NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-10-2024 8PM EST

Episode Date: December 11, 2024

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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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. A picture is beginning to emerge of Luigi Mangione, the man police have charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

NPR's Maria Aspin is more. There are still many unanswered questions about how this smart and successful 26-year-old turned into a man who allegedly killed in cold blood. Luigi Mangione grew up in a wealthy Baltimore County family. He was the valedictorian at his exclusive All Boys Prep School and went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania. High school classmate Freddie Leatherberry describes Mangione as athletic, smart, and well-liked.

I'm still just in disbelief that the kid that I knew has just taken his life in this direction. But in recent years, Mangione was fighting back pain and spending time online where he expressed admiration for the writing of the Unabomber. Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York. Cranston-McCross, the country, we're on Capitol Hill today calling on the House to pass bipartisan legislation to better protect kids on the Internet. MPR's Winsor Johnson reports on the Kids Online Safety Act. Maureen Mollack was among the parents calling on the House to bring the bill to a vote.

She lost her 16-year-old son David to suicide in 2016 after he was bullied online. Mollack says she's frustrated that it's taking this long to get the legislation passed. We're fighting tooth and nail to get this done. It makes absolutely no sense. Republican Congressman Gus Villaraquas says he's been urging Speaker Mike Johnson to fast-track the bill through the House. I've been pushing leadership very hard. This is a very important bill and it's gotten even better. Some Republicans, including the Speaker of the House, say the Senate bill infringes on free speech rights.

Windsor-Johnston, NPR News, The Capitol. In the latest case involving AI chatbots gone rogue, NPR's Bobby Allen reports a Texas family is suing a chatbot creator over alleged abusive and violent responses. Character AI develops chatbots popular with teenagers. They're known as companion bots. You can customize their names, avatars, and help shape the bot's personality. But a new lawsuit says the Google-backed chatbot encourages teens to carry out self-harm. Then in one instance, allegedly hinted that a teen should murder his parents. The defective product lawsuit is seeking damages and asking that Character AI's bots be taken

off the market. Character AI said in a statement that it is working to limit teens' exposure to sensitive or suggestive content. Google, which has invested billions into Character AI, said it does not own the AI firm and that user safety is among its top priorities. Bobby Allen, NPR News. Back to back losses to start the training week on Wall Street. The Dow fell 154 points today to close at 44,247.

The Nasdaq dropped 49 points. The S&P 500 was down 17 points. You're listening to NPR. Governors and lawmakers in a number of Republican-led states say they're rolling out efforts aimed at helping President-elect Donald Trump carry out his plans to deport those in the country illegally. A growing number of such states say they're proposing giving local law enforcement officers the power to arrest such individuals.

Critics, however, worry about profiling. A federal judge is blocking the mega-merger of Kroger and Albertsons. The companies have been trying to combine two of the country's biggest supermarket chains into one, but lawsuits by state and federal officials have left the deal pending for over two years. Bjarne Alina Soljuk has more. You might know Kroger as Harris Teeter, Ralph's Fred Meyer, King Supers, Albertsons owned Safeway and Vons.

In late 2022, Kroger offered nearly $25 billion to buy Albertsons. Companies argued this was a matter of survival against growing competition from Walmart, Costco, Amazon, even dollar stores. The Federal Trade Commission did not buy this and warned that combining Kroger and Albertsons would leave shoppers fewer choices and higher prices. The agency sued to stop the deal and has now prevailed in a federal court in Oregon. This does not technically end the deal, but the next steps could be long and arduous and it is unclear whether the companies will decide to keep fighting. Alina Seluk, NPR News. Alaska Airlines says it will launch a new service to Tokyo this year and to Seoul, South

Korea next year with both routes originating in Seattle. Airlines announcement of the new routes coinciding with Investor Day today. Alaska has raised its fourth quarter earnings outlook and is promising to boost profits at the airline by a billion dollars over the next three years. 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.

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