NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-19-2024 1PM EST

Episode Date: November 19, 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. Download us, This American Life. funny stuff too. Download us This American Life. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. House Democrats are pressing the GOP-led Ethics Committee to immediately release its report into allegations of serious misconduct by former Congressman Matt Gaetz, President-elect Trump's nominee for

Attorney General. Today, 96 Democrats sent the panel a letter, essentially arguing that the Senate should be able to see the findings of the investigation as part of the confirmation process for Gates. Last week, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would strongly request the report not be disclosed after Gates abruptly resigned and the probe effectively ended.

Trump has yet to nominate his next Secretary of Education and has said whoever it is could be tasked with trying to close the Education Department. NPR's Corey Turner reports on how or whether that could be done. The U.S. Department of Education was created by an act of Congress and can only be abolished by an act of Congress. And that, experts across the political spectrum tell NPR, is not likely because of the Senate filibuster. What's more likely, they say, is that a new Trump education department could unwind

many regulatory changes made by the Biden administration. For example, Title IX, the federal law that protects students from sex discrimination. The Biden administration interpreted the law to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity as well. A view the Trump administration does not share and will have the power to change. Corey Turner, NPR News. President Biden is spending his final day in South America at the G20 summit. He's working to further his climate goals before he leaves office.

Here's NPR's Officerid. Biden has spent his presidency trying to invest in clean energy jobs in the United States. His team says the climate discussion has fundamentally moved into the realm of economics. At the G20 summit, Biden is announcing a $325 million U.S. contribution to a climate investment fund to help developing countries with their clean energy transformation. Biden also met with Brazil's president Lula de Silva to launch a clean energy technology partnership. It's not clear what, if any of this, president-elect Donald Trump will keep. He's vowed to roll back some of Biden's clean energy incentives. Asma Khalid, NPR News.

Our planet's fast approaching a key level of global warming. Several new reports and studies make that point as major climate talks in Azerbaijan continue and PR's Alejandra Burunda explains why the level of warming matters. Back in 2015 in the Paris climate agreement, just about every country in the world agreed to try to keep Earth from warming up too much. And they set these key goals to keep warming under 2 degrees Celsius and ideally less than 1.5. That's because scientists have told us the risks, they get bigger past 1.5.

I talked with Lila Vardzovsky. She's a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. The immediately tangible impacts is an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme events. Starship is the intensity and frequency of extreme events. This is NPR. A major storm system is expected to generate one to two inches of rain by later this week in the northeastern U.S., parts of which are experiencing their driest fall on record. New York City is under a drought warning for the first time in more than 20 years.

The warning extends to 15 New York state counties. Officials are advising residents to voluntarily conserve water. Meanwhile, fire crews could use the projected rain. They've been battling wildfires in New York and other parts of the Northeast for months. SpaceX is preparing another test launch of its giant rocket called Starship. NPR's Jeff Brownfield reports the pace of testing is accelerating. Starship is the largest rocket ever built. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk hopes it will someday carry people to Mars.

But first, the rocket has to be put through its paces closer to Earth. SpaceX's testing has been slowed by environmental concerns. Earlier this year, the EPA found its launches were in violation of the Clean Water Act. But with the soon-to-be return of President Trump, who counts Musk as a close ally, regulations may no longer be an obstacle. Laurie Garver is a former deputy administrator of NASA, and she predicts — The FAA and the EPA will not be raising flags as they have been these last couple years.

This next launch aims to see Starship fly part way around the world before landing in the southern Indian Ocean. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. The Dow is down 125 points at 43,268. This is NPR News.