsin today. Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance differed greatly on the controversial Trump campaign rally on Sunday in New York's Madison Square Garden. Chuck Kormbachev, member station WUWM, has more. A warm-up comedian at Donald Trump's rally made disparaging comments about Latino and

Black Americans and the island of Puerto Rico. Speaking in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the Republicans' closing campaign argument is clear. It's about hate, it's about division, it's about dividing us. At a later rally in Racine, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance said he did not hear the comedian's joke

about Puerto Rico. I don't think that's news worth making. I think what is news is that Americans can't afford their groceries because Kamala Harris has been a terrible vice president. The Trump campaign has issued a statement distancing it from the offensive joke. For NPR News, I'm Chuck Quirmbach in Racine, Wisconsin. The Washington Post has lost over 200,000 subscriptions since its owner Jeff Bezos decided

not to endorse either presidential candidate. And PR Stephen Falkenfleck has that report. The fallout of the Post has been ferocious in the three days since the news of Bezos' decision broke. The editorial page has repeatedly cited former President Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy. Its editor approved plans to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. He told colleagues that Bezos wasn't sold,

and that he failed to convince Bezos to change his mind. Two columnists resigned, and two writers stepped down from the editorial page. Former Post executive editor Marty Barron tells NPR that Bezos' decision will encourage Trump to try to intimidate the press, and now cancellations are pouring in, even from the relatives of journalists at the Post itself. The company declined comment. David Falkenfleck, NPR News.

The state of Kentucky will soon join the list of states that legalized marijuana for medical use. As Karen Saar of Member Station WUKY reports, the state has used the Kentucky lottery to award the first round of licenses. Karen Czar, KKY News Reporter More than 5,000 businesses applied to either grow, process, or dispense medical marijuana in Kentucky, but only 26 initial licenses were handed out, and they were chosen through a lottery draw. This group will cultivate and process the crop.

Another lottery will be held for the state's dispensary licenses. Karen Czar in Louisville. Following contentious debate, Israel's parliament has approved legislation that restricts the U.N. humanitarian aid organization. The lawmakers have voted to cut Israel's ties to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, also known as UNRWA. The agency is banned from operating in Israel, and its staff is being stripped of their legal immunity. UNRWA's headquarters in East Jerusalem is being closed. Israel claims that members of the group are linked to Hamas. This is NPR. McDonald's has announced plans to resume sales of its popular quarter-pounder hamburgers.

The fast-food chain has ruled out its hamburgers as the source of an E. coli outbreak that sickened at least 75 people in over a dozen states, mostly in Colorado. One person in Colorado has died and two others have developed a kidney ailment. The CDC has traced the contamination to uncooked slivered onions traced to a farm in Colorado Springs. Some new research finds that more than a third of the world's tree species are at risk of extinction. And NPR's Nathan Rott reports that climate change is just one of the reasons. Nathan Rott, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR,

NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR, NPR and fungi species, they provide shade. But according to new findings from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, the world's leading scientific authority

on threatened species, 38% of the world's tree species are now threatened with extinction. Agriculture, logging, and urbanization are the biggest drivers of tree decline. Climate change is up there too. The findings were announced at the ongoing United Nations Convention on Biodiversity where world leaders are striving to correct course,

but progress has been slow. Nathan Rott, NPR News. On Wall Street, stocks closed higher with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 273 points. The NASDAQ Composite Index gained 48 points, that is, and the S&P 500 added 15. I'm Shae Stevens. This is NPR.

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