NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-01-2024 10AM EST

Episode Date: December 1, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Hamas has released a video of an Israeli-American hostage. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports on the footage showing the 20-year-old pleading with President-elect Donald Trump to secure his release. It's the first time Edan, Alexander's family, has heard from him since he was captured in the Hamas attack on southern Israel, October 2023. In the video, Alexander addresses Trump as the incoming president of the United States, a sign that the video was filmed recently.

Alexander's mother, Yael, addressed a crowd shortly after the video was made public. She said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called her, telling her that the conditions for a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would release the remaining hostages was, quote, ripe. -"So I am calling on you, Prime Minister, in my name. Stand by your promise to me, she says to Netanyahu.

We are all waiting on you to make a courageous decision. There are still 101 hostages remaining in Gaza, according to Israel. At least a third of them are thought to be dead. Kat Lansdorf, Empire News, Haifa. A decision by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees could worsen humanitarian conditions in Gaza. In Bear News, Haifa. Marc Benioff, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington

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Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington rebel forces that have captured Aleppo. Syria's defense ministry, says Syrian and Russian warplanes have carried out more airstrikes as the Islamist rebels continue to advance south on the road toward Hama. The BBC's Lina Sinjab reports that the foreign minister of Iran, Syria's closest ally, is due in Syria today to discuss the crisis. Lina Sinjab, Foreign Minister of Iran, Syria This is the first time in years that we see the opposition advancing and capturing a big city. And it's also taking the government by surprise at a time where both its allies are busy.

Russia is busy in Ukraine and Hezbollah and Iran are weakened by Israeli attacks, both in Syria and Lebanon. So it's definitely changing the dynamics on the ground. And there are lots of diplomatic movements to discuss the situation and find a way to stabilize it. President Biden working on a long to-do list before he leaves Washington in January, and Paris-Tammer-Keith reports. President-elect Donald Trump has said he intends to roll back

a lot of President Biden's signature legislative achievements. So the Biden team is trying to use its remaining time to make that hard to do by obligating funds, signing contracts, and pushing out grants. They're also working to draw attention to popular provisions like the $2,000 cap on prescription drug costs for seniors that takes effect in 2025. Pardons and commutations are a power of the presidency often exercised at the very end.

Biden has used his power to send a signal about inequality in the nation's criminal code and he could do something like that again. Tamara Keith, NPR News. This is NPR. Amid violent protests, the president of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia is pushing back against allegations that the pro-European Union opposition is plotting a revolution. President Salome Zurabishvili supports the protesters. We are not demanding a revolution. We are not putting demands on who has to get out of there.

We are asking for new elections. Protesters clash with police for a third straight night in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Thousands have been gathering outside parliament to protest against the government's decision to suspend talks to join the European Union. Belgium has become the first country in the world to grant sex workers the same rights as any other employee. From Brussels, Terry Schulz reports a new law as a result of two years of negotiations between the Belgian government and grassroots organizations. Prostitutes in Belgium will now be entitled to a work contract that includes the same

benefits as any other job with regulation of working hours, conditions and pay. Sex workers will now get maternity leave, Social Security, pensions and sick days. They have the right to refuse clients or specific acts without that being a cause for dismissal. Employers are required to install an emergency button in the rooms where the prostitutes work to better ensure their safety. The new law follows Belgium's decriminalization of prostitution in 2022 and is an agreement between the social justice and labor ministries after consultations with organizations representing people who work for companies in the sex service industry.

While prostitution is legal in several other countries, the Belgian law goes furthest in granting workers rights and benefits. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. And I'm Trial Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.