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

Episode Date: November 13, 2024

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Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President-elect Donald Trump is nominating South Dakota Governor Christine Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

As South Dakota Public Broadcasting's Lou Sturbinger reports, Noem has been outspoken about the southern border. Governor Noem is seen as loyal to Donald Trump. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she hosted a fireworks show at Mount Rushmore that Trump attended. Noem, who's been governor for six years, has sharply criticized the Biden administration's approach to the U.S. southern border.

Addressing the South Dakota legislature in February, Noem described the situation in blunt terms. The sheer number of illegal migrants coming into this country has made it so that every state is now a border state. If confirmed as head of Homeland Security, No one will work closely with Tom Homan. Trump's pick to be the incoming border czar. For NPR News, I'm Lee Strubinger in Rapid City. The National Institutes of Health

could face a major overhaul in the next Trump administration. More from NPR's Rob Stein. The NIH and other federal health agencies have come under intense criticism in the wake of the pandemic because of conflicting health advice and debate over the origins of the virus. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has repeatedly criticized the NIH, and Republican members of Congress and conservative think tanks have proposed a long list of changes to the agency.

One plan would restructure the NIH to sharply reduce the number of independent institutes and centers. Another calls for sending at least some of the NIH's $48 billion budget directly to states in the form of block grants. Rob Stein, NPR News. A judge is postponing a decision on the sentencing of President-elect Donald Trump for his convicted on falsifying business records. Trump was convicted by a jury in May on charges related to $130,000 in hush money payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels to cover up a sexual encounter. Sentencing had been set for later this month. Trump's lawyers argued that charges need to be dismissed so Trump can proceed with the business of running the country. Every county in Georgia has certified the results of the 2024 election, a

notable development after some Republican local election board members earlier this year declined to certify other results. W A B E Sam Greenglass reports. Typically an uncontroversial procedural step. Disputes over election certification cropped up after then President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election. Ahead of the 2024 election, Republicans on Georgia's state election board approved rules that seemed to allow local election board members to vote against certifying results.

A judge later blocked the rules. In metro Atlanta's four biggest counties, at least one local Republican board member abstained or voted against certifying election results earlier in the year. But shortly after Trump's win last week in Georgia, all four boards certified the results unanimously. For NPR News, I'm Sam Greenglass in Atlanta. On Wall Street, the Dow was down 382 points. This is NPR.

Veteran broadcaster Chris Wallace has announced he is leaving CNN, though at 77, it apparently is not to retire, but to go where the action is, in his words. According to Wallace, that is not in so-called legacy media. Wallace says he wants to follow fellow journalists who have gone independent, either in streaming media or podcasting. Wallace has also worked at ABC, CBS and Fox. He called his decision to leave CNN amicable and said it has been in the works for months. The Oakland Zoo recently announced

it will be transferring its last remaining elephant to a sanctuary. It's part of a decades-long trend of zoos shuttering their elephant exhibits. KQED's Danielle Venton explains why. This is Osh the elephant enjoying a snack of beat pulp. Osh recently moved to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, leaving his home of 20 years. Gina Kinsley is the elephant manager at the Oakland Zoo.

It's very bittersweet because we love him dearly, but we know that it's the best decision for him. Osh will have more space and crucially, more companionship at the sanctuary. Since the 90s, about 40 zoos in the US have closed their elephant exhibits. Animal behavior experts say this is part of a consolidation as zoos increasingly recognize elephants' social and mental needs. For NPR News, I'm Danielle Vinton in Oakland. New inductees into the Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. This year's include

My Little Pony, the Phase 10 card game, and Transformers action figures, among others, while anyone can nominate a toy to be in the Hall of Fame, experts have to vote them in, looking at whether they inspire creative play and have been popular over time. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things in other currencies. Send, spend, or receive money internationally, and always get the real-time mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees.

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