NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-22-2024 2AM EST

Episode Date: November 22, 2024

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SHAYE STEPHENS A newly released police report adds more detail Shea Stevens Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. A newly released police report adds more detail to the sexual assault allegation against President-elect Trump's choice to be the next Secretary of Defense. More from NPR's Bill Chappell. Bill Chappell The woman who accused then-Fox News host Pete Hegseth of sexual assault in October of 2017 told police that when she was in Hexeth's hotel room, she quote, remembered saying no a lot.

That's according to the report by police in Monterey, California. The woman identified as Jane Doe said that after a Republican conference, Hexeth took her cell phone, blocked her from leaving his room, and sexually assaulted her. Hexeth told investigators they had sex, but that it was consensual. In a statement, the Monterey County DA says, quote, no charges were supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Hexeth's attorney says his client reached a settlement with his accuser several years ago to protect his career. Bill Chappell, NPR News. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler says he'll step down on Inauguration Day. NPR's Rafael Nam has that report. The news is not surprising.

Trump had promised to fire Gary Gensler on day one, even though it's unclear whether he'll have the power to do that. And SEC chairs traditionally resign anyway when a new administration takes over. Gensler's tenure was marked by big enforcement actions, especially against the cryptocurrency industry, including companies like Coinbase and Binance. Crypto players poured millions into this year's congressional races, and Trump has promised to make his administration much friendlier to the crypto industry. Rafael Nam, NPR News. U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has conceded defeat in his bid for reelection.

Casey lost his seat to Republican businessman David McCormick. The GOP now holds a 53 to 47 majority in the Senate. Fremling leader Vladimir Putin confirms that Russia has fired a medium-range ballistic missile on a Ukrainian military facility. As Charles Maynes reports, Putin says it was a direct response to Ukraine's long-range missile strikes on Russian soil. Charles Maynes, Fremling Leader, Putin said Russia had tested a newly developed hypersonic missile against Ukraine's military. What he said was a non-nuclear response to recent aggressive Western actions

against Russia. Putin accused the West of both allowing and overseeing long-range missile strikes by Ukraine inside Russia this week, adding the war in Ukraine now threatens to become a global conflict. Putin boasted the new weapon performs at speeds invincible to Western air defenses. He also said Russia preferred a peaceful resolution to the conflict but was ready to escalate further if necessary. The next move was up to the U.S. and its allies, said Putin, even as he warned them not to test Russian resolve.

Charles Maynes, NPR News. You're listening to NPR. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has approved a resolution condemning Iran for not cooperating with the agency for the second time this year. The International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, is seeking answers in a long-running investigation into uranium particles found at two locations in Tehran. It says the country has failed to declare the locations as nuclear sites. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso opposed

the resolution while 12 other members of the IAEA estained. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 others are facing charges of plotting to overturn the government after his re-election loss in 2022. Details from NPR's Kerry Kahn in Rio de Janeiro. The nearly 900-page federal police report into the alleged coup involved what authorities say was a far-reaching criminal organization attempting a violent overthrow of the democratic state. Indicted along with Bolsonaro as former defense minister,

who was his vice presidential running mate, his former spy chief, and the president of his political party. It's now up to Brazil's attorney general to decide whether charges will be pursued. If convicted, Bolsonaro could face a lengthy prison term. He has long denied any wrongdoing and says he is being politically persecuted. Bolsonaro has been barred from running for office until 2030. Carrie Khan, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.

A federal grand jury has indicted oil company Phillips 66 for allegedly dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater from its binary in Carson, California. The grand jury says it violated the Creen Air Act. This is NPR.