NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-22-2024 4PM EST

Episode Date: November 22, 2024

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This is Ira Glass with This American Life, each week on our show. We choose a theme, tell different stories on that theme. All right, I'm just going to stop right there. You're listening to an NPR podcast, chances are you know our show. So instead, I'm going to tell you, we've just been on a run of really good shows lately. Some big epic emotional stories, some weird funny stuff too. download us, This American Life. Lyle from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President-elect Trump's initial nominee for attorney general, former Florida representative Matt Gaetz, says he has no plans to join the next Congress. In an interview with podcast and radio show host Charlie Kirk, Gaetz says he still plans to keep fighting for Trump, but from a new perch.

We need a leadership structure under President Trump that's gonna allow for durability of our movement and the ability to continue this great realignment of our politics. And so I'll play a part in that. I plan to be a big voice, but maybe not as an elected member of the government. Gates had resigned from the US House when he was tapped for AG.

Within days, Gates pulled his name from contention as sex trafficking and drug use allegations that he has repeatedly denied threaten his confirmation. President-elect Trump swiftly moved on to Pam Bondi, former Florida attorney general and a close ally to lead the Justice Department. Trump has been moving quickly to name people for his incoming administration, but NPR's Tamara Keith reports Trump's been slow to deal with other aspects of his transition. TAMARA KEITH, NPR Reporter 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. DANIELLLE KAPUTO, NPR Reporter It's incredibly important for national security purposes. TAMARA KEITH, NPR Reporter Danielle Kaputo 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. The International Criminal Court's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dividing European Union countries. Terry Schultz reports the EU is a strong supporter of the court, but some governments say they would not fulfill their obligation to arrest the Israeli leader if he entered their territory. The arrest warrants issued for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former defense minister on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against

humanity are the first time a Western ally has been named by the ICC. Some EU governments announced they would arrest Netanyahu if he visited. Germany acknowledged doing so would be hard to imagine. Hungary's Viktor Orbán meanwhile says he'll invite Netanyahu to Budapest just to oppose the warrant. Berlin-based analyst Benjamin Tallis says that's not Orbán's only motive. Orbán, like Putin, is a wrecker. They want to tear down our institutions, our order, and they want us to take our institutions, our order, and they want us to take our eyes off the key threat to Europe, which is Russia.

A warrant has also been issued for Hamas military leader Mohammed Daif, who's believed to be dead. For NPR News, I'm Terri Schultz. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 426 points. You're listening to NPR News. Wisconsin authorities say a kayaker who is missing for more than three months and feared dead has actually turned up alive and well. They say they've been in contact with Ryan Borgwart. An investigation revealed that Borgwart intended to fake his death and has been living somewhere in Eastern Europe. The Green Lake County Sheriff says the exhaustive search for the kayaker costs as much as $40,000 and the county wants its money back. The film Wicked debuts in movie theaters across the United States today. NPR's Danica Pineda

reports fans of the Broadway musical have a special request from moviegoers, please do not sing along. Many fans say this is what they want to hear in theaters, and they're calling on audiences to keep their mouths closed when Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are singing. But theater writer Howard Sherman says the urge to sing along is not a bad thing. That we can be together, that we can cheer together, that we can lift our voices together is a reminder of our common humanity. Yet he says audiences should let others enjoy the movie. If enjoying means you'd like to sing, special sing-along screenings begin on December 25th.

Danica Panetta, NPR News. US stocks end the day higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 426 points, nearly 1%, to end the day at 44,296. The NASDAQ closed up 31 points and the S&P was up 20. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.