NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-30-2024 2AM EST

Episode Date: November 30, 2024

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Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Duah Lisi Kaotow. Polls are now closed in Ireland's parliamentary election. A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah is fragile but holding in Lebanon. Journalist and author Kim Gattas offers context as to how the truce was achieved, even as the Lebanese government isn't functioning and Iran did not immediately support its ally Hezbollah during the nearly 14 months of war. This agreement would not have been achieved if Hezbollah and Iran had not decided it was time to cut their losses, preserve what they could, and enter into the ceasefire.

So it's not so much that the Lebanese government or the Lebanese army is going to forcibly make Hezbollah do anything. It's that Hezbollah and Iran have agreed to this. She adds, the key to the success of the ceasefire is for the Lebanese to come together and make clear to Hezbollah that they are welcome to participate as another political party. Again, polls are now closed in Ireland's parliamentary election and Piers Fatima al-Khassab reports one exit poll suggests a narrow lead for Sinn Fein, a party with links to IRA militants.

The exit poll in Ireland puts Sinn Fein, a left-wing party which used to be the political wing of the Irish Republican army, slightly ahead of the two traditional parties, Finnegail and Fianna Fáil. The exit poll was the first real indication of how Irish citizens voted. Sinn Fein hailed the results of the poll, which, if correct, put it ahead of the two parties that have governed Ireland alone or in coalitions for over a century. The exit poll reflects first preference votes only and comes with a margin of error. It can take up to several days for final results.

Fatima Al-Khassab, NPR News, Dublin. Triple A estimates that more than 70 million Americans are road tripping this weekend, and that means congestion. And Piers Kamila Domenoski reports some metro areas are expected to be particularly clogged up. Boston, New York, LA, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. will likely have twice as many cars on roads as on a typical day. That's according to the transportation data company, Enrix.

The worst times for returning traffic are typically Saturday and Sunday evening, although in some cities, Monday will also be a mess as returning road trippers and commuters alike squeeze onto highways. Whenever you're traveling, the National Safety Council reminds drivers to wear a seatbelt and don't drive impaired. Holidays are associated with an increase in drunk driving fatalities. Camila Dominovski, NPR News.

And this is NPR News from New York City. After President-elect Donald Trump threatened tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico earlier this week, leaders of both those countries are moving fast to set the tone for their working relationships. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Florida today and has met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Details of that visit are not yet public. Meanwhile, Mexico's president spoke midweek with Trump and after their talks, she told reporters, quote, there will not be a potential tariff war. A new genetic analysis shows that beaked hazelnuts have been cultivated for thousands of years

by the indigenous people of British Columbia. And Perez Emily Kwong reports on how this could make a difference to their land back movement. Beaked hazelnuts are sweeter, more buttery than commercial hazelnuts. And this wild food is found all over British Columbia. Their existence is not an accident. A team led by Chelsea Gralda Armstrong sampled 200 hazelnuts and traced their genetic lineage across the region, some 500 miles away.

Meaning First Nations tribes have actively transported and cultivated beaked hazelnuts for generations. Attorney Jack Woodward says this new finding is important. It's very exciting evidence that it wasn't wilderness at all. It was actually a place that was quite intensively used by the indigenous people. This cultivation could be key to helping some First Nations people gain title to certain lands. For NPR News, I'm Emily Kwong. South Korea has opened a Starbucks that overlooks the Korean demilitarized zone.

The cafe is located at the border with North Korea. This is NPR.