NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-02-2024 4AM EST

Episode Date: December 2, 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, I'm Dale Willman. President Joe Biden has pardoned his son Hunter, who was convicted on gun charges and also pleaded guilty to tax-related charges, NPR's Mar Eliason reports. The pardon was a reversal for Biden, who had promised not to pardon or commute Hunter Biden's

sentence. In a statement, Biden said he believes in the justice system, but that quote, raw politics has infected the process and it led to a miscarriage of justice. Hunter Biden was convicted by a federal jury in Delaware for lying about his drug use on a gun purchase form and he pleaded guilty in California to tax related charges. Biden is not the first president to pardon a relative. Bill Clinton pardoned his half brother Roger for cocaine distribution and Donald Trump pardoned his son-in-law's father, Charles Kushner, for charges including witness tampering.

Trump recently named Kushner to be the ambassador to France. Mara Eliason, NPR News. The father of American Israeli hostage, Edan Alexander, is calling for action to have his son released from captivity in Gaza. He was taken hostage by Hamas forces when they invaded Israel last year. A video of Edan asking President-elect Donald Trump to help was released this weekend. Speaking in New York on Sunday, Adi Alexander says political courage is now what's needed. President Biden, President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, I call on all of you to act.

This is not a moment for politics or hesitations. It's beginning to look a lot like a Christmas nightmare for some upstate New York residents. Weather officials say the Tug Hill region in western New York has received about 46 inches of snow this weekend and even more is expected. Parts of New York and Pennsylvania are now under emergency declarations because of the lake effect snow and the cold. The Buffalo Bills, meanwhile, played San Francisco Sunday night while it was snowing. The temperature at kickoff was 27 degrees.

We're going to get new data on the state of the labor market in coming days as Wall Street investors return to a full trading week. As NPR's Rafael Nam reports, the focus will be on just how much the labor market is slowing down. Markets have set records in November as investors have cheered President-elect Donald Trump's economic agenda. Trump has big plans, including cutting taxes and imposing tariffs. But the reality is that he will also likely inherit a healthy economy that was built up under President Biden.

One bright spot has been a solid labor market. Though lately there have been signs of a slowdown. This week we'll get a few reports that could provide more clarity on the state of the employment market. The reports include the number of job openings and the big one on Friday, when we get to see how many jobs the economy added in November. Rafael Numb, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News.

As the holiday season continues, many migrant farm workers in California continue to struggle with hardship in the aftermath of the mountain fire that burned Northwest of Los Angeles three weeks ago. Those essential workers and others who help put food on tables across the nation sometimes find themselves struggling to secure food for their own families. Susana Canales Barone reports.

The mountain fire has left many migrant farm workers facing financial hardship. Here's Cristina Cardona Threadgill of the non-profit Friends of Field Workers. Resources are often not accessible for this community and a lot of times unfortunately they're kind of forgotten. Migrant farm worker Josefina Martinez Diaz shared in Mixteco that the support from nonprofits has helped her family navigate challenges caused by the fire. For NPR News, I'm Susana Canales-Barrón in Ventura, California. The Big Ten Conference is fine Michigan and Ohio State $100,000 each after a horrible ending to their rivalry game

on Saturday. Michigan won the game 13-10 and Wolverines players tried to plant their flag on the OSU logo. Buckeyes players pushed back. Police had to use pepper spray to separate the teams. The Thanksgiving holiday presented an early Christmas present to theater owners as Disney's Moana 2 brought in a record $221 million in North American ticket sales that easily beat Frozen 2's $125 million in 2019. Globally, Moana 2's take reached $368 million. I'm

Dale Willman and you're listening to NPR News. 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.