NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-17-2024 9AM EST

Episode Date: November 17, 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 Giles Snyder. President Biden is set to become the first sitting president to visit the Amazon rainforest. He plans to visit the Brazilian city of Manaus today and take an aerial tour of the rainforest after meeting yesterday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping

on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Summit in Peru. We haven't always agreed, but our conversations have always been candid and always been frank. We have never kidded one another. We've been level with one another. The meeting between Biden and Xi was their third and final meeting of Biden's presidency. Xi did not directly name President-elect Donald Trump, but he told Biden that he is ready to work with the new administration. Beijing opposes Trump's pledge to adopt 60% tariffs on U.S. imports of Chinese products as part of a package of trade measures. Trump has named the CEO of a fracking company as his pick for secretary of energy. NPR's Julia Simon reports that Chris

Wright has said he does not think the world needs to transition away from fossil fuels. Right, the CEO of Liberty Energy, has said publicly that there is no climate crisis. Here he is on a video on LinkedIn. The only thing resembling a crisis with respect to climate change is the regressive opportunity squelching policies justified in the name of climate change. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that climate change is primarily caused by humans burning oil, coal, and gas. Scientists link more intense heat waves, wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding to global warming. Under President Biden, the Department of Energy has pushed to move the U.S. economy towards less polluting energy sources like solar, wind, and large-scale batteries.

Environmental groups think Wright, as the leader of this department, means the U.S. will invest less in climate solutions. Julia Simon, NPR News. Wildfire on the New York-New Jersey border that had been nearly contained is on the move again. Officials say roughly 165 homes were voluntarily evacuated in the town of Warwick, New York. NPR's Brian Mann reports. More than 300 volunteer crew members

led by New York State Forest Rangers battled the blaze Saturday. An official said it appeared to be under control until heavy winds caused the fire to escape containment. Local law enforcement helped evacuate homes in the threatened neighborhood of Warwick. In a statement, New York State officials said units will continue fighting the fire near the homes

into Sunday morning. Crews from as far away as Montana, along with National Guard are helping with the effort. The Northeast is experiencing a historic drought with only a smattering of rain in recent weeks. Many states have instituted outdoor burning bans. Brian Mann, NPR News, New York. Tropical storm Sarah is nearing a second landfall. The latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center says it expects Sarah to make landfall along the coast of Belize by around midday and warns of the potential for catastrophic flooding and mudslides. You're listening to NPR News.

Russia stage what's being described as a massive missile and drone attack on energy facilities in Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Moscow launched 120 missiles and 90 drones targeting energy infrastructure throughout the country in a statement, Zelensky said. Ukrainian defenses shot down 140 air targets. Political unrest has broken out this weekend in a Russia-backed, breakaway region of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. On Friday, protesters stormed the parliament, demanding the resignation of the region's Moscow-aligned leader, as Imperial-Charles

Maynes reports. The protesters say they want to oust Abkhazia's leader, Aslan Bzhanyan, over support for an investment agreement critics say favors Russian over local business interests. The deal would lift Abkhazia's ban on foreign ownership of residential property, allowing wealthy Russian investors to buy up land along Abkhazia's lush Black Sea coastline. Amid the uprising, Bezhania has agreed to pull the controversial legislation and offered to resign and run again in snap elections if protesters stand down. While internationally recognized as part of Georgia. Despite declaring its independence after the breakup of the USSR, Abkhazia has long been

under Moscow's protection. Today, Russia is one of the world's few countries that recognize Abkhazian statehood. Charles Maynes, NPR News. The controversial gymnast coach Bela Kuroly has died. USA Gymnastics says Kuroly died Friday at age 82 but did not reveal a cause of death. Carolee and his wife trained multiple Olympic gold medalists including Nadia Comanech and Mary Lou Retton. Several former gymnasts, however, blamed them for creating a culture that allowed for the

Larry Nassar scandal. I'm Giles Snyder, NPR News.