NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-21-2024 12PM EST

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

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The election is over, but the story is just beginning. Listen to Here and Now Anytime. We're talking to everyone, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, covering the political stories that matter to you and your community. And we promise to bring you stories outside Washington too. That's on Here and Now Anytime, wherever you listen to podcasts. Lyle from NPR News in Washington. I'm Lakshmi Singh. Anti-poverty advocates are bracing for program cuts under the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to cut waste and slash budgets and Pierce Jennifer Ludden reports advocates worry

the social safety net is a likely target. Trump's first administration proposed deep cuts to aid for food, rent, health care and more, calling such programs ineffective. Congress pushed back. But this time, Peggy Bailey, with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, says there will be fewer moderate Republicans. And there's Project 2025, with a detailed conservative plan to shrink the safety net. This is all part of an agenda that is much more organized than it was the first time. She and others also expect another push for tougher work requirements for those getting

aid. Supporters say they help people become more self-sufficient. Critics say most who can work already do. Jennifer Lutton, NPR News, Washington. The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, accusing them of war crimes. Here's NPR's Rob Schmitz. In a unanimous decision, the court's judges rejected appeals by Israel about jurisdiction and went forward with issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Golan, and for Hamas leader Mohammed Daif,

even though Israel says they killed Daif in a missile attack. The court said Netanyahu and Golan bear criminal responsibility for using starvation as a method of war, as well as for murder and directing attacks against civilians. The warrants mean the court's more than 120 member states would be obliged to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they entered their territory. Israel's office of the prime minister responded by saying the decision was, quote, anti-Semitic and made by a corrupt prosecutor. Rob Schmitz, NPR News, Berlin. Home sales inched up last month in the U.S. despite still high mortgage rates.

NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the latest figures from the National Association of Realtors. October home sales were up 2.9 percent from a year ago. That's the first year-over-year increase in more than three years. The number of homes on the market also rose last month. The average selling price climbed to just over $407,000. Strong demand for computer chips that power artificial intelligence produced another blockbuster quarter for Nvidia. The chip designers' quarterly sales were nearly double what they were a year ago, and quarterly profits jumped to more than $19 billion. Scott Horsley,

Impair News, Washington. Unemployment claims are down again. The Labor Department's latest look at weekly jobs numbers show the number of people who put in for assistance fell by 6,000 last week to 213,000, fewer than what was widely expected. The number of people who've continued to collect jobless insurance was close to 2 million for the week of November 9th. From Washington, this is NPR.

Former Empire actor, Juss Jesse Smollett's 2019 conviction over what police said was a staged racist and homophobic attack has been overturned. Today, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in favor of Smollett. His attorneys argue that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after the Cook County State's attorney initially dropped charges in exchange Smollett was to forfeit his $10,000 bond and perform community service. On this day after the Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, NPR's Andrew Limbaugh gives us a recap of some of the highs, the lows, and unexpected moments of the big event. There were performances by Jelly Roll, Eric Church, and a tribute to George Street, who

was given the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Chris Stapleton won Male Vocalist of the Year, while Lainey Wilson won Female Vocalist of the Year, while Lainey Wilson won Female Vocalist of the Year. Morgan Wallen won the big award Entertainer of the Year, even though he was absent last night. And one major upset? Breakout artist Shaboozy, who is pretty close to breaking Billboard Hot 100 records with his song A Bar Song Tipsy, didn't win either of the two categories he was nominated in.

Angela Limbong, NPR News. US stocks mixed this hour. The Nasdaq is down more than 100 points, or roughly half a percent. The S&P is up seven points. The Dow has risen 336 points. It's up around three-quarters of a percent. It's NPR News.