NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-28-2024 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 28, 2024

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This October, heal your existential dread with Shortwave. We're going to talk about the science of why we die and come out the other side with answers to live better as we live longer. Hear about the innovations when you subscribe now to Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Just days after Israeli forces struck military targets in Iran, the U.S. said this should be the end of the direct military confrontation between the two.

NPR's Michelle Kalin reports Iran called for an emergency Security Council meeting on the issue. Iran is trying to gaslight the world and play the victim, says U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield. She points out that Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel four weeks ago, and the Israeli strike Friday was, in her words, targeted and proportional. Israel has made clear to the world that its response is now complete. And so we again call on Iran to stop its attacks against Israel and rein in its terrorist proxies." Iran says it reserves the right to respond to what it calls criminal acts by Israel.

Israel's ambassador says any further aggression will be met with swift and painful consequences. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. Concern over election-related political violence remains high, but the threat has changed from what it was before the 2020 election when organized extremist groups were much more active. Here's NPR's Odette Youssef. Data show that extremist groups have mobilized far less in 2024 than they did in 2020. Data from ACLED, the Armed Conflict Location and Events Data Project, show the activity has fallen by half.

But Ackled's Kieran Doyle says the potential for political violence is still high. Violence by individuals has been a huge concern this year, obviously with the two assassination attempts against Trump. The Department of Homeland Security has similarly warned about individuals and small cells. A recent intelligence memo from DHS also noted that domestic extremists may be using encrypted and private group communication platforms, making the planning for acts of violence harder to detect. Odette Youssef, NPR News. More than 200,000 people have canceled subscriptions to the Washington Post in the wake of the

decision by owner Jeff Bezos not to endorse either candidate in the race for the White House. NPR's David Falkenflick broke the story last week and has this update. The fallout at 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 Folkenflick, NPR News. Stocks gained ground on Wall Street to start the trading week.

The Dow was up 273 points. The Nasdaq closed up 48 points today. You're listening to NPR. Apple has been building its new iPhone 16 as the first to incorporate artificial intelligence in its operating system. And today, Apple released a software update designed to make that more of a reality. The upgrade to the iOS 18 operating system came out today, more than a month after iPhone 16 models, equipped with the latest technology to utilize AI went on the market.

Among other things, the update is expected to make the company's virtual assistant, Siri, a more conversational and versatile companion. Many species of turtles are poached globally, including from within the US. Science reporter Ari Daniels says that when confiscated here, authorities often call the turtle conservancy to take the animals.

In north central New Jersey, Maurice Rodriguez's backyard is teeming with a couple hundred turtles. If I had room here, I would have thousands of turtles. Rodriguez is co-founder of the Turtle Conservancy, a group that cares for the illegally trafficked species. So these turtles are wood turtles. They're in this temporary tub. DNA technology is now good enough that he and his colleagues can use the genetics of certain species to pinpoint an individual's rough origins. These wood turtles were matched to a population living in Pennsylvania.

And Pennsylvania agreed to take them back into the wild. This return is Rodriguez's hope for what happens to as many of the turtles here as possible. For NPR News, I'm Ari Daniel. Curdle futures prices moved lower today, oiled down $4.40 a barrel to settle at $67.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.