NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-02-2024 7AM EST

Episode Date: December 2, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. President Biden has signed a full and unconditional pardon for his son, Hunter Biden. The president's decision marks a major reversal. Biden had repeatedly said that he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports Hunter Biden has pleaded guilty to federal tax charges and was convicted by a jury on gun charges. In one of those cases, a jury in Delaware convicted Hunter of lying on a federal background check form about his addiction to crack cocaine when he bought a gun in 2018. And in the other, Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to failing to pay at least $1.4 million in

taxes. Sentencing in both of those cases was scheduled for later this month. He could have faced prison time. But now, of course, he has been pardoned. That's NPR's Ryan Lucas reporting. The Israeli military says an American Israeli hostage in Gaza is dead. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports his parents addressed the Republican National Convention this summer. 21-year-old Omer Nutra from New York served in the Israeli military last October 7th when his tank came under Hamas attack. He'd been presumed to be held hostage alive in Gaza. Now Israel's military says it has confirmed he was killed the day of the Hamas attack

October 7th and that his body is being held in Gaza. Now Israel's military says it has confirmed he was killed the day of the Hamas attack October 7th and that his body is being held in Gaza. Nurtura's parents addressed the Republican National Convention and his father Ronen spoke with NPR this year about the Israeli hostages. Some of them may be dying as we speak. Three American Israelis are still believed to be held alive in Gaza and four American Israelis bodies are held there. Israel says in total, 101 hostages held alive in Gaza, and four American Israelis' bodies are held there. Israel says in total, 101 hostages are still in Gaza, and at least a third of them are

dead. Daniel Estrin, NPR News, Tel Aviv. A lake effect storm is bringing heavy snowfall to many parts of the Great Lakes region. NPR's Shondali S. Duster reports the severe weather is making travel difficult for millions of Americans trying to make it back home after the Thanksgiving holiday. Many places, including in northwestern parts of Pennsylvania, have received at least three feet of snow and will see more before Tuesday. States of emergency have been declared in several counties in New York and western parts

of Pennsylvania. State troopers say they are responding to crashes, and the Pennsylvania National Guard has been deployed to help clear roads. Officials are also warning residents in areas seeing lake effect snow to stay off the roads and only travel if necessary. Some flights in and out of the Great Lakes region have been canceled or delayed over the weekend. And the National Weather Service says this isn't the last of it.

More lake effect snow is expected to impact the region over the next few days. Shondalese Duster, NPR News. On Wall Street, our futures are trading lower at this hour. This is NPR News. Negotiations are taking place in South Korea this week to address the global crisis of plastic pollution. The talks are at an impasse over whether the treaty should reduce the total plastic on Earth and put global controls on toxic chemicals used to make plastics.

A final agreement isn't expected this week, with talks resuming next year. Federal authorities in Australia have made the largest seizure of cocaine in the country's history. Christina Kukula reports more than a dozen people have been charged in an alleged multi-million dollar drug smuggling operation. After a month-long investigation, Australian federal police say they seized over two tons of cocaine with a street value equivalent to nearly half a billion US dollars. They say the drugs were found on a fishing boat that broke down off the coast of the eastern state of Queensland.

Commander Stephen Jay said officers raided the vessel after it became stranded at sea, arresting those on board along with several people on the shore. Among those charged is at least one person allegedly belonging to a motorcycle gang and two under the age of 18. Police say the cocaine came from an unidentified South American country. For NPR News, I'm Christina Kukulja in Melbourne, Australia. Officials in southern France say at least two people were killed and more than 30 others were injured after a bus crash near a ski resort in the Pyrenees Mountains. Local authorities say a preliminary investigation shows the bus ran into a cliff, but the exact circumstances of the crash are still unclear. This is NPR.