NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-24-2024 5PM EST

Episode Date: November 24, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. The incoming Trump administration continues to take shape with the president-elect announcing a number of nominations since Friday. Now that former Congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration to be the next attorney general, attention is turning to Trump's two other controversial cabinet nominees. NPR's Mara Liason has more. It's very common for new presidents to withdraw one or more nominations.

Now the question is whether withdrawing Gates makes it easier or harder to get Trump's other nominees confirmed. Republican senators may be less inclined to reject Fox News host Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for defense secretary. Hegseth was the subject of a sexual assault investigation. He has denied the allegations. And there's Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for director of national intelligence. In the past, Gabbard has been sympathetic to Vladimir Putin and Syrian dictator Bashar

al-Assad. She has repeated Russian talking points, blaming Ukraine and NATO for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Senators on the Intelligence Committee will want to question her about that. Mara Liason, NPR News. Israeli officials say a rabbi has been killed in the United Arab Emirates in an anti-Semitic act of terrorism. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports the UAE says it's arrested three suspects in connection with his death. Rabbi Tzvi Kogan, a dual Israeli Moldovan national, went missing Thursday in Abu Dhabi.

Now Israeli authorities say Emirati security officials have located his body. Rabbi Kogan was stationed in Abu Dhabi with the Chabad Organization, an Orthodox Jewish outreach group with chapters around the world. The group expanded its presence in the UAE since the country established diplomatic ties with Israel. Israeli security authorities have reissued a travel advisory urging Israelis to avoid non-essential travel to the UAE. Israeli media are widely reporting the suspects are Uzbek nationals suspected of being dispatched by Iran. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

A former sheriff in eastern Kentucky will be arraigned on Monday. Stan Engel, a member station WEKU, reports he's accused in the shooting death of a local judge. Sean Mickey-Steins was the Sheriff of Letcher County when officials say he walked into district judge Kevin Mullins' chambers in Weitzberg and opened fire after a brief argument. Mullins died at the scene and Steins surrendered to authorities without incident shortly after.

Steins pleaded not guilty to murder and has been held in another county. On Thursday, a grand jury indicted Steins on one count of murder of a public official. Police have given no motive for the shooting. The arraignment will take place Monday in the Letcher County Circuit Court. For NPR News, I'm Stan Engold in Richmond, Kentucky. This is NPR.

The island of Cedar Key is working to bring back its clam industry two months after Hurricane Helene hit Florida. Catherine Welch reports Cedar Key supplies nearly every clam served in the state. Cedar Key's clam industry came into its own in the 1990s. It now sends some 200 million clams to restaurants and grocery stores around the state and is the backbone of the island's economy, says the University of Florida's Leslie Sturmer. Over 180 growers providing over 95 percent of the state's crop valued at over 30 million dollars to the economy of this rural coastal community.

Clam farmers are now waiting for new baby clams to start the recovery and Sturmer says once they arrive it could take up to 15 months before Cedar Key clams return to the table. For NPR News, I'm Katherine Welch in Orlando. Severe weather and a shortage of air traffic controllers could impact the Thanksgiving travel period. Administrator Michael Whitaker says the agency has been preparing ahead of the holiday. We will use traffic flow management initiatives to deal with any straffing shortages on that particular day in this

airspace, and we expect to have some of those shortages. AAA says nearly 80 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more by vehicle over the holiday weekend. The FAA estimates that more than 18 million passengers will go through security at U.S. airports. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.