NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-20-2024 11PM EST

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. The House Ethics Committee is deadlocked on whether to release its report on former Congressman Matt Gaetz. The panel discussed the matter today as Gaetz talked with senators about his controversial nomination to become attorney general. NPR's Lexi Schepittle has more. The House Ethics Committee investigated drug use and sex trafficking allegations against Gaetz when he was a member of the House.

Now that he's President-elect, Trump's picked to lead the Justice Department, senators from both parties have said they want to see the panel's report. But after the House committee met for two hours, Ethics Chairman Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi, said there had been, quote, no agreement to release the report.

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Congresswoman Susan Wilde, told reporters that members were divided along party lines, but agreed to revisit the matter at another meeting on December 5th. Lexi Shapiro, NPR News, The Capitol. The House of Representatives is considering legislation to bar transgender women from using female bathrooms and locker rooms at the U.S. Capitol. The proposal would affect incoming House member Sarah McBride, who is openly transgender.

McBride is a Democrat from Delaware who would be the nation's first openly transgender person in Congress. The state of Texas is offering President-elect Trump land to build mass deportation facilities. NPR's Sergio Martinez Beltran has this report. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR The 1400 acres of land are to be used to construct deportation facilities. That's in a letter to the president-elect from Texas General Land Commissioner Don Buckingham. The land is in Starr County, which includes towns on the U.S.-Mexico border. The county flipped Republican for the first time in more than a century.

On November 5th, Buckingham says her office is ready to enter into an agreement with the federal government to build a facility for the processing, detention and quote, largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation. Trump has said he'll declare a national emergency and use the military to assist with deportations. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Austin. The man accused of murdering a University of Georgia nursing student last February has been sentenced. Jose Ibarra has received life without parole, as Emily Wu reports from Atlanta.

Jose Ibarra was found guilty of all 10 charges against him, including felony murder, aggravated assault with the intent to rape, obstructing a 911 call, and tampering with evidence. Ibarra is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the US illegally in 2022. He was granted temporary permission to stay in the country while his immigration case was being processed. Prosecutors described how, while on a morning run, Riley encountered Ibarra, who stopped her in her tracks, dragged her nearly 65 feet off the path, and beat her to death. Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial, and the judge returned the guilty verdict 15 minutes

after closing arguments ended. The prosecution did not seek the death penalty in this case. For NPR News, I'm Emily Wu-Pearson in Atlanta. This is NPR News. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the United States is providing Ukraine with anti-personnel landmines for use in its war against Russia. Austin says those weapons are safer because their effectiveness fades over time. President Biden announced the move during the G-20 meeting in Brazil only days after

authorizing Ukraine's use of long-range ballistic missiles against Russia. Azerbaijan is more focused on developing oil and gas than renewable energy, as that nation hosts this year's UN climate talks. The country is behind on meeting greenhouse gas reduction targets under the landmark Paris climate agreement. NPR's Jeff Brady reports. A report from the non-profit Global Energy Monitor shows Azerbaijan is building more oil and gas power plants than solar or wind.

Before the conference, called COP29, a government official was caught promoting Azerbaijan's fossil fuel business. Asked about this, COP29 president Mukhtar Babayev only said the world is moving toward green energy. And petrol states, I mean the oil and gas countries, fossil fuel producing countries, it's a good chance for these countries to demonstrate their leadership in this issue. Under the Paris agreement, wealthy countries like the U.S. are expected to help developing countries like Azerbaijan transition their economies to cleaner energy. Jeff Brady, NPR News. The South Carolina Parole Board says Susan Smith must remain behind bars. Smith is serving a life sentence for the 1994 murders of her two sons. She told police that two black carjackers kidnapped the boys but later admitted driving

her vehicle into a lake with a toddler strapped in the backseat. This is NPR News.