NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-02-2024 6PM EST

Episode Date: December 2, 2024

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It's cuffing season, the cold months where we might look for a warm somebody to cuddle up to. But dating isn't always warm and fuzzy, and this year there were so many big debates about how we love. On It's Been A Minute, our cuffing season series will help you answer some big questions, like what is the ick really about? Or is it okay to date for money? To find out, listen now to the It's Been A Minute podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The White House says President Biden agonized over pardoning his son, Hunter Biden, a decision he says he made over the weekend. The president's son was convicted earlier this year of federal gun charges and tax offenses.

NPR's Deepa Shivram has more. Hunter Biden was scheduled to receive his sentencings in both cases later this month. But now he'll get a full pardon despite the president repeatedly saying he wouldn't do it. White House Press Secretary Karin Jean Pierre says the president believed there was a quote miscarriage of justice in the process. Hunter was singled out. And because he his last name was Biden, because he was the president's

son. That's what we saw. The pardon shields Hunter Biden from any further prosecution by the Justice Department for anything he might have done in the last 10 years. The president himself has not spoken to the press about the pardon since announcing it Sunday evening. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee

for attorney general, Pam Bondi, was on Capitol Hill today. Bondi meeting with, among others, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. While no questions were allowed, the 59-year-old Bondi spoke briefly, pledging to uphold the duties of the nation's highest law enforcement official.

Should I earn the trust and the nomination from all of the senators, I will do my best every day to work tirelessly for the American people and I will make you, the president in our country, proud. Bondi is the former Attorney General of Florida. She was nominated to head the Justice Department after a Florida Republican Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. The State Department says the U.S. does not want to see any country take advantage of the unraveling security situation in Syria. Any government rebels unexpectedly seized control of large parts of Syria last week,

including one of the major cities Aleppo. As NBR's Jackie Northam reports, Russia and Iran have both pledged to back the Syrian government. State Department spokesman Matthew Mueller says the U.S. wants to see every country use its influence to prevent the security situation in Syria from spiraling out of control. He says the U.S. wants to see a serious and credible process to end the country's civil war once and for all. Still, Miller says nothing has changed in terms of U.S. policy on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Assad is a brutal dictator with blood on his hands, the blood of innocent civilians inside Syria. Miller says the Syrian people should determine who their leaders are and that Assad has never engaged in that process. Jackie Northam, NPR News. A top official with the interest rate-setting Federal Reserve says he is leaning towards supporting another interest rate cut when the central bank holds its final meeting of the year later this month. Christopher Waller, a key member of the Fed's Board of Governors, made his comments

at George Washington University, but is due to meet in two weeks. On Wall Street today, the Dow was down 128 points. You're listening to NPR. 8 points. You're listening to NPR. Nearly 60 people are dead. Many others were hurt after a stampede erupted at a soccer match in Guinea. Officials say the chaos started after fans protested a referee's call. It began throwing stones, prompting thousands to try to flee the packed stadium. Many tried to escape through stadium gates as security officials fired tear gas at the riders.

When you think about a senior living community, you might have some preconceived notions, but what you may not expect is a place that's award-winning for its collection of wine. Kathy Richey of Member Station KJZZ in Phoenix has the story. Jody Kosterlitz is a dining room manager at Mirabella at Arizona State University, a retirement community located in the heart of campus in Tempe. Over the summer, Mirabella's restaurant Dolce Vita Bistro won a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, but getting this award wasn't easy. There's specific qualifications to get this award. You have to have a certain amount of bottle selections on your list, plus be a public restaurant. We happen to have both those

things." So, Kosterlitz decided to throw Mirabella's name into the ring. I didn't think there'd ever been a senior living to do it, so we were the first. And so far, the only senior living community in the country to win such an award. For NPR News, I'm Cathy Ritchie in Phoenix. Scientists in New Zealand say for only the seventh time ever a spade-toothed whale has been found. The specimen found dead on a beach there. None of the rare whales have ever been seen alive. Scientists say almost nothing is known about the creatures. They hope to learn more about the animals by analyzing the specimen found on New Zealand's South Island.

I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.