NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-20-2024 4AM EST

Episode Date: November 20, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. President-elect Donald Trump has announced his choice for U.S. Commerce Secretary. He's Wall Street CEO Howard Lutnick, who chairs the transition team. As NPR's Maria Aspin reports, Lutnick will now play a critical role in carrying out Trump's economic promises, especially his sweeping tariffs. Nat. Commerce has a budget of about $11 billion and a wide-ranging set of other responsibilities. It oversees the Census Bureau and the National Weather Service, and it's a big liaison between the White House and the business community. But it's clear that Trump and Lutnick are especially excited about tariffs. Trump said

on Truth Social that Lutnick, quote, will lead our tariff and trade agenda, which is going to be a tricky balance. The Commerce Secretary also traditionally encourages trade with other countries. So if the next Commerce Secretary is enthusiastically slapping tariffs on everything, that's going to anger a lot of trading partners. Maria Aspin reporting.

President-elect Trump says he'll nominate Dr. Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. And PR Selena Simmons-Duffin has more. Dr. Mehmet Oz has a medical degree. He's a cardiothoracic surgeon. He built his fame and fortune by promoting alternative therapies like unproven diet products, cleanses, and detoxes. He first became famous as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey

show. That led to a radio show and daytime TV's The Dr. Oz Show. That ended in 2022 when Oz ran as the Republican candidate for Senate in Pennsylvania. He narrowly lost to John Fetterman in that race. If he's confirmed by the Senate, he'll be overseeing an enormous health agency that spends about $1.5 trillion a year. That's more than the Department of Defense. Selena Simmons-Duffin and PR News, Washington. The Texas State Board of Education has moved a step closer to approving a controversial curriculum that invents Bible stories in elementary classes. Bill Ziebel with member station KERA reports from Dallas.

The Texas Education Agency proposed a curriculum from Blue Bonnet Learning designed to build a broad array of student skills. It incorporates Bible lessons like the Golden Rule. But critics, including Southern Methodist University Religious Studies Professor Mark Chansey, say the focus tilts heavily toward Christianity. Not only is it taught in such a way that's going to promote some religions over others, but in many cases, it even just gets the basic facts wrong. The Texas State Board of Education is scheduled to take a final vote on Friday. I'm Bill Ziebel in Dallas. The House Ethics Committee is set to meet today to decide whether to release a report

on its sexual misconduct probe of former Congressman Matt Gaetz. The Florida Republican resigned from his House seat last week after President-elect Trump chose him to become the next U.S. Attorney General. You're listening to NPR News. A storm system carrying strong winds and heavy rain is sweeping across parts of the West Coast. The so-called atmospheric river is expected to impact areas from Northern California to

Washington state for the next few days. The National Weather Service says the storm has intensified so quickly that it is considered a bomb cyclone. The U.S. Embassy in Keefe has been closed following information on a possible attack. The State Department says the move is being taken out of an abundance of caution. U.S. citizens in Kiev are being advised to be prepared to seek immediate shelter in the event of an air alert. Tributes are being paid to the now retired tennis great Rafael Nadal.

NPR's Giles Snyder reports on Nadal's farewell after Spain's elimination at the Davis Cup. Fellow tennis legend Serena Williams says Nadal is leaving a lasting legacy. She posted a video on Instagram congratulating Nadal on a career she said most wouldn't dare to dream of. And Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal's Davis Cup teammate, said Nadal had been his inspiration and called him the best possible ambassador. Nadal's Davis Cup teammate, said Nadal had been his inspiration and called him the best possible ambassador. Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam championships over his career.

He announced last month that he would play his last match as a professional at the Davis Cup team competition in Málaga, Spain. Nadal lost in the quarterfinals to a Dutch player and his Spanish team was eventually eliminated by the Netherlands. Trial Snider, NPR News. US futures are higher in after-hours trading on Wall Street. On Asia-Pacific markets, shares are mixed down a fraction in Tokyo. I'm Shea Stevens. This is NPR News.