NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-12-2024 10AM EST

Episode Date: November 12, 2024

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Ever look up at the stars and wonder, what's out there? On Shortwave, we ask big questions about our universe. From baby galaxies to the search for alien life, we explore the celestial science behind these questions. Listen now to the Shortwave podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. Congress is back to work this week. Senators are expected to pick their leaders.

The Associated Press has called the Arizona Senate race for Democrat Ruben Gallego. This means the Republicans will have 53 seats and the majority in the next Senate. GOP senators are picking their leader this week, who will also serve as the Senate majority leader. Senators John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota are considered frontrunners. Florida Senator Rick Scott has been mentioned. NPR's Barbara Sprunt says President-elect Trump has not publicly weighed in. This is a secret vote, but it is an open question as to whether Trump himself decides to publicly put his finger on the scale and what kind of consequences that might have.

And here's Barbara Sprunt reporting. Humanitarian groups working in Gaza say Israel has largely failed to live up to Biden administration demands that more aid be allowed into the Palestinian territory. The White House had threatened to cut off some military aid to Israel if it didn't do more before today's 30-day deadline to address concerns Gaza is on the verge of famine. And Pierre Scott Newman has more from Tel Aviv. For the first time in more than a month, two trucks carrying food and water have managed to reach northern Gaza, an area that has been under intense bombardment by Israel for weeks.

But that falls far short of a U.S. demand outlined in an October letter. In a scorecard published by aid groups such as Oxfam and Mercy Corps, Israel gets a failing grade. These groups say there should be significant consequences for Israel, including a suspension of arm shipments from the U.S. Israeli officials say they are working to expand humanitarian aid to Gaza. Last week, the United Nations warned that Gaza verges on famine. However, Israel says that's an exaggerated assessment. Scott Newman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Thousands of last-minute challenges to mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania have either been withdrawn

or rejected in the days following the November election. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang says Republican state lawmakers and far-right activists are being criticized by some. Election officials in 15 Pennsylvania counties received more than 4,400 challenges against voters' mail-in ballot applications, most of them days before Election Day. NPR has confirmed around 77 percent of those challenges were withdrawn by right-wing activists and two Republican state lawmakers by last Thursday.

To voter Christine Dax, whose ballot application was challenged, the timing underscores these objections were baseless. It's especially enraging because now that their preferred candidate has won, now it's all gone away. It's all no big deal, business as usual. Hope everyone forgets. But I haven't forgotten. Definitely won't be forgetting that. And public hearings, some challengers said they were concerned about how overseas voters are entered into Pennsylvania's voter registration system.

County officials say they've been following state and federal laws. Hansi Luong, NPR News. On Wall Street, the Dow is down nearly 50 points. This is NPR. The top leader of the Church of England or the Anglican Church has resigned. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, is stepping down. This follows a church report last week into a church volunteer who was a serial sexual and physical abuser of children for years. The report

faulted Welby for failing to inform police as soon as he became aware of the volunteer's abuse. Welby says he is stepping aside for the good of the church. He says he continues to feel shame for the failures of the church. This year's UN climate summit is continuing today in Azerbaijan. And Piers Nate Perez says indigenous people from around the world are among those taking part in the two weeks of talks. Indigenous people from the USA President-elect Donald Trump will likely withdraw the country from the Paris agreement again. That treaty set a goal of limiting global warming.

Jacob Johns is Hopi Nakmeatem. He says tribal sovereignty demands that indigenous people engage on the international level, including at this UN convention on climate change. And distill our ancient indigenous wisdom into contemporary climate policy. Indigenous communities are often significantly impacted by climate change. That's why indigenous leaders are pushing for the financial resources needed for climate solutions and a just transition to renewable energy. Nate Perez, NPR News.

A Massachusetts Air National Guard member will be sentenced today for leaking highly classified military documents. NPR News.