NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-02-2024 8AM 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 sweeping pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of federal tax and gun charges. The full and unconditional pardon is aimed at protecting the president's son from future prosecution from the incoming Trump administration. NPR's Mara Eliason reports Biden's decision may tarnish his reputation. I think this will affect his legacy. And there are a lot of Democrats saying, how can Democrats accuse Trump of being above the law when he pardons, for instance, violent January 6 defendants, if in fact that's what he does, He said he wants to. They think that maybe

Democrats have ceded the moral high ground. So this is very controversial inside the president's own party, but it was a very, very personal decision. That's NPR's Mara Liason reporting. President Biden will travel to Africa today, his first trip to the continent since taking office. NPR's Emmanuel Akinwatu reports from Lagos. Biden's visit is only the second trip to Africa by a US president in a decade and is likely the president's last foreign trip, two months before he leaves office. The trip concludes efforts by the Biden administration to improve its ties in Africa and to counter the growing influence of China and Russia.

In Angola, Biden will visit a US-financed rail project called the Lobito Corridor. The 1,300-kilometre freight rail line runs through mineral-rich Central African countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and connects to Zambia and Tanzania. It's designed to ease the export of minerals like cobalt and copper that the U.S. and other countries want access to. Emanuel Akinwotu, NPR News, Lagos. Several international aid organizations have been forced to pause services in Gaza. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports people there are desperate for food more than a year after the war broke out between Israel and

Hamas. The UN announced yesterday its pausing aid deliveries into Gaza, saying armed gangs inside have made it too dangerous. World Central Kitchen has also suspended operations after several of its members were killed by an Israeli strike. Israel says one of them was Hamas. And the World Food Program has suspended delivery of food parcels, saying that there are no supplies. Meanwhile, Palestinians are starving. NPR's producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, visited the sole operating charity kitchen in Khan Younis,

where thousands clamored for a simple meal of beans. -"They are just pushing each other. They just, like, keep pushing forward and forward and forward. We saw a child that he's fainted from all of the squeezing. He says the food ran out, and many, including children, left without. Kat Lansdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv. This is NPR News in Washington.

Severe weather is crippling parts of the Great Lakes region. The storm has brought significant snowfall to parts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York, stranding hundreds of vehicles on roads this weekend. Forecasters say the storm is expected to dump additional snow in the region this week. Some areas could see up to six feet by Tuesday, with the heaviest snowfall along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario in Pennsylvania and New York. Negotiations for a United Nations treaty to cut down on plastic pollution ended in South Korea on Sunday without an agreement. It was supposed

to be the last such negotiations, but NPR's Michael Copley reports countries are planning one more round of talks to try to hash out a deal. Hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste end up in rivers and oceans every year. But countries haven't been able to agree on a solution. Plastics made from oil and gas in the plastics industry, along with countries that are big producers of fossil fuels, say the talks need to focus on waste management, like recycling. But scientists and environmentalists say that isn't enough.

They say solving the problem will also require limits on plastic manufacturing. So the amount of waste is manageable, and they want the treaty to regulate harmful chemicals that are used in plastic. Another round of negotiations is expected sometime next year. Michael Copley, NPR News. The CEO of the automaker,antis has announced his resignation. Carlos Tavares is stepping down after nearly four years at the company amid flagging sales. Stellantis owns brands that include cheap and Dodge. This is NPR News in Washington.