NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-29-2024 10AM EST

Episode Date: November 29, 2024

NPR News: 11-29-2024 10AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. Israeli airstrikes continuing Gaza, even as a ceasefire in Lebanon seems to be holding. A nighttime attack targeted a refugee camp in central Gaza, killing more than a dozen people and wounding several others. That's according to a hospital official. Reporter Ahmed Abdou Hamda has more. Marwana Bonassar, the manager of Al-Awda Hospital in Nusayrat, said the airstrike hit homes in the Nusayrat refugee camp. As he spoke by phone, shelling and drone fire could be heard in the background as Abounassar yelled to his staff to take cover. Among those injured was the 10-year-old daughter of Hadiadeel Khairi, who described the airstrikes

as intense. She told NPR's Gaza producer, Anas Baba, the child wouldn't let go of her hand. Asked about the attack, Israeli military said it continues to strike at what it identifies as terrorist targets. For NPR News, I am Ahmed Abouhamda. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she's confident President-elect Trump's threat to impose a new 25 percent tariff if it didn't stop the flow of migrants and drugs,

including fentanyl, into the U.S., can be avoided. The two spoke Wednesday. She has threatened to retaliate if Trump goes ahead with his tariffs. Meanwhile, Canadian officials are pushing back against a similar tariff threat by Trump, stressing the two countries' long relationship of working together. Ontario Premier Doug Ford. We do approximately, just Ontario alone, 500 billion dollars of two-way trade. I found his comments unfair. I found them insulting. It's like a family member stabbing you right in the heart. Danielle Pletka Speaking there on CTV. The decades-old trade

agreement between the three North American countries is a delicate balance between the U.S. and its two key allies. Gas prices remain at three-year lows after drifting downward for weeks. The national average is now $3.06. It's good news for the more than 70 million American families who are expected to travel by car this Thanksgiving weekend. And here's Camila Dominovski has more. Prices at the pump have been trending down since midsummer. Global oil prices have normalized from a couple of years ago, and it's also typical for prices to fall as temperatures drop and fewer people drive. While gas prices are always a hot election topic, presidents have very limited influence

on them. Diesel prices are holding steady, around $3.50, according to GasBuddy. And AAA is also tracking the cost of charging electric vehicles. While gas prices move a lot, charging averages have changed by less than a penny in the six months AAA has tracked them. Camila Dominovski, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News. In Italy, hundreds of thousands of teachers, health care workers, trash collectors, and

others are on strike protesting rising prices, persistently low salaries, and government policies that they say have weakened public services. It's a challenge to Georgia Maloney's right-wing government. The unions say her latest budget proposal penalizes schools, health care, and other services. The strike forced ITA airlines to cancel dozens of flights and it's impacted schools, hospitals, and local travel. A new study is linking breathing in smoke from wildfires to a higher risk of dementia.

And here's Alejandro Burunda reports on the findings published in the journal Neurology. Wildfire smoke is loaded with microscopic flecks of dangerous pollution. Joan Casey is an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Washington. She explains exactly what happens when people breathe those flecks in. You get them deep into your lungs. They can pass into the bloodstream. They're causing inflammation. They're causing oxidative stress, they can damage your DNA. And a lot of these processes are precursors to developing dementia. Kasey worked on a recent study that found older people who were exposed to wildfire smoke were nearly 20% more likely to develop dementia in

subsequent years. It's a growing risk as climate change makes smoke exposure a reality for millions. Alejandra Burunda, NPR News. Wall Street's trading higher at this hour on a shortened trading session day. The Dow is up 136, the Nasdaq up 101. Trading closes at 1 p.m. today. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington.