NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-01-2024 6AM EST

Episode Date: December 1, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. The mother of an Israeli-American hostage seen in a video released by Hamas as the video was difficult to watch. I didn't saw Idan for 421 days and suddenly to see him alive and speaking and when he cried, I just want to hold them, you know? It was very, very, very tough to see. Yoyel Alexander speaking at the weekly protest of hostage families in Tel Aviv. Her son, Yidan, was among those captured in the Hamas-led attack more than a year ago.

He is seen on the video addressing President-elect Donald Trump, asking Trump to help free the hostages. Syrian opposition forces have taken control of much of the country's second largest city Aleppo and as NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports rebel forces say they are also closing in on the government's stronghold of Hama. Thousands of Syrian opposition rebels have moved into Aleppo, Syria's second most populous city. Videos show them at the old citadel burning posters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It's a sudden and stunning development in Syria's 14-year civil war.

The Syrian regime, backed by Russia and Iran, was heralded as having largely won the conflict, with opposition militias pushed to rural areas along the border with Turkey. There they were funded and received military training by Turkey. And now in just three days these rebels have stormed deep into Syria and are now targeting the government's stronghold of Hama in the center of the country. The Syrian military says it's regrouping to launch a counteroffensive. One reason for the regime's sudden loss may be intensified Israeli airstrikes on the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah in Syria, who were helping the regime control the country.

Ruth Sherlock, MPI News. President-elect Trump has picked Cash Patel, a longtime ally to lead the FBI. Patel, an FBI critic who has said he would turn the FBI headquarters building in Washington into a museum for the deep state. Patel would need to be confirmed by the Senate. Current Director Christopher Wray's 10-year term

does not end until 2027. Wray has had a tense relationship with Trump. Lake effect snowstorms causing problems for holiday travelers from northeastern Ohio across Pennsylvania and into western and northern New York. Bruce Conviser has more from New York City. The early season snowstorm is being measured in feet, not inches. The National Weather Service reports that at least nine locations in New York State have recorded at least two feet of snow as of Saturday night, and four of those locations measured at least three feet of snow. So far, Barnes Corners, an unincorporated village east of Lake Ontario, is leading the

snow tally with 45 inches, and they could top 50 inches before it all winds down Sunday or Monday Governor Kathy Hockel declared a state of emergency on Friday for nearly a dozen Western counties Straddling the shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario for NPR news. I'm Bruce Conviser in New York. This is NPR United Nations talks on a binding treaty to curb plastic pollution is in danger of collapsing The United Nations talks on a binding treaty to curb plastic pollution is in danger of collapsing. The talks in Busan, South Korea, scheduled to wrap up today, but there's a dispute over the scope of the treaty.

Panama's representative Juan Carlos Monterrey proposed an option that would create a global cap on plastic production. Every piece that we allow to produce without limits is a direct assault on our health, on our nature, and our children. Nat. Bill O'Brien, Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D.,

Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph.D., Ph. The consisted entirely of sulfur. Befuddled scientists are trying to determine where the sulfur came from. Next stop for the rover is a formation called boxwork, which may have formed from minerals that eroded from the nearby mountain. The Perseverance rover is about 2300 miles away from its rolling colleague. It's climbing up the walls of the large crater it landed in nearly four years ago.

It too has come across Martian features that have stumped scientists. A recent example is a field of white rocks of unknown origin NASA has dubbed Mist Park. For NPR News, I'm Joe Palca. And I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.