NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-25-2024 5AM EST

Episode Date: November 25, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. Israel's ambassador to the U.S. says Israel and Hezbollah are close to finalizing a ceasefire in Lebanon. Ambassador Mike Herzog tells Israeli Army Radio a deal could be reached within days. He says the agreement would call for Israeli troops and members of Hezbollah to leave southern Lebanon. Israeli officials are calling the slaying of a rabbi in the United Arab Emirates an anti-Semitic act of terrorism. As NPR's Daniel Estrin reports, the UAE says three suspects are under arrest in connection with that killing. 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. At least one person has been killed in the crash of a DHL cargo plane in Lithuania. It was on approach to land at the airport in the country's capital, Vilnius, when it skidded into a house. That crash is under investigation. Now that former Congressman Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his nomination to be attorney general, lawmakers are turning their attention to some of President-elect Donald Trump's other nominees for his second term in the White House. Trump named former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi when Gates dropped out amid allegations

of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accusations he denies. Here's NPR's Mara Liason. 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. Among Trump's latest nominees is Brooke Rollins to run the Department of Agriculture. She's president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute.

This is NPR News. Conservative advocates say they're hopeful the next Congress will work to limit gender-affirming care when Republicans control the House and Senate NPR's Selena Simmons Duffin reports. John Schweppe is policy director for the American Principles Project, a conservative advocacy group. He would like to see the new Republican controlled Congress move to limit who has access to gender-affirming care using limits on insurance. One of our goals is to create a Hyde Amendment for so-called gender-affirming care. We don't believe taxpayer funding should go towards that for minors or for adults.

The Hyde Amendment is a 1977 policy that says you can't use any federal dollars for abortion. If the same kind of policy were to be put in place for gender-affirming care, low-income people on Medicaid essentially wouldn't have access to the care. Such an effort would certainly be met with legal challenges from LGBTQ advocates. Selena Simmons-Duffin, NPR News. Emmy winner and longtime TV game show host Chuck Woolery has died at the age of 83. Woolery was known for hosting shows such as Scrabble and Love Connection. died at the age of 83. Woolery was known for hosting shows such as Scrabble and Love Connection. He was the host of Wheel of Fortune in the 1970s before Pat Sajak's long run. Woolery later became a conservative

podcaster who at one time accused the federal government of lying about COVID-19. He died at his home in Texas. AAA says the nation's highways and airports will be crowded this week with people traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday. Eighty million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News in Washington.