NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-31-2024 6PM EDT

Episode Date: October 31, 2024

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On the Embedded Podcast, every Marine takes an oath to protect the Constitution. Against all enemies, foreign and domestic. This is the story of a Marine in the Capitol on January 6. Did he break his oath? And what does that mean for all of us? Listen to A Good Guy on the Embedded Podcast from NPR. podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Abortion access is directly on the ballot in 10 states next week. It is also at stake in a less direct way when it comes to who the president is and what they might do. Here's NPR's Listen Add warning. Former President Trump has said he favors

leaving abortion policy up to the states. In contrast, Vice President Harris says she'd sign a bill enshrining the right to an abortion. But she can't pass legislation without Congress, and any new law would likely face legal challenges and a conservative Supreme Court. But the next president could influence abortion policy through executive power and the interpretation of existing laws and regulations. The Food and Drug Administration, for example, regulates abortion pills, and a new leader could expand access or make it harder for providers to prescribe and send pills. Presidents also appoint judges not just to the Supreme Court, but to federal and appellate

courts where abortion policy is being decided. Alyson Adwarny, NPR News. The number of people detained by U.S. immigration and customs enforcement has risen more than 20% in the past two years. That's according to a new report out today. NPR's Meg Anderson reports more than 36,000 people were in ICE custody this spring.

The number of people held by immigration authorities is lower than pre-pandemic, but there's been a steep increase since 2022. Researchers at the Vera Institute of Justice call that a sign of a growing criminalization of immigrants. Shana Kessler, director of the Institute's Initiative on Immigration. What I can say is that we are very much in a moment of extremely heightened anti-immigrant rhetoric. She says a primary reason migrants are held in custody is to ensure that they'll show up for their immigration hearing.

But past research has shown that the majority of released families do show up to court. Meg Anderson, NPR News. A semiconductor research facility in upstate New York has been named one of three national technology centers. NPR's Eva Pukac reports the facility's earmarked receive up to $825 million in federal funding. The center, located in Albany, New York, will focus on research into semiconductor technology

known as extreme ultraviolet lithography. The Biden administration has pushed for semiconductor manufacturing to be produced domestically to increase competition with rivals like China. Since the Ships and Science Act passed in 2022, the federal government has invested billions into the construction or expansion of semiconductor fabrication facilities across the country. The U.S. Commerce Department has not yet announced the location of the other two national technology centers. Ava Pugetch, NPR News. A few Americans were filing claims for unemployment benefits last week. The Labor Department says

initial jobless claims fell by 12,000. More closely watched October jobs numbers are due out tomorrow. On Wall Street, the Dow is down 378 points. This is NPR. In Spain, search crews are continuing to look for the bodies of people who became trapped in vehicles or flood ravaged buildings. It follows major flash flooding in Spain's Valencia region, which has now claimed at least 158 lives, with fears the death toll there could go higher. Spain's transport minister says people appear to have drowned after being trapped inside vehicles, and many cars have yet to be checked. It's not clear how many people remain missing.

Parrots have some of the most vibrant colors in the bird world, and now new research explains how they make the reds and yellows in their feathers. Science reporter Ari Daniels details how certain birds contribute to the discovery. Researchers started with the dusky lorry, a black parrot ringed with red or yellow. They traced this either-or coloration back to an enzyme that converts the parrot's red pigment into the yellow one by making a small change to the molecule. When the team looked at another kind of parrot, the rosy-faced lovebird, they found the enzyme at work there too.

So now we know definitely a little bit more about how one of the most colorful groups of animals in the world make their colors. Roberto Arbore is an evolutionary biologist at the University of Porto. Next up, they hope to examine the genes in parrots responsible for creating the color blue. The research appears in the journal Science. For NPR News, I'm Ari Daniel. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage took a slight bump up this week to 6.72 percent

from just about 6.5 percent. As the fifth straight week rates have moved higher after coming down slightly, however, still a year ago the average 30-year mortgage rate was at 7.76 percent. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.