NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-15-2024 6AM EST

Episode Date: November 15, 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 Corva Coleman. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. As NPR's Stephen Fowler reports, Kennedy is a vaccine skeptic who has espoused conspiracy theories about health care.

In the announcement on his Truth Social platform, Trump says that public health has seen, quote, deception, misinformation, and disinformation from drug and food companies. In recent years, Kennedy himself has shared conspiracy theories about health, falsely claiming Wi-Fi causes cancer and that chemicals in water can make children transgender. If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would oversee nearly $2 trillion in mandatory spending. HHS also oversees the CDC, the FDA and the National Institutes of Health. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Atlanta. President-elect Trump also says he will nominate

former Georgia Congressman Doug Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Trump is also going to select North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as Secretary of the Interior Department. President Biden is in Peru today where he will meet several world leaders, including those from South Korea and Japan. As NPR's Asma Khalid reports, Biden is trying to cement this trilateral relationship as

he wraps up his presidency and prepares other nations for the incoming Trump administration. This three-way cooperation on technology and security has been a hallmark of the Biden administration and it's a relationship they hope the Trump team will embrace. Here's Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaking to reporters on Air Force One. And given the bipartisan support for it we fully expect that it would continue under the next administration though of course they'll make their own decisions. This relationship is part of Biden's broader strategy of working with allies in the region to counter China's influence.

And this meeting with South Korea and Japan comes a day ahead of a separate meeting that Biden is holding tomorrow with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Asma Khalid, NPR News, Lima. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is advancing a plan to impose a fee on motorists who drive into the busiest parts of New York City. a plan to impose a fee on motorists who drive into the busiest parts of New York City. Hockel suspended the congestion pricing program in June shortly before it was to start. From member station WNYC, Stephen Nesson has more. Governor Hockel paused the original plan, saying with inflation and the high cost of living, a $15 daily toll was too high. Now, she wants to relaunch it and charge vehicles that drive in Manhattan, south of 60th Street,

nine dollars a day. Of course I understand how hard this is, but this is the law of the state of New York. I'm obligated to follow New York law. And I worked hard to find a creative solution to relieve the burden on these same individuals who are struggling. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to kill the tolls once in office. In a statement, he says he respects the governor but disagrees with the decision. The tolls are expected to launch on January 5th.

For NPR News, I'm Stephen Nessen in New York. This is NPR. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the nation's central bank is not in a hurry to cut interest rates. Speaking in Dallas, Powell says while inflation isn't at is not in a hurry to cut interest rates. Speaking in Dallas, Powell says while inflation isn't at the Fed's 2 percent target, the U.S. economy is strong. A federal investigation has found that Georgia's Fulton County Jail in Atlanta violates the

civil rights of people in its custody. The report says this is through failing to protect people from violence, using excessive force and holding them in unsafe and filthy conditions. From member station WABE in Atlanta, Shemean Cruz has more. 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 Shemeine Cruz in Atlanta. Florida is suing FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and a former FEMA worker.

State officials allege the worker told staff to skip Florida homes with hurricane damage if they had Trump signs. Chriswell has apologized and the worker has been fired. Florida's attorney general is alleging FEMA engages in political discrimination. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.