NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-18-2024 11AM EST

Episode Date: November 18, 2024

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This is Ira Glass with This American Life, each week on our show. We choose a theme, tell different stories on that theme. All right, I'm just going to stop right there. You're listening to an NPR podcast, chances are you know our show. So instead, I'm going to tell you, we've just been on a run of really good shows lately. Some big epic emotional stories, some weird funny stuff too. with us, this American life. Live from NPR News in Washington, on Korova Coleman, most European Union nations are welcoming reports President Biden will allow Ukraine to use US-made weapons to hit some targets in Western Russia.

NPR has confirmed the report with a senior US official. The missiles could be targeted around the Kursk region, where some 10,000 North Korean troops are deployed with Russian troops to fight Ukrainian forces. Previously, Biden was concerned authorizing U.S. missiles in Russia could escalate the war. Biden, attending the G20 meeting in Brazil, did not directly address the report

that says Western allies must back Ukraine. The United States strongly supports Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. Everyone around this table will might need a shoot as well. But not all European Union officials agree. Slovakia's prime minister and Hungary's foreign minister say using U.S. weapons in Russia will escalate tension. UN agencies say more than 100 trucks of food in Gaza were looted over the weekend in one

of the worst incidents of its kind in more than a year of war. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports there was no immediate comment from Israel's military. The UN World Food Program says it's assessing its future operations in the Gaza Strip after looters attacked over 100 trucks of food supplies. The WFP and another UN agency, UNRWA, told NPR the convoy of food supplies was supposed to enter southern Gaza on Sunday, but that it was instructed by Israel's military on short notice to enter a day earlier through a quote, alternate, unfamiliar route. They say looters injured the drivers and extensively damaged the trucks.

The attack highlights a key challenge in delivering food to Gaza's starving population. As Israel frequently attacks police there, deeming them part of Hamas. The UN says out of eight bakeries in central and southern Gaza where most people are displaced, half shut down in recent days, with the remaining four critically low on flour. Eyal Batraoui, NPR News. Nearly 40 people have become ill in the US and one person has died following an E. coli outbreak that is linked to organic carrots. Several brands of carrots have since been recalled as NPR's Juliana Kim reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday it's investigating a multi-state E. coli outbreak tied to organic carrots. The cases have emerged in more than a dozen states, with the highest numbers reported in Washington, Minnesota, and New York. But the CDC warns that the outbreak may have reached additional states, and the actual number of infections is likely much higher. Investigations indicate that Grimway Farms was the common supplier of the organic carrots consumed by individuals before they got sick.

On Saturday, the company initiated a recall for some of its carrots that were sold at major retailers including Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Walmart. Juliana Kim, NPR News. On Wall Street, the Dow is up about 10 points. You're listening to NPR. The FBI is investigating more racist and homophobic text messages that have been sent to people around the country. These messages have now been aimed at Latinos and members of the LGBTQ community, and they include emails. The FBI was already investigating racist messages

sent to black people after the election. Many of the messages have been sent to children. Lawmakers in Texas are looking at ways to protect the state's power grid for the long term. Members of the state Senate are concerned about potential scenarios that could rival the power outages caused by a winter storm in 2021. It left hundreds of people dead. Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider reports.

Think massive solar storms sending a wave of plasma towards Earth, or a nuclear air burst setting off an electromagnetic pulse. State Senator Bob Hall says either event would fry the Texas power grid, leaving the state in darkness for weeks or longer. The threat is real and the government has been remiss in not taking action to prepare and protect, just like we were remiss in being prepared for the ice storms in Uri. Hall's Senate Bill 75 would create a commission to determine how best to harden the grid. The process will take years to complete, but Hall says the technology is already being

developed by utilities in San Antonio and Houston. I'm Andrew Schneider in Houston. Spirit Airlines says it's seeking federal bankruptcy protection. The low-fare airline carry has had a bunch of setbacks, including its failure to merge with JetBlue Airways earlier this year. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.