NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-30-2024 5AM EST

Episode Date: November 30, 2024

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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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. The first big snowstorm of the season in the Great Lakes region is threatening to dump heavy lake effect snow through Monday. Forecasters say as much as three feet could fall south of Buffalo, where Erie County Executive

Mark Pollinkers has warning of treacherous driving conditions. They won't qualify for a blizzard because of the winds, but when the winds do pick up, and they will pick up to over 30 miles an hour at times, you will have whiteouts. You will have blizzard-like conditions. Deteriorating conditions led officials to close parts of Interstate 90 yesterday, and commercial vehicles have been banned from Interstate 86 in western New York and much of State Route 219, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a disaster emergency for the region.

With Black Friday over, it's now Small Business Saturday when holiday shoppers are encouraged to support locally owned businesses, as MPR's Andrea Hsu reports. American Express first celebrated Small Business Saturday in 2010, and it's been co-sponsored by the US Small Business Administration since 2011 as a day of recognition for independent retailers, restaurants, and

other small businesses. On this day last year, Shoppers spent an estimated $17 billion at such establishments. Small businesses are a backbone of the economy. According to the SBA, they've accounted for two-thirds of net new jobs created since 2000 and employ 45 percent of private sector workers in the U.S. A record 20 million small business applications have been filed over the past four years, the highest on record. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. Overseas North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledging continued support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

NPR's Anthony Kuhn in Seoul reports that Kim met Friday with Russia's defense minister Andrei Belousov in Pyongyang. Kim told Belousov that North Korea would invariably support Russia in defending its sovereignty and territory against imperialists. Kim slammed the U.S. for arming and authorizing Ukraine to strike Russian territory, and he praised recent Russian missile counter-strikes as a rightful exercise of self-defense. State media report that North Korea held a banquet for Belusov. He and Kim later attended a concert together.

Russia and North Korea are neither denying nor confirming the deployment of some 10,000 North Korean troops to Russia. Analysts are looking to see what next steps Kim and Belusov discuss, such as additional deployments of North Korean troops to Russia. Analysts are looking to see what next steps Kim and Belousov discuss, such as additional deployments of North Korean troops and more Russian compensation in the form of money, weapons or technology. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is suggesting that the hot phase of the war in Ukraine could come to an end if the parts of the country under Kiev's control are accepted into NATO. But in an interview with Sky News, Zelensky said the whole of Ukraine would have to be offered NATO

membership first to allow Ukraine to attempt to negotiate the return of territory occupied by Russia. This is NPR. President Biden is due back at the White House this evening after spending the Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he said his administration is working with the FBI to address threats made this week that targeted lawmakers and several of President-elect Trump's cabinet picks. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffrey says House Democrats will not be intimidated. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had dinner with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago last night. Trudeau flew to Florida after Trump threatened

to impose tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products. Earlier Friday, Trudeau said he planned to have constructive conversations with Trump. Mexican President Claudia Schoenbaum spoke with Trump on Thursday and said she's confident that a tariff war can be averted. The Kansas City Chiefs, the first NFL team to clinch a playoff berth this season after holding on for a victory Friday over the Las Vegas Raiders, as Greg Eklund reports.

On the last play of the game, and with the Raiders in range for a potential game-winning field goal, quarterback Aiden O'Connell lost a fumble on the snap and the Chiefs recovered. The Chiefs are 11 and one, but defensive tackle Chris Jones says he knows his team isn't winning on style points. It's better than win than have a pretty loss. Okay. So we'll take a, a ugly win build from it and continue to get better. The Chiefs are in the playoffs for their 10th straight season, one short of tying the NFL

record held by the New England Patriots during the Tom Brady quarterbacking era. For NPR News, I'm Greg Eklund in Kansas City. This is NPR News.