NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-22-2024 10AM EST

Episode Date: November 22, 2024

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On the TED Radio Hour on December 24th, NASA's Parker Solar Probe will touch the sun. The spacecraft will hit the closest approach ever to the sun. Astrophysicist Noor Awafi leads the mission. We will be making history. To this day, it's still like magic to me. Ideas about the sun. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Korova Coleman. There's a powerful storm system thrashing the West Coast. It hit Washington State, Oregon, and Northern California this week. More than 180,000 customers in Washington State still don't have power back. NPR's Lauren Summers says the storm system is called an atmospheric river,

and it means Northern California is getting a lot of rain. Atmospheric rivers are basically these plumes of moisture that move across the Pacific Ocean. And if you look at a weather map, it actually kind of looks like a fire hose is pointed at the West Coast. It's pretty narrow, so it doesn't affect the whole coast. These storms are important.

They're how California gets as much as half of its rainfall every year. And this one has been affected by another weather system nearby, which is a bomb cyclone. A bomb cyclone happens when there's a rapid drop in air pressure in a short period of time. That means incredibly damaging winds and much more rain. Some parts of the West Coast could get up to 16 inches of rain when the storm is through. Today is a national holiday in Lebanon, the country's Independence Day.

It commemorates the day in 1943 when France relinquished control. But commemorations are somber this year amid war. Lebanon's health ministry says more than 50 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours alone. NPR's Lauren Freyer reports from Beirut. Catastrophic is how Adel Saad, mayor of Marrakeh in southern Lebanon, describes the situation in his village. Where he says three Israeli airstrikes hit at the same time. Farther south, another resident

told NPR their village is surrounded by Israeli soldiers, and that they're trying to coordinate with UN peacekeepers to get safe passage out for a pregnant resident. Those killed in the south include at least five medics, according to Lebanon's health ministry. Meanwhile, footage shared on social media shows dazed survivors stepping through rubble of buildings in the Beqa Valley, one of this country's breadbaskets, near the Syrian border. And here in Beirut, the Israeli military has worn people away from yet more buildings in the capital's southern suburbs. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, Beirut.

Stocks opened higher this morning as crude oil prices inched up. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial average rose more than 300 points in early trading. Crude oil prices climbed as Russia ratcheted up its assault on Ukraine. Retail gasoline prices continue to moderate though. Triple A says the average price of regular gas is just under $3.06 a gallon. McDonald's plans to expand its discount meal offerings in an effort to keep hungry customers coming through the door. The fast food chain says it's increasingly competing with home cooking. Restaurant prices have been climbing more than three times faster than grocery prices

over the last year. The nation's top stock market regulator is stepping down in January. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler says he'll leave office on the last day of the Biden administration, clearing the way for President-elect Trump to install a new financial cop with a lighter regulatory touch. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington. You're listening to NPR. The Texas Board of Education is expected to vote today on a new curriculum for public schools. It takes material from the Bible. Supporters and opponents of the curriculum have spoken emotionally in hearings. If approved, it could test the boundaries

between religion and public schools. Louisiana is seeking to post the Ten Commandments in all public schools next year. Oklahoma's Education Chief has directed that a copy of the Bible be placed in every classroom. FBI Director Chris Ray has more than two years left in his term, but his days in the job may be numbered once Donald Trump returns to the White House. NPR's Carrie Johnson reports the FBI director is offering thanks and praise to his employees. At a benefit in Washington to support scholarships and donations for FBI families in need of extra support, Chris Ray says his confidence in the FBI workforce remains unwavering.

Since he was named to lead the Bureau in 2017, Ray's presided over dozens of graduations at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, personally greeting more than 40 percent of the agents on the job today. Natalie Barra, president of the Agents Association, says Ray has been the calm in the storm and drowned out noise with facts. President-elect Trump's considering candidates to replace Ray and has said he wants to clean house at the FBI and the Justice Department. Kari Johnson, NPR News, Washington.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Otani has won his third Most Valuable Player award. It's his first in the National League. The American League's MVP is New York Yankees star Aaron Judge. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.