NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-16-2024 8PM EST

Episode Date: November 17, 2024

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Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dua-Hilisi Kowtow. President Biden met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, for one final time before he leaves office. As NPR's Asma Khalid reports, this meeting comes against the backdrop of Donald Trump's recent victory. Biden and Xi met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Lima, Peru, and spoke about the need to maintain stability, not just for their two countries, but for the world. Xi explicitly mentioned the recent U.S. election, speaking through an interpreter. China is ready to work with the new U.S. administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation,

and manage differences. Xi also warned against the export restrictions Biden had put in place on advanced technology. Trump, during his first term, launched a trade war with China because of its unfair trade practices and, during his recent campaign, threatened hefty new tariffs. For his part, Biden reminded Xi they have not always agreed, but frank, candid communication is vital. Asma Khalid, NPR News, Lima. Both North and South Dakota will likely soon have new governors. As NPR's Kirk Sigler reports, Republican governors from the Dakotas have been tapped to join President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet.

One-time GOP presidential candidate and current North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum had already announced this year he would not be seeking a third term. This week, Trump picked him to be the country's next Secretary of Interior. North Dakota voters handily sided with Republican Kelly Armstrong to replace him in this month's election. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was picked by Trump to head the Department of Homeland Security. If Noem is confirmed, the state's Republican lieutenant governor

will finish out her term until 2026. Noem, a staunch Trump ally, made headlines for defying pandemic health measures and being banned from all nine of that state's reservations. Kirk Ziegler in PR News. Israel's war with Hezbollah has intensified as thousands of people have evacuated from the border with Israel and Lebanon. But foreign farm laborers still work in the fields there, as NPR's Scott Newman reports. Four foreign laborers from Thailand were killed in recent weeks by a Hezbollah rocket that landed in a field they were working.

Ubban Namsam is a 28-year-old from Thailand who picks kiwi fruit, and an area Israel has deemed too dangerous for its own citizens. Namsam says he's not too afraid of the rockets. Even so, as he speaks with NPR, he's suddenly forced to run for shelter as a salvo of rockets streak in. Despite a protest from Thailand, Israel's military continues to grant permission to cultivate in the restricted military zone. Scott Newman, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

Tropical Storm Sarah is in the Gulf of Honduras bringing heavy rain and dangerous flooding. This is NPR News. The beloved Golden Girls star, Betty White, died before her 100th birthday nearly three years ago, but she's soon to be reborn on a 2025 Forever stamp. The United States Postal Service said White is an icon of television who shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades. A beach house collapsed in North Carolina's Outer Banks this week, making it the sixth house there to fall this year.

And Pierce Juliana Kim reports local officials say the collapsing houses are a result of erosion on the state's coastal villages. From May to November, six beach houses have crumbled in North Carolina's Outer Banks. The most recent collapse occurred in the overnight hours between Thursday and Friday after a storm triggered powerful waves along Rodanthe. The house was unoccupied and officials have been in contact with the property owner. Less than a mile away, three other homes collapsed in September, and since 2020, 11 houses in the area have been swept away into the ocean.

Local officials say these homes are falling as a result of In 2020, 11 houses in the area have been swept away into the ocean. Local officials say these homes are falling as a result of strong winds, large waves and rising sea levels, which are fueled by human-caused climate change. Those conditions are causing beaches to wash away. Juliana Kim, NPR News. There is a spike in demand for abortion pills and emergency contraceptions following President-elect Donald Trump's win. Trump has said he plans to veto any federal abortion ban, but medical observers say he

can still curtail access with the powers of the executive branch.