NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-29-2024 2PM EST

Episode Date: November 29, 2024

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Noor Rahm Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. Today is Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year in the U.S. The National Retail Federation says it expects a record number of people, more than 183 million, to shop in-store or online through Cyber Monday. NPR's Lauren Wamsley reports tomorrow is designated as Small Business Saturday. This marks the 15th year of Small Business Saturday. Last year, U.S. consumers spent an estimated $17 billion at independent retailers and restaurants

on that day. Two-thirds of Americans say they would only shop at small businesses if they could, according to a survey by AT&T Business. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they believe small businesses offer better, more distinctive holiday gifts. Supporting the local economy was the top reason cited for shopping at small retailers. A recent survey found that optimism among small business owners rose last month, though inflation remained their biggest concern.

Laurel Wamsley, NPR News. Human rights groups say dozens of people have been killed in fierce fighting today in and around Syria's second largest city Aleppo. It's the latest fighting that began with Syria's civil war in 2011. NPR's Lauren Freire reports. Opposition forces have been battling their way toward Aleppo for days and have now entered the city. It's the first such attack since 2016, when insurgents were ousted from the city by Syrian government forces with help from Russia and Iran. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says insurgents blew up two car bombs on Aleppo's western edge

and have issued a call to residents to cooperate. State media say insurgents' projectiles hit a university campus, killing students, and that the government conducted airstrikes in response. This attack coincides with a ceasefire in neighboring Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants who are also supported by Iran. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, Beirut. A nationwide strike in Italy has grounded dozens of national and international flights and affected public transport, schools and hospitals.

NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports. Many thousands of Italians, including teachers, trash collectors and healthcare workers, joined dozens of protest marches in cities across the country. The actions were organized by two of Italy's biggest unions who said 70% of the workers they represent took part in the strike,

which came in response to the latest budget by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney. It tries to tighten public sector spending in order to bring Italy's finances in line with European Union rules. But union leaders in Italy say the budget weakens a wide range of public services and protesters spoke out against a decline in spending power and persistently low salaries. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News, Rome. In an abbreviated session on Wall Street, the Dow gained 188 points. The S&P rose 33

points. This is NPR News in Washington. Officials in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia say 43 people were arrested last night in clashes with police. Several thousand people gathered outside the parliament in the capital Tbilisi to protest the government's decision to pause talks to join the European Union. A new study out this week finds that breathing in dirty air can change the DNA inside people's cells and that can lead to problems during pregnancy NPR's Alejandro Burunda reports tiny bits of pollution called PM 2.5 are so small 30 flex or even more can fit across a human hair When people breathe them in they don't just hurt their lungs the particles can get into people's bloodstreams and then they can affect all kinds of cell functions, and even impact DNA.

A team of scientists, including researchers from Harvard and Stanford, found that exposure to this kind of pollution during pregnancy can modify the DNA of individual cells. The pollution trigger changes in the immune response that led to more inflammation in both mother and fetus. Previous studies have shown that inflammation can be dangerous for both. It can increase the chances of developing problems like preeclampsia. The researchers say it is more evidence that cleaning up the air would help people be healthier. Alejandra Borunda, NPR News. The Transportation Security Administration is investigating how a

person boarded a plane in New York this week and flew to Paris without having a boarding pass. Delta Flight 264 took off Tuesday night from Kennedy Airport and landed in Paris the next day. Officials say the stowaway had been screened but had somehow bypassed boarding pass checkpoints. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.