NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-17-2024 12PM EST

Episode Date: November 17, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. President Biden is taking a trip today to the Amazon rainforest. And as NPR's Osmoc Khalid reports, his visit comes as he tries to cement his legacy on climate conservation. Osmoc Khalid, NPR News, Washington, USA Biden will be the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Amazon. The president plans to visit the Brazilian city of Manaus and take an aerial tour of the rainforest. And while there, Biden is expected to announce that his

administration has dramatically increased U.S. international climate finance, fulfilling a pledge to reach over $11 billion a year. But this all comes on the heels of Donald Trump's victory. The former and now future president is unlikely to maintain Biden's commitment to combating climate change. Asma Khalid, NPR News. Some Washington watchers are questioning some of Trump's choices for his cabinet,

that they do not possess the usual experience and temperament for the top jobs. House Speaker Mike Johnson says they're what the president-elect wants. This is what I'll say about the nominees that the president has put forward, is that they are persons who will shake up the status quo. And I think what the American people have believed and what they've delivered with the mandate in this election is demand that we shake up the status quo. It's not working for the American people. So use the term in the opening about how these are disruptors.

They are. I think that's by design. Any president has the right to name their own cabinet, to nominate persons that they think will fulfill their agenda. Johnson was interviewed on CNN. Russia pounded Ukraine with what authorities in Kiev are calling a massive aerial barrage that killed at least eight people and forced power cuts across the country. According to Ukraine, Russia launched some 120 missiles and 90 drones in what amounted to the largest Russian air assault in months. NPR's Charles Mains has

details. Russia's Defense Ministry acknowledged carrying out the attacks, saying its forces launched precision strikes on critical energy infrastructure and factories that aided Ukraine's military. Ukraine countered the attacks sought to inflict terror on sleeping civilians and freeze the population as Ukraine entered the cold winter months. Both Kiev and Moscow have upped their use of drones to hit major population centers in recent weeks. Yet the latest Russian assault comes amid Ukrainian concerns. Its Western partners may want Kiev to settle for a diplomatic end to the war that includes

the U.S., where President-elect Donald Trump has suggested he might end U.S. military support to Ukraine, a move critics say would lock in Russian gains. Charles Maynes, NPR News. An Israeli airstrike on central Beirut today killed the head of Hezbollah's media operations, the militant group's chief spokesman. Israel launched a wave of attacks in the Lebanese capital today, including some outside the city's southern suburbs. The head of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party said in a social media post the Hezbollah media chief was killed while visiting its offices. This

is NPR News. Political unrest continues in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Demonstrations began Friday in the province of Abkhazia after the government proposed new measures to allow Russian citizens to buy property there. Protesters say that would drive up prices for local residents and increase Moscow's influence in the region. A gold pocket watch presented to the captain of the Titanic's rescue ship more than 100 years ago has sold for $2 million at auction. Vicki Barker reports from London. The inscribed Tiffany timepiece was presented to Arthur Rostron, captain of the Carpathia,

by Madeline Astor, the widow of millionaire John Jacob Astor, and two other wealthy widows. They were among the 705 survivors rescued from the Titanic's lifeboats their husbands perished. The successful bidder was a private collector in the U.S. The $2 million prize breaks the previous record for Titanic memorabilia set back in April, when a gold pocket watch recovered from the body of John Jacob Astor himself sold for $1.5 million. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Parker in London. A wildfire prompted the evacuation of about 165 houses in Warwick, New York yesterday,

near the border with New Jersey. The blaze had been mostly contained, but windy conditions helped it spread. The fire is burning mainly in the Sterling Forest State Park. It's black in more than 5,200 acres between New York and New Jersey. One park worker died assisting fire crews. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News. This is Ira Glass with This American Life.

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