NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-20-2024 9PM EST

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation Working toward a healthy resilient secure world for all on the web at the Schmidt org Live from NPR news in Washington I'm Jack Spear as President-elect Donald Trump continues nominating supporters to his next cabinet, one big job remains open. As NPR's Maria Aspin reports, the race is on to be Trump's Treasury Secretary. The next Treasury Secretary will be responsible for helping shape the nation's economy, including the tax cuts and sweeping tariffs the president-elect promised during his campaign.

It's a crucial economic role, but the competition to be Trump's nominee has turned messy and public. Over the weekend, Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. both posted on X in support of one candidate, billionaire CEO Howard Lutnick. But now, Lutnick is out of the race. Instead, Trump nominated him to be Commerce Secretary. The remaining apparent frontrunners for Treasury include two other billionaire investors, Mark

Rowan and Scott Besant, and a former Federal Reserve Governor, Kevin Warsh. Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York. Los Angeles has passed a sanctuary city ordinance to protect immigrants when a new administration takes over the White House. Here's NPR's Jasmine Garz. The ordinance comes in response to incoming President Donald Trump's promises of mass deportations as soon as he takes office. According to the L.A. City Council, which passed the ordinance unanimously,

1.3 million immigrants live in the city. Although Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, is federal, it relies heavily on the cooperation of states and counties for resources. Los Angeles policy will prohibit the use of city resources and personnel to carry out that federal immigration enforcement. About a dozen states have similar laws. President-elect Trump has signaled that he will declare immigration a national emergency and use the military to support mass deportation. He's also said he will ask Congress to outlaw sanctuary cities. Jasmine Garst, NPR News, New York. A so-called bomb cyclone ripped through the Northwest overnight and this morning

on the confederated tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, 85 mile-hour winds were buffeting an area in Oregon from Northwest Public Broadcasting and a King Reports. As the winds came, Giselle Halfmoon took her Aussie pup and went up to stay with her mom. She says her mom is more prepared with flashlights, batteries, and supplies and lives in a more protected valley area than she does. We were there just kind of listening to the wind outside. It got pretty intense a few times with some of the more major gusts.

You could hear things kind of toppling by. Crews from the Confederated tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are still assessing damages. For NPR News, I'm Anna King in Richland, Washington. Stocks wound 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% and weaker than expected earnings. The Dow was up 139 points today. You're listening to NPR. As Senate lawmakers prepare to begin their work on looking at President -elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks, it appears they may be doing so without traditional FBI

background checks. The Trump transition team so far has not signed the requisite agreements with the White House and the Justice Department. It would allow the FBI to screen incoming administration's personal choices. That means the Senate could be asked to vote on Trump's picks without the usual rigorous checking to uncover possible red flags that could stand in the way of Senate confirmation. Federal officials are releasing a set of options for managing the shrinking Colorado River after the current rules expire in 2026.

From station KUNC, Alex Heggger reports they're calling on Western states to speed up negotiations. The seven states are deeply divided about who should feel the pain of cutbacks during dry times and they've released two separate proposals about managing the river. The federal government wants them to agree on one. White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi is urging them to pick up the pace. We can either remain stuck at an impasse or we can secure a future for future generations that promises the stability and sustainability of one of our greatest natural resources. The Biden administration initially called on states

to agree on one plan before the recent election, but state leaders say they don't expect Donald Trump's return to the White House to disrupt negotiations. For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Fort Collins, Colorado. Automaker Ford says it's cutting its European workforce by 4,000 people in the UK and Europe by the end of 2027. That'll make her citing headwinds due to the strength of the economy and pressures to focus more on electric vehicles. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.

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