NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-02-2024 3PM EST

Episode Date: December 2, 2024

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You might have heard this song on TikTok blow up this summer. I'm looking for a man in finance. Trust fun. Six-five. Blue eyes. On It's Been A Minute, we're asking the big questions about dating. Like, is it okay to date with money in mind? And what are we really looking for from a man in finance? To find out, listen to the It's Been A Minute podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Lakshmi Singh. Today, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case about how the Food and Drug Administration regulates e-cigarettes, specifically the agency's

refusal to approve vape products that are flavored to appeal to underage consumers, flavors like pink lemonade and Jimmy the Juiceman, peachy strawberry, and Pierzina Totenberg has the tales. In 2009, Congress enacted a new law aimed specifically at the problem of cigarette and nicotine use by middle and high school kids. In carrying out the mandate, the FDA banned almost all flavored e-cigarettes, with the exception of those that are tobacco-flavored and menthol-flavored, because those are seen as helping adults break the cigarette habit with a less dangerous nicotine product.

In contrast, the agency refused to approve other flavors it said were aimed at kids, with names like Suicide Bunny, Mother's Milk, and Cookies. The question before the Supreme Court is whether the FDA followed the regulatory rules of the road when it banned a whole category of vaping products largely used by kids. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington. President Biden's pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, a felony gun and tax charges ahead of sentencing this month. The president had previously said he would not issue a pardon. Constitutional law professor and author Kim Whaley speaks to Biden's decision to reverse

course as president-elect Trump prepares to return to office. Donald Trump has been really clear about his plans to use the Justice Department for retribution and vengeance and is, you know, lining up folks to run the FBI and the DOJ to adhere to that. So I can see why Joe Biden might think the landscape's changed and he doesn't want more charges brought up against his son. And if he were actually sentenced to prison time, might not want Donald Trump in charge of his custody under the Bureau of Prisons. Author Kim Whaley speaking with NPR's Morning Edition. In France, political pundits are betting whether the government, the new government, will make it to Christmas after

the far-right indicated over the weekend that it could join the far-left in toppling it. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley has details. Both big voting blocks say they're prepared to join forces in a vote of no confidence for Prime Minister Michel Barnier if he dares push his 2025 budget through parliament using an emergency measure. A no confidence vote would lead to the collapse of a centrist government not even in power for three months. The populist parties contest the budget which is full of tax hikes and benefit cuts meant to help plug the huge French deficit. The collapse of the French government would likely royal financial markets and weaken

Europe at a crucial time as the war in Ukraine continues and President-elect Trump prepares to take power. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 74 points at 44,836. This is NPR News. Intel has ousted CEO Pat Gelsinger. The executive stepped down today after nearly four years at the helm of the semiconductor company. Intel says two other executives will take over until a permanent replacement is found. Confidence eroded in the ousted executive's ability to turn around Intel.

During his tenure, the company's stock plunged 61%. It struggled to overcome competition including from Nvidia. Last month Nvidia replaced Intel on the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average Index following a 25-year run. Killer whales are known for being highly intelligent. Now a new study shows how that helps them hunt some of the largest animals on the planet. NPR's Lauren Sommer has more. Whale sharks are big, the size of a school bus. And being that big is their main defense against predators. But in Mexico's Gulf of California, scientists have documented killer whales hunting them, which they published in the journal Frontiers. Here's how it works. The killer whales ram into the white shark, flipping it over. When sharks are upside down,

they go into a trance-like state. Then the killer whales bite the soft underbelly, causing the whale sharks to bleed out. The coordinated attack is characteristic of killer whales, which are known to hunt everything from great white sharks to blue whales. These skills are likely passed on from generation to generation with each pod of whales having its own culture. Lauren Summer, NPR News. The Nasdaq is up 175 points or nearly 1 percent. The S&P has risen 16 points and the Dow is down 72 points. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.