NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-10-2024 6PM EST

Episode Date: December 10, 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 theschmidt.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. President Biden is responding to the stunning events in Syria by sending his National Security Advisor to the region tomorrow. More from NPR's Marla Iason. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is going to Israel to talk with U.S. allies about what can be done to stabilize the situation in Syria, where rebels overthrew the dictatorship

of Bashar al-Assad. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. wants to make sure that the aspirations of the Syrian people for self-governance are met. It is in our interests, our national security interests, that Syria be stable and secure. And for that reason, he said, U.S. strikes on ISIS camps in Syria will continue. Kirby said that so far, all the opposition groups who toppled Assad, including Islamist insurgents, are saying the right things. But he said, quote, we have to watch what they actually do. Mara Liason, NPR News, The White House.

The suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson showed up in court today where he shouted to reporters. 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was taken into custody at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania yesterday morning after a customer recognized him. At a brief hearing, Mangione's attorney said his client will fight extradition to New York where he faces murder charges. Thompson was shot from behind last Wednesday morning walking to a conference. Mangione, a high school valedictorian with an Ivy League education, was found to have a gun in his possession like the one used in the killing. Police also found a handwritten document he had written critical of corporate America.

The Justice Department's Inspector General has released a new report on the investigation of leaks during Trump's first term. It finds the use of subpoenas to obtain phone records of lawmakers and congressional staff, as well as reporters, was broader than previously thought. And as Ryan Lucas reports, the watchdog found no evidence, so prosecutors were motivated by politics. The new report from the Justice Department's internal watchdog revolves around federal

investigations into the sources of elite classified information published in news articles in 2017. Several of the articles related to possible ties between the 2016 Trump campaign in Russia. Investigators secretly obtained the communication records of two Democratic congressmen and 43 congressional staffers almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. They also secretly sought and obtained the phone records of journalists from the Washington Post, the New York Times and CNN. The Washington Post, The New York Times and CNN. The Inspector General's office did not find evidence of political or retaliatory motivation by prosecutors in seeking these records.

Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Thousands of people in Southern California have been forced to flee their homes ahead of a wind-driven wildfire in Malibu, the flames burning near seaside mansions and Pepperdine University. Officials say so far the fires destroyed only a minimal number of homes, though as many as 8,100 homes are under threat, 2,000 were under evacuation orders. You're listening to NPR. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met with officials in Japan where he reaffirmed the importance of their alliance with Washington, especially in light of mounting security threats from China and North Korea.

Austin's visit also coincides with the decision to ground the military's Osprey aircraft following a crash at a New Mexico Air Force base last month. It was similar to a fatal crash off southwestern Japan last year. It appears the incident was caused by weakened metal components. The aircraft has been grounded in the U.S.

Brazil's president has had emergency surgery overnight, The incident was caused by weakened metal components. The aircraft has been grounded in the US. Brazil's president has had emergency surgery overnight, raising concerns about his health in South America's biggest nation, Julia Canaro reports from Rio. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is recovering in intensive care after facing emergency surgery

to drain blood from his brain. The Cidule Banais Hospital in São Paulo says the operation was uneventful. In a press conference, his doctor said Lula was stable and conversational and would have no after effects from the bleeding. On Monday evening, Lula went to a hospital in Brasília complaining of a headache and fatigue. An MRI scan revealed intracranial hemorrhage and he was rushed to Sao Paulo for surgery. Doctors say this was triggered when Lula fell and hit the back of his head in the bathroom in October. Mr. Lula, founder of the Workers' Party, is 79 and is in the

middle of his third mandate. For NPR News, I'm Júlia Carneiro in Rio. Stocks closed lower on Wall Street today. The Dow was down 154 points. The NASDAQ fell 49 points. The S&P 500 dropped 17 points. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. 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.