NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-25-2024 2AM EST

Episode Date: November 25, 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 Dale Willman. President-elect Donald Trump this weekend finished naming those people he wants to fill top cabinet posts in his incoming administration. Now criticism of Seminole's choices is appearing.

Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois had harsh words Sunday for Department of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. He never commanded a unit. He never commanded a company, let alone battalions, brigades or whole armies. He was a platoon leader. He served at a very low level in the military. And we're talking about an organization that is three million servicemen and women and civilians and a budget of over $900 billion.

He does not have the experience to run an organization of that size. Duckworth was speaking on CNN. Democrats are also raising a sexual assault complaint against Hegseth from 2017. But Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen of Oklahoma came to Hegseth's defense while also speaking on CNN. He wasn't charged. He wasn't even kind of charged in this. There was no crime committed.

The police dropped everything. It's unfortunate in today's world you can be accused of anything and especially if it's something like this, you're automatically assumed to be guilty." While no criminal charges were brought against Hegseth, he did provide a settlement to the woman who raised the sexual assault complaint. Forecasters are continuing to warn about bad weather heading across the U.S. during the Thanksgiving holiday.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Otto says more rain and snow is expected from a system that's already drenched central and southern California, but it's still unclear just where that system will head this week. There's still some uncertainty with exactly how it evolves. Some solutions take the system down to the south and don't really have too many impacts across the northeast. There's other model solutions that are on the other end of the spectrum that develop a coastal storm that tracks into the Northeast.

And this would be for Thanksgiving Day into Friday with a mixture of likely rain along the coast and some snow for the inland location. An Israeli group sanctioned by the U.S. for blocking aid to Gaza has renewed its activity. And as NPR's Daniel Estrin reports, the group hopes President-elect Donald Trump will lift those 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. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. And you're listening to NPR News. Gladiator 2 and Wicked Part 1, the combination the film industry calls Glick Ed, did not rise to Barbenheimer Heights at the box office this weekend, but NPR's Bob Mandello says

it did power Hollywood to its best pre-Thanksgiving weekend in 11 years. Gladiator 2 took in a hefty $55 million this weekend in North America. You have something in you. I knew it from the start. Did you now? And Wicked was, as its big song suggests, Defying gravity with $114 million in the till. That is easily the biggest domestic opening ever for an adaptation of a Broadway musical

and enough to make this pre-Thanksgiving weekend for all films the best since 2013, proving that movies and cinemas can still be Popular I know about popular since 2013, proving that movies and cinemas can still be popular. Both films also opened overseas worldwide. Wicked has taken in 163 million dollars, while Gladiator 2, which opened in some markets 10 days ago, has accumulated 221 million. Bob Mandelo, NPR News. Yannick, Senator clinched Italy's second consecutive Davis Cup win on Sunday by beating Tallinn Greek Sports 7-6, 7-6, 6-2. That gave Italy a 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final of team competition in Spain.

Oregon remains number one in this week's top AP 25 football standings following a bye week. The Ohio State University stays in second after beating number five Indiana on Saturday. Texas is in third with Penn State in fourth. Notre Dame jumped to five followed by Georgia, Tennessee, Miami, SMU and Indiana. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.