NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-21-2024 8PM EST

Episode Date: November 22, 2024

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Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Hours after former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz announced he was withdrawing his nomination as attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump says he's choosing another Floridian,

Pam Bondi, for the top job at the Justice Department. A Trump loyalist, Bondi was one of the former president's attorneys at his first impeachment trial. Meanwhile, Gaetz's future remains unclear. So we hear from NPR's Claudio Gracia. Danielle Pletka Many were sure he wouldn't survive the Senate vetting process. They said Gates would drop out because he would become a distraction, in turn become a hero for the hard right, and then leverage all of this oxygen for his nomination into a possible run for Florida governor. His name has been tossed around for that quite a bit.

But before then, he could return to his seat in January because that is a completely new term he was elected to and that would force the ethics probe to start again. Gates resigned his house seat this week and made an investigation into allegations of sex with a minor and illicit drug use. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised to put more money back in Americans' pockets

by cutting their taxes. As NPR's Laura Wamsley reports, a second Trump term might mean a lower tax bill but could have dramatic consequences for the national budget. Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress are likely to extend the major tax cuts Trump pushed through in his first term.

That law lowered most people's tax bills, and many of its provisions are set to expire next year. But estimates are that extending the 2017 law would increase the national debt by more than $4 trillion over the next 10 years. And that matters. Less tax revenue coming in can mean cutting government programs, for example, something the president-elect has made clear he intends to do. Trump has also pledged no taxes on tips, overtime, or social security benefits. Those exemptions would punch more holes in the budget, but it's not clear which of these proposals he'll pursue. Laurel Wamsley, NPR News, Washington.

The father of a suspected school shooter accused of killing four people in September has entered a not guilty plea. Georgia Public Broadcasting's Chase McGee reports. Kyle Smedley calling Gray pleaded not guilty to 29 charges, including second degree murder. His trial could set precedent in Georgia if prosecutors successfully argue that his providing a rifle to his son amounts to murder. His 14-year-old son Colt, who is accused of pulling the trigger and killing four people, has also pleaded not guilty. Meanwhile, part of the Appalachee High School building remains closed more than two months

after the shooting, and some students are still attending classes at an offsite location. School leaders are also considering possible safety enhancements, including metal detectors, clear backpacks, and increased security. For NPR News, I'm Chase McGee in Winder, Georgia. Stocks gained ground on Wall Street today with blue chips up more than 1%. The Nasdaq rose 6 points. The S&P 500 gained 31 points today. You're listening to NPR. The criminal court at The Hague has issued arrest warrants for the leaders of both Israel

and Hamas. The warrants accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yov Galant of crimes against humanity. The warrants focusing on allegations Israel used food as a weapon in its campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Hamas was also singled out for its role launching the war after an attack that claimed the lives of around 1,200 people in Israel. Where it was issued for Mohammed Deif, the Humboss leader Israel claims to have killed. Two former presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention, one black, one white are seeking to bridge the racial divide in the deep south. As Debbie Elliott reports, they've launched gospel-focused to Sushkin groups in cities that were active in the U.S.

slave trade. The project is modeled after a group started in Mobile, Alabama, nearly 10 years ago. Pastor Ed Litton, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, says talking about the racial divide was hard. We're very much aware of it, but I think we just have learned to ignore it and to isolate ourselves by saying, you know, I'm not a bigot, I'm not prejudiced, but it's not my problem. To foster a broader dialogue, he teamed with another former Southern Baptist president, the first black man to lead the convention, the Reverend Fred Luter of New Orleans.

We've got to learn some way somehow to live together. Yeah, we may have differences about Democrats, Republicans, independents, but the fact is we're all Americans. They've launched the Unify Project to foster church-based racial reconciliation groups in the Deep South. Debbie Elliott, NPR News. Critical futures prices closed higher today oil up $1.35 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.

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