NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-01-2024 12PM EST

Episode Date: December 1, 2024

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This is Eric Glass. On This American Life, we specialize in compelling stories from everyday life. I was like, wow, you literally just died and came back. And the first thing you ask is, do you need any money? Real life stories, really good ones, in your podcast feed, This American Life. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm. In Israel, a former defense minister has angered Israeli leaders for saying Israel is perpetrating ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Gaza's civil defense organization has reported an increase of fatal Israeli military strikes

over the weekend. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv. Moshe Ya'alon served as defense minister under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2013 to 2016. He's politically hawkish, but has become a vocal opponent of Netanyahu. In remarks this weekend, the former defense minister said Israel

is going down the path of occupation, annexation, and quote, ethnic cleansing, the first such claim by a former senior official. This Saturday alone, Gaza's civil defense organization said nearly 100 Palestinians were killed in intensified strikes across Gaza. Netanyahu's Likud party said Yaelon's comments were, quote, false defamation, and Israel's foreign minister called on Yaelon to retract his claims of ethnic cleansing, but he doubled down on them. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv.

In Syria, rebels are still in control of the city of Aleppo after a surprise attack last week. It's an important city near the border with Turkey and has been a focal point of the Syrian civil war. Doreen Khalifa, with the International Crisis Group, has been following the war. She says the rebels are now reaching out to the community. What we've seen so far is that these rebels, who are honestly different shades of Islamists at this point, are trying to signal comforting messages to the local population, saying that

they're going to respect all civilians, they're going to be respect all civilians. They're going to expect the diversity, background, sects of local citizens living in these areas. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since the civil war began in 2011. President Biden has approved another $385 million arms sale to the Asian island of Taiwan in order to help defend itself from China. The sale includes fighter jet parts and radar systems. The sale also shows the U.S. is trying to shore up ties with Taiwan before a change in the White House.

NPR's Emily Fang reports. This is the sixth arms sale the U.S. has made to Taiwan this year alone, and it was approved as Taiwan's President William Lai made a closely watched trip to the U.S. has made to Taiwan this year alone, and it was approved as Taiwan's President William Lai made a closely watched trip to the U.S. state of Hawaii. The U.S. is bound by American legislation to help Taiwan defend itself, primarily against China, which sees the democratic island as its territory and is threatened to invade it one day if needed. The U.S. sold nearly $2 billion in radar and missile systems to Taiwan this fall.

China's foreign ministry said Sunday that it would take quote, strong and resolute countermeasures in response to the latest U.S. arms sale, and it has already sanctioned most major U.S. weapons companies. Emily Fang, NPR News, Taipei, Taiwan. This is NPR News in Washington. UN talks in South Korea on how to deal with plastic pollution ended today without an agreement. Negotiators from more than 170 countries were unable to agree in a plan. More than 100 of them wanted limits on plastic production, while others wanted to only focus

on plastic waste. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says just 14 percent of older adults in the U.S. get the recommended amount of exercise. NPR's Ping Wong has more. Every week, U.S. adults should be getting at least two and a half hours of moderate exercise and two days of strength training. That's guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Rita Enders, 84 years old, goes to a fitness class twice a week

at a senior center in Towson, Maryland. Use it or lose it. If you don't keep moving, everything starts to stiffen up. All you have to do is sit down for 15 minutes and try to get up, and then you're like, oh. But a survey from CDC shows that Enders isn't the minority. More than 85% of those 65 and older are not getting the recommended amount of exercise to reap its substantial benefits. There are almost 60 million U.S. adults that are 65 and older. Regular exercise would help

them keep healthy and mobile and reduce the risk of falls. Ping Huang, NPR News. The National Weather Service is predicting more heavy snow and cold temperatures again today in parts of New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Officials warn Thanksgiving travelers may encounter dangerous conditions. Frigid air is expected to cover the eastern third of the United States by tomorrow. I'm Noor Aram, NPR News in Washington.