NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-26-2024 12PM EST

Episode Date: November 26, 2024

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Thanksgiving was a national holiday created in the middle of the Civil War to unify a country that was split in two. Learn about the origins of Thanksgiving and how the unity and division that we see at our Thanksgiving tables was there from the very beginning. Listen to the Throughline podcast from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President-elect Donald Trump is promoting a 10 percent tariff on imports from China and tariffs of 25 percent on goods coming from Canada and Mexico. He says the duty will help reduce the amount of drugs such as fentanyl that enter the United States.

Trump also argues the tariffs will deter illegal migration. Here's NPR's Elena Moore. Trump made the announcement in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying the tariffs would go into effect on January 20th, Inauguration Day. The 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, along with the 10 percent tariff on goods from China, a source of illegal drugs, are not totally unexpected threats. Trump campaigned heavily on imposing stricter tariffs and made similar moves during his

first term as president. That said, it's a decision that some economists argue could end up hurting U.S. shoppers at home. Alana Moore, NPR News, Washington. Israel and Hezbollah militants continue to exchange fire, even as officials from Lebanon and Israel work on conditions for a ceasefire. NPR's Lauren Frayer has more from Beirut.

Explosions echo across Beirut as Israeli warplanes pound the capital's southern suburbs. At least half a dozen buildings have been hit near the international airport. Social media posts show burned cars, charred storefronts, plumes of smoke and dazed residents sifting through debris. Israel's military says its other strikes farther south killed a Hezbollah commander near Tire on the Mediterranean coast.

NPR's Lauren Frayer reporting. Ukraine says its territory was targeted by a record number of drones, nearly 190 in a single attack overnight from Russia. The Air Force says its territory was targeted by a record number of drones, nearly 190 in a single attack overnight from Russia. The Air Force says its defenses intercepted most of the drones, but Ukraine says some critical infrastructure sites such as the National Power Grid were hit. Russia's defense ministry says it targeted military sites and technical hardware. Weight loss drugs like Wigovia and Zephan could soon be easier to access for people with Medicare and Medicaid. The Biden administration is proposing a new role to expand coverage. NPR's Sydney Lepkin has details.

Many people who rely on Medicare and Medicaid for their health insurance do not have access to popular medications that treat obesity. That's because of decades old legislation that specifically excludes drugs for weight gain, weight loss, and anorexia from mandatory coverage. The Biden administration says it is proposing a rule to remedy that for people with obesity, expanding access to an estimated 3.4 million people on Medicare and 4 million people on Medicaid. Currently, the drugs are only required to be covered if the patient also has cardiovascular disease because they can reduce the risk of a heart attack it's unclear however if the proposed rule will become finalized in the

incoming Trump administration Sydney Lepkin NPR News the Dow Jones industrial average is down 144 points you're listening to NPR News. A strong earthquake struck the north central Japanese region of Noto, which was hit by temblor earlier this year. The US Geological Survey says the latest quake that struck late Tuesday local time was a magnitude 6.1.

The House and Senate are not in session this Thanksgiving week. Lawmakers return next week and they will face a three-week sprint to the end of the 118th Congress centered around resolving two major issues, government funding and the annual defense authorization bill. Demure is Dictionary.com's word of the year. NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports it all started with a TikTker's lifestyle and beauty tips. Demure means reserved, quiet, or modest. But the reaction to influencer Jules LeBron's use of it was anything but. LeBron is a Chicago grocery store clerk turned influencer

who shares fashion and makeup advice on TikTok. You see how I do's lexicographers studied data from headlines, social media trends and search engine results. Demure experienced a nearly 1200% increase in usage on digital media between January and the end of August. LeBron started posting videos with the catch phrase very demure very, in early August. Dictionary.com calls its word of the year a linguistic time capsule. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News. US doxer makes the sour, the Dow is down 147 points, the S&P is up 17, and the NASDAQ has risen 87 points.

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