NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-07-2024 2PM EST

Episode Date: November 7, 2024

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Lyle from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Federal Reserve has lowered its benchmark interest rate this afternoon by a quarter percentage point. That should make it a little bit cheaper to get a car loan, finance, a business, or just carry a balance on your credit card. The Fed is responding to cooler inflation and signs of a slowdown in the job market. President Biden's attempting to rally the troops in the final days of his term. Speaking in the Rose Garden at the White House today, Biden pledged a smooth transfer of power when President-elect Trump returns to the White House. He said his administration's leaving behind the strongest economy in the world, but many

Trump supporters have said that's not the reality when it comes to affording groceries, energy, or buying a home. Republican Representative Michael Walz of Florida, who serves on House committees on military and intelligence matters, says Trump's election is a mandate on the economy as well as the border and foreign affairs. There is a whole slew of new technologies from Silicon Valley and elsewhere that are really chomping at the bit

to help with our defense and security issues, and they can't break through the bureaucracy. So I think we do need leadership. We need a culture change. We need to focus the Defense Department on being the meritocracy that it has always been, where we just simply have the best of the best. Control of the U.S. House still hangs in the balance, and Piers Windsor-Johnson is following

that. With Republicans having flipped the Senate, the lower chamber is hoping to retain its majority. But dozens of seats have yet to be called. Much of the outcome depends on undecided races in the West, specifically California where a handful of seats are being hotly contested. Flipping the House is seen as the last line of resistance for Democrats to President-elect Donald Trump's second-term agenda. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that Republicans are preparing a quote, ambitious

100-day agenda. Meanwhile,, minority leader Hakeem Jeffrey says the house remains very much in play. Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, Washington. Israel's parliament has passed a law that would allow for the deportation of family members of Palestinian attackers. Here's NPR's Kat Lone-Storf. The law would allow for family members of attackers

to be deported to places like Gaza, even in the midst of war. It would apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel or residents of East Jerusalem. In the Israeli occupied West Bank, Israel already regularly punishes family members of attackers. The law, which is likely to be challenged in court, was championed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party. There's been a rise in attacks by Palestinians in Israel in recent months.

Two other laws passed this week that critics worry could be used to target Palestinians. One gives the government power to dismiss teachers who quote demonstrate solidarity with terrorist organizations. The other allows for the arrest of children as young as 14. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv. From Washington, this is NPR News. German authorities say they arrested a US citizen suspected of offering military intelligence to China. They say the man, identified only as Martin D. under Germany's privacy law, worked for US forces stationed in Germany until recently. A state in India has launched an investigation after more than a dozen tigers went missing in a year.

Omkar Khandekar is following that story. Officials say 15 tigers from the Indian state of Rajasthan's Ranthambore National Park are missing. They have disappeared over the last year. A search committee has been formed to find them. Local media reports that a three-member team will be tracking the tigers by pug marks, cameras and physical inspection. India is home to nearly 75% of the world's Bengal tiger population. A 2023 census found nearly 3,700 of the endangered species living

in sanctuaries across the country. Until last year, the Rajasthan sanctuary was home to 88. For NPR News, I'm Omkar Khandekar in Mumbai. More than five years after a destructive fire, new bells have arrived at Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral. They include one gifted from Paris' Olympic organizing committee. The cathedral reopens December 8th. U.S. stocks are mixed this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 27 points at 43,708. The S&P is up 33 points,

roughly half a percent, and the Nasdaq has risen 1.3 percent, up 250 points. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.