NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-20-2024 5PM EST

Episode Date: November 20, 2024

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Hey, it's Aisha Harris from Pop Culture Happy Hour. If you love NPR podcasts, you'll want the new NPR Plus podcast bundle. Enjoy an all-you-can-eat selection of NPR Plus podcasts with sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes. Plus, you'll be supporting public radio. Check it out at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The House Ethics Committee is not releasing the findings of its investigation into alleged

drug use and sexual misconduct by Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz. Committee Chair Michael Guest would not comment on details of today's much anticipated meeting by the committee, telling reporters at this point there's been no agreement to release the report. The ranking Democrat on the committee, Susan reporters at this point, there's been no agreement to release the report. The ranking Democrat on the committee, Susan Wilde of Pennsylvania took exception with guest remarks though. He has implied that there was an agreement of the committee not to disclose the report.

That is an untrue to the extent that that suggests that the committee was in agreement or that we had a consensus on that, that is inaccurate. Wilde says a vote on the matter was split along party lines. Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill have called for the public release of the committee's findings. If confirmed by the Senate, Gates would lead the Justice Department, which conducted its own investigation and declined to bring charges.

President-elect Trump says he has picked former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to be the U.S. ambassador to NATO. Here's NPR's Stephen Fowler. Whitaker served in the Justice Department during Trump's first term and is another pick where loyalty to the president outweighs experience specific to the role. Trump said Whitaker would, quote, strengthen relationships with our NATO allies and stand firm in the face of threats to peace and stability. He will put America first.

NATO is one of many national and global institutions that Trump has criticized over the years, especially with how much money other countries spend on the alliance. Earlier this year, he warned NATO allies that he would encourage Russia to, quote, do whatever the hell they want to member states who did not meet their requirements. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Atlanta. Jose Ibarra was sentenced to life without parole for the February murder of nursing student Lackin Riley on the University of Georgia campus. For Member Station WABE in Atlanta, Emily Wu-Pearson has more. 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 U.S. 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. Stocks wanted out the session on Wall Street with a mixed close. There were some notable declines, including shares of big box retailer Target, which dropped 20 percent on weaker than expected earnings. The Dow was up 139 points. The Nasdaq fell 21 points today. You're listening to NPR News in Washington. A major storm is now dumping rain on the Pacific Northwest with high winds causing widespread power outages and knocking down trees killing at least two people there.

Falling trees are striking homes and falling across roadways in northwest Washington state where about 450,000 people are still without power. The Weather Prediction Center has issued excessive rainfall warnings to at least Friday as a result of the storm, which is being dubbed a bomb cyclone due to its rapid intensification. The Federal Aviation Administration has released a plan that would dramatically increase the number of launches of the largest rocket ever built. As NPR's Jeff Bromfield reports, the rocket is part of a plan to get to the moon and Mars. Jeff Bromfield The rocket is built by Elon Musk's company, SpaceX. It's called Stars by Elon Musk's company SpaceX.

It's called Starship and it's taller than the Statue of Liberty. Musk wants it to someday carry people to Mars, but to do that Starship must be able to fly over and over again very quickly. To that end, the FAA wants to allow SpaceX to launch Starship as many as 25 times per year. The proposal would also allow the company to land Starship and its giant booster in Texas. Environmentalists are concerned about the proposal. They are already suing the FAA, claiming the agency is not adequately accounted

for the impacts that Starship launches are having on nearby wetlands. Jeff Brumfield, NPR News. While scientists know the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate, new findings are indicating there may also be something else going on. By examining the movement of galaxies over billions of years, scientists say it appears the energy may be weakening or changing over time. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.