NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-22-2024 1PM EST

Episode Date: November 22, 2024

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Lai from NPR News in Washington. I'm Lakshmi Singh. Senate confirmation scrutiny over President-elect Trump's new nominee for attorney general turns to Pam Bondi. NPR's Ryan Lucas has details on Bondi's background. She's a former attorney general for the state of Florida, the first woman to hold that position. During that time, unsuccessfully challenged the Affordable Care Act. Before that, she worked for nearly two decades as a local prosecutor in Florida. The president-elect said that as a prosecutor, Bondi was very tough on violent criminals. And as a state attorney general, he says that she worked

to stop the flow of deadly drugs into Florida. Trump has known Bondi for years. He says she's smart, she's tough, and that she will focus the Justice Department on fighting crime. And Pierre's Ryan Lucas. Florida's former top prosecutor, was nominated yesterday hours after another outspoken Trump loyalist, former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, withdrew. Debate over the release of a House Ethics Committee report on alleged sexual misconduct and other offenses loomed over Gaetz's confirmation process. Trump has been moving quickly to name people for his incoming administration, but NPR's Tamara Keith reports he's been

slow to deal with other aspects of his transition. The Trump transition has failed to sign at least three required formal agreements with the Biden administration needed to gain access to agencies and classified briefings. It's incredibly important for national security purposes. Danielle Caputo is legal counsel for ethics at the Campaign Legal Center. Instead, they're going to be spending the initial periods in the administration trying to play catch up on a lot of information that they didn't have access to because they failed to sign these memorandas.

The Trump transition team says it is still constructively engaged with the Biden administration about the documents, but no decision has been made. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country has the right to retaliate against NATO members that arm Ukraine. NPR's Greg Myhre reports Putin has been ramping up threats against Ukraine and the West in a series of recent moves. Putin spoke on television after Russia fired an experimental ballistic missile into Ukraine,

one that had not been used previously in the war. The Russian leader said this was a direct response to Ukrainian attacks earlier this week. that's when Ukraine fired American and British missiles into Russia for the first time. In a pointed warning to Ukraine's supporters, Putin said Russia is within its rights to hit the Western countries that supply those weapons. All this comes just days after Putin lowered the threshold for Russia to use nuclear weapons. He said they could now be employed if the country is facing a critical threat. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Washington. The Dow Jones industrial average is up 351 points

or more than three quarters of a percent. This is NPR. Heavy gunfire erupted in the capital of South Sudan last night when security forces tried to arrest the former head of the country's intelligence service. Here's NPR's Emmanuel Akinwotu. Emmanuel Akinwotu The gunfire began when security forces acted on orders to move a former head of another security agency from his home to a detention center at the army headquarters. Akor Korkuch was the head of the National Security Services, but was sacked last month

on the orders of President Salva Kiir. It came weeks after Kiir postponed elections for a second time, which were due to be held in December. Kuch's dismissal by the president was the latest removal of a former close ally. It marked the most recent episode in a long-running power struggle in the fragile transitional government in South Sudan, which ceded from its northern neighbor Sudan in 2011. Emanuel Akemo-Tu, NPR News, Lagos.

Danielle Pletka A commemoration is expected to be held today in Cleveland to mark the 10th anniversary of Tamir Rice's death. He was the 12-year-old black boy shot and killed outside a rec center by police officer who was responding to a call of someone wielding a firearm. Turned out to be a pellet gun. Timothy Loman, the officer who shot Rice, was not charged. Years later, Cleveland police fired him for lying on his job application. He reportedly went on to smaller departments but each time left after facing public backlash. He recently resigned from his position at a police department in West Virginia.

The Dow is up 355 points. The S&P has risen 21. The NASDAQ is now up 38 points. It's NPR News.