NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-29-2024 7PM EST

Episode Date: November 30, 2024

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This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University performs breakthrough research every year, making discoveries that improve human health, combat climate change, and move society forward. More at iu.edu slash forward. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. 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 Laura 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. Three people died today in a crush trying to get bread from the last remaining bakery in central and southern Gaza. All bakeries there shut down for several days this week because they had run out of flour. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports the UN says Israel needs to allow much more supplies into the

enclave. People have nowhere else to turn to for food except for a few hot kitchens run by charities, but that can't feed the two million people that are in southern and central Gaza. So when this bakery opened, there was a crush of thousands of people trying to get a few loaves of the subsidized bread because there's no guarantee that this bakery will open again tomorrow. And what we heard from health officials is that a woman and two teenage girls died in this crush of a crowd Trying to get bread bread is the lifeline of people in Gaza It is how they have survived on just one meal a day for more than a year of war

That's NPR's a a bit rowey reporting Israel's military says in 14 months of fighting in Lebanon before this week ceasefire says in 14 months of fighting in Lebanon before this week's ceasefire, its forces struck thousands of Hezbollah targets, command centers, and weapons depots. NPR's Scott Newman has more from Tel Aviv. A fact sheet released by the Israeli military states its forces hit a total of 12,500 Hezbollah targets, including 1,600 of the group's command centers and 1,000 weapons depots. It said it killed 13 senior Hezbollah leaders in addition to the group's longtime top commander,

Hassan Nasrallah. Meanwhile, Lebanese officials say about 3,700, mostly civilians, were killed in the conflict, and more than a million were displaced. The World Bank estimates that physical damage and economic losses in Lebanon amount to $8.5 billion. Scott Newman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR News. The French got a glimpse of the newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral this morning during a

visit by President Emmanuel Macron that was broadcast live on television. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports the renovation has transformed the cathedral since a devastating fire in 2019. President Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron, along with the Archbishop and the Mayor of Paris, got a private tour of freshly renovated Notre Dame while the cameras followed. And I remember how it was yesterday... Macron marveled at the soaring lightstone ceilings, now cleansed of soot and centuries of grime. He visited the cathedral's rafters, known as the Forest, where 1,500 trees were felled to build the frame holding the new cathedral roof.

Surrounded by 1,200 artists and workers, Macron called it a hugely emotional moment to be back inside our cathedral. He told workers, you have succeeded in what everyone thought was impossible. Eleanor Beardsley in Pierre News, Paris. The Mexican government is considering a $42 immigration levy for every passenger on cruise ships that dock in Mexico. Officials say two-thirds of the money raised would go to the Mexican Army not to make improvements to port facilities. The Mexican Association of Shipping Agents was quick to criticize the move, saying the charges would take away Mexico's ability to compete

within the cruise industry. Stocks on Wall Street traded higher today. The Dow was up 188 points at the close. This is NPR News. 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.