NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-02-2024 9PM EST

Episode Date: December 3, 2024

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation Working toward a healthy resilient secure world for all on the web at the Schmidt org Live from NPR news in Washington I'm Jack Spear President-elect Donald Trump has tapped longtime ally and former aide Cash Patel to serve as director of the FBI. Patel would replace current FBI director Christopher Wray, whom Trump has vowed to fire when he gets into office. As NPR's Elena Moore reports, Patel would need to be confirmed by the Senate and the extent of his support there is unclear.

Cash Patel will be considered for the job after previously criticizing the FBI and Justice Department. Trump's own former Attorney General Bill Barr was an outspoken critic of Patel. But now, some Republican leaders say they're open to hearing from him. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley will chair the Judiciary Committee in the next Congress. In a statement on X, he said Patel has to quote, prove to Congress he will reform and restore public trust in FBI. Others have already explicitly backed Patel has to, quote, prove to Congress he will reform and restore public trust in FBI. Others have already explicitly backed Patel.

Tennessee Senator Bill Haggerty told NBC's Meet the Press that Patel, quote, represents the type of change that we need to see in the FBI. Alaina Moore, NPR News, Washington. Intel says its CEO Pat Gelsinger has resigned from the struggling chip maker. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, it comes as Intel faces competition to design and produce semiconductor chips that power artificial intelligence systems. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger abruptly stepped down after leading the company since 2021. In a statement, Gelsinger says the announcement is bittersweet since he spent most of his

career at the storied chipmaker. In recent years, Intel sales dropped by almost a third, and its stock dipped more than 60%. Intel has struggled to bring on major customers as more and more tech firms turn to Nvidia for designing cutting-edge chips used in leading AI services. As the AI boom has taken off, Nvidia has risen to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Gelsinger had a plan to turn Intel around,

but most of the tech industry's fastest and smallest chips are designed by Nvidia and manufactured by TSMC, a chip powerhouse in Taiwan. Bobby Allen, NPR News. The new study finds social drinkers who take anti-obesity drugs are more likely to cut back on alcohol. NPR's Alison Arbery reports the research adds to the evidence

the medicines can have significant effect on alcohol consumption. The study included about 14,000 Weight Watchers members, mostly women. Study author Lisa Matero is a health psychologist and researcher at Henry Ford Health. So the main finding is that approximately 50% of patients who consumed alcohol at baseline reported decreased alcohol use after initiating their anti-obesity medication. Those who had the highest levels of drinking were about 19 times more likely to cut back compared to those who were categorized as light drinkers, and many said their appetite for alcohol diminished.

Allison Albrey, NPR News. Plenty of snow for the Great Lakes region. Lake effect snow has been battering residents of western New York as well as parts of Ohio and Pennsylvania. In Casa Daga, New York, five and a half feet of snow fell in Erie, Pennsylvania, more than three feet of snow. You're listening to NPR. Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein has returned to the hospital from his jail cell.

He's being treated at Bellevue Hospital after what his lawyers say was an alarming blood test result. NPR's Mandolito Barco has more. Attorney Imran Ansari says in a statement that Harvey Weinstein is suffering from leukemia and other conditions. He also claims Weinstein had been deprived of proper medical attention since being locked up at Rikers Island in New York in 2020. Investigative reports by the New York Times and the New Yorker had uncorked years of alleged abuse by the former movie mogul. Scores of women, including A-list actresses, accused Weinstein of sexually abusing them, though he maintained the relations were consensual. Weinstein now faces a retrial in New York for his rape and

criminal sex act conviction that was overturned earlier this year. He also faces new charges filed in September, and Weinstein remains convicted of rape and sexual assault in California. Mandelit Del Barco, NPR News. After scouring the shopping malls on the Friday after Thanksgiving, consumers are scrolling through websites today as the holiday shopping continues with what is known as Cyber Monday. The term was coined by the National Retail Federation back in 2005. Since then it continues to be the biggest online shopping day of the year. Some retailers actually began their sales over the weekend to try to get a head start.

The initial spending that takes place between last Friday and today gives retailers some idea of how their holiday shopping seasons will stack up. Crude oil futures prices were little changed today. Oil was up 10 cents a barrel to settle at 68.10 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. Support for this podcast and the following message come from Dignity Memorial. When your celebration of life is prepaid today, your family is protected tomorrow. Planning ahead is truly one of the best gifts you can give your family. For additional information, visit DignityMemorial.com.