NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-25-2024 11PM EST

Episode Date: November 26, 2024

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Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Special Counsel Jack Smith is abandoning his prosecution of President-elect Donald Trump. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has granted Smith's dismissal request of the election interference case, as NPR's Ryan Lucas reports. Judge Tonya

Chutkin's decision to dismiss the election interference case against Trump without prejudice comes just hours after Smith submitted his request with the court. In that filing Smith said the government is confident in the strength and merit of the case against Trump but that department policy prohibits the prosecution of a sitting president. In a separate filing Smith is also moving to drop the other case he brought against Trump for hoarding classified documents but prosecutors will continue the prosecution of Trump's two co-defendants in that case. Smith had been known to be winding down the cases following Trump's election win.

Smith himself is expected to leave his post before Trump takes office. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Trump is threatening to impose sweeping tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China when he takes office on January 20th. On social media Trump said the tariffs are in response to the flow of illicit drugs and illegal immigration. Amid signs that a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah may be close, another winter has arrived in Gaza. NPR producer Anas

Bava met with families on the edge of survival as NPR's Aya Petraoui reports. The flimsy tents here, made out of some wood and used food aid bags, are no match for the Mediterranean Sea's lashing winds and tide. While some families in Gaza survived the grueling summer on the water's edge like this, the oncoming winter is simply unbearable. Nidal Abdelkhatati says his children erupted into screams at night, their bedsheets and even they were being swept out to sea by waves. Where are our human rights, he says. Aid groups say over a million people urgently need kits for adequate tents and shelter for

the winter. Aya Batraoui, NPR News, Dubai. Thanksgiving travel getting underway. Many service workers at North Carolina's Charlotte International Airport stage what's expected to be a 24-hour walkout Monday, as Julian Berger of member station WFAE reports. Cabin cleaners, wheelchair attendants, and ramp workers are among those who walked off the job.

They work for ABM and Prospect, the companies that contract with American Airlines. Diane Kaiser was one of 100 striking workers attending a rally. She works with minors flying alone. I want people to realize that we take pride in what we do. We want equipment that works well to get that passenger from one point to another point. The Service Employees International Union says about 40% of airport workers it represents in Charlotte don't have stable housing, and about half have struggled to pay utility bills. You're listening to NPR News.

A judge in Los Angeles has delayed his decision on whether to re-sentence Eric and Lyle Menendez for killing their parents 35 years ago. Superior Court Judge Michael Jessic has pushed his decision to January saying he needs time to review 17 boxes of documents. The Menendez brothers argue their conviction should be re-examined because of new evidence of sex abuse by their father. A white Florida woman who fatally shot a black neighbor through her front door has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. 60-year-old Susan Lawrence was convicted of manslaughter in August, and the death of 35-year-old A.J. Owens. Lawrence had claimed self-defense in the shooting in June 2023. It stemmed from an ongoing argument between the two.

This week's Billboard charts bring several new record setting milestones. NPR's Stephen Thompson has this report. Shaboosie's a bar song, Tipsy, has pulled into a tie for the longest run at number one of any song in the history of Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart, which dates back to 1958. The song has now sat atop the chart for 19

non-consecutive weeks dating back to July. The other song that's held the top spot for 19 weeks, Old Town Road by Lil Nas X, which topped the chart for 19 consecutive weeks back in 2019. There's also a major milestone on the Billboard Albums chart. For the first time ever, three K-pop acts hold down spots in the top ten. The boy bands Ateez and Enhypen, as well as Jin of BTS. Stephen Thompson, NPR News. I'm Giles Snyder, NPR News.