NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-24-2024 4PM EST

Episode Date: November 24, 2024

NPR News: 11-24-2024 4PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The NPR app cuts through the noise, bringing you local, national, and global coverage. No paywalls, no profits, no nonsense. Download it in your app store today. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. After a weekend whirl of announcements, plans for the incoming presidential cabinet are now complete. NPR's Amy Held reports President-elect Donald Trump named nine picks Friday. Trump's announcement Saturday of longtime aid and ally Brooke Rollins as Agriculture

Secretary rounds out his selections of executive branch department heads. The Republican-controlled Senate begins the confirmation process early next year. Trump's choices, charged with the nation's health, defense, education, and more, share some common threads. Fierce loyalists, some with tons of TV experience, but not much related to the top jobs. Trump campaigned on promises to shake up government bureaucracy. His transition so far is behind on its paperwork, still unsigned, documents that would show which interest groups or wealthy donors may be contributing, and

allow his cabinet picks to get FBI background checks. Amy Held and Pierre News. The UN climate talks wrapped up early this morning in Baku, Azerbaijan. Countries from around the world agreed on a goal for wealthier countries to pay developing countries to help them deal with climate change. The amount they settled on was at least $300 billion a year by 2035. That's not nearly as much as the developing countries and some experts say is needed. The richer countries are more responsible for climate change because they burn more

fossil fuels, while the poor ones disproportionately suffer the consequences. An Israeli group sanctioned by the US for blocking aid to Gaza has renewed its activity. As NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv, the Israeli group hoats President-elect Donald Trump lifts the sanctions. SAV 9 is an Israeli group that's been opposed to the entry of food and humanitarian aid into Gaza, saying it strengthens Hamas. The group's activists blocked aid trucks dozens of times. The Biden administration called it a violent extremist group and imposed financial and visa sanctions. The group went dormant for months, in part to avoid further sanctions. Several days ago, the group renewed its activity.

Co-founder Reut Ben Chaim spoke with NPR. She said they demonstrated at a border crossing only after an aid convoy had already entered Gaza. She's calling for Israel to take more control over aid distribution. She says she hopes incoming President Trump lifts the sanctions against the group. Danielle Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets at Israel today in one of the heaviest barrages by the militant group in months.

Officials say at least four people were wounded. The Israeli military says many of the rockets were intercepted. This comes a day after one of the deadliest days of the war on the Lebanese side. Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli attacks inside Lebanon yesterday killed 84 people. This is NPR News. Forecasters are predicting another round of winter weather in the coming days, just as travelers hit the road for Thanksgiving. More snow and rain are expected in California, as well as in the Midwest and Great Lakes region this week. There's new research on the benefits that come when child care workers are paid better.

It comes from a program that aims to pay child care workers wages comparable to public school teachers. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports. Andrea Hsu, NPR News Anch. Through a tax hike on the wealthy, the District of Columbia has been supplementing the wages of early childhood educators. On average, child care teachers got a pay raise of $10,000 last year. And that's not all. Owen Shoshay, a researcher at Mathematica, found the program led to a nearly 7% increase in child care employment. More teachers mean more slots, more children served, and the quality of care has improved as turnover has fallen and experienced teachers have stayed on the job.

They're considerable benefits to society. Shoshae acknowledges the cost of the program is high at $54 million last year, but working with an economist, he found the return on investment was also high at 23 percent. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. This will be a shortened trading week on Wall Street because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but investors will still have new information to consider. More companies will report their earnings and data on new home sales will be released,

and traders are hoping that a report out this week from the Federal Reserve will show that inflation is continuing to ease. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.