NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-14-2024 10PM EST

Episode Date: November 15, 2024

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This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University is committed to moving the world forward, working to tackle some of society's biggest challenges, nine campuses, one purpose, creating tomorrow today. More at iu.edu. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President-elect Donald Trump has named his personal attorney, Todd Blanch, to serve as the number two official

at the Justice Department. The announcement comes a day after Trump named now former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general. More from NPR's Ryan Lucas. Todd Blanch is a former federal prosecutor. He worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan for several years before moving into private practice

as a white-collar defense attorney. He represented Office in Manhattan for several years before moving into private practice as a white collar defense attorney. He represented Trump in several of his recent legal cases, including as the lead attorney in the criminal trial in New York State Court where a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts. In a statement announcing his decision, Trump called Blanche, quote, an excellent attorney who will be a crucial leader in the Justice Department. Trump has also tapped another former prosecutor who recently worked on Trump's legal defense, Emile Beauvais, for a top job at the department.

Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Florida is suing the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports the federal lawsuit accuses FEMA officials of discriminating against Florida hurricane victims who support President-elect Trump. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is suing FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell for violating the civil rights of Florida citizens in the response to hurricanes Helene and Milton. The suit also names former FEMA supervisor Marnie Washington, who was fired after reports that she directed FEMA workers in Lake Placid to skip over houses that displayed Trump campaign

signs and flags. Criswell called Washington's behavior reprehensible, but the former supervisor has claimed she was following standard protocol to avoid hostility in the field. Criswell faces congressional scrutiny over the matter as well. She's scheduled to appear before the House Oversight Committee next week. Debbie Elliott, NPR News. A federal investigation has found Atlantis Fulton County Jail is violating the civil rights of people in its custody by failing to protect them from violence using excessive

force and holding them in filthy and unsafe conditions. Remember station WABE, Shermaine Cruz reports. The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation nearly a year after a black man with serious mental health needs died at the Fulton County Jail. Others have died or been assaulted and stabbed. Kristen Clark is an assistant attorney general for the Department Civil Rights Division. She says investigators later found crumbling infrastructure and that jail staff were impeding inmates access to medical and mental health care and punishing them with long stints in

isolation. We are hoping to turn the page today. The federal report outlines a number of reforms needed, but Clark says no legal action is expected for those responsible for the jail's conditions. For NPR News, I'm Shemein Cruz in Atlanta. On Wall Street, the Dow is down 207 points today. You're listening to NPR.

SAG-AFTRA is now representing a new group of Hollywood workers. They're called intimacy coordinators. They unanimously voted to join the union this week. More from NPR's Mandalito Marco. On film and TV sets, intimacy coordinators choreograph sex scenes. They coach nude performers. They monitor closed sets and advocate for actors. SAG-AFTRA is the union that represents actors, among others. It says, for the past five years, the union has been working with intimacy coordinators to create professional standards and protocols. Now those behind the scenes workers will be

represented by the union which includes 160,000 actors, dancers, stunt performers, and broadcast journalists including NPRs. The head of the union says the intimacy coordinators will soon negotiate their first contract with the major studios for protections and fair pay. Mandalit Nalbarco, NPR News. Alex Jones Media Company will no longer be owned by Alex Jones. The parent company of his right-wing conspiracy-laden Infowars has been sold in a bankruptcy auction to the satirical news outlet The Onion. Proceeds of the sale go towards paying down Jones' $1.5 billion debt

to the Sandy Hook families who won two defamation suits against him. Judgeman held him accountable for spreading false conspiracy theories that the 2012 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut never happened. Jones accused the families of being actors who faked the killing of 20 children and six educators, and Jones supporters who believed the lies threatened and harassed the grieving families for years. Crude oil futures prices closed slightly higher in choppy trading oil up 27 cents a barrel to settle at 68.70 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.

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