NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-10-2024 9PM 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. The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, Brian Thompson, made a court appearance in Pennsylvania today. 26-year-old Luigi Mangione,

shouting as he was being taken into court about a, quote, insult to the intelligence of the American people. At the brief hearing, Mangione's attorney said his client will fight extradition to New York, where he faces murder charges. Peter Weeks is the Blair County, Pennsylvania, DA and says given the more serious charges there his office will work closely with New York officials once a ruling is issued. Obviously the judge makes a ruling on any defense motions at which time we anticipate

the state of New York will be able to collect the defendant. The other local charges, the encounter between the Altuna Police Department and the defendant. The other local charges, the encounter between the Altoona Police Department and the defendant, the defendant has been denied bail on that case as well, which the Pennsylvania Constitution provides for when the judge finds it appropriate under the circumstances. Manjoni was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, yesterday following a tip. As a new form of government starts to take shape in Syria, the leader of the armed group that helped topple former President Bashar al-Assad will play a significant role as Villamarks reports Abu Mohammed al-Jilani has suddenly become the country's new power broker.

Born in Damascus, the young man named Ahmed al-Sharah traveled to Iraq in 2003 to fight US forces who'd just deposed President Saddam Hussein. He joined the Islamic State in Iraq group and spent five years in a US military prison. Later, the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sent him back to Syria, where the civil war had started. Known by then as Abu Mohammed al-Jilani, he founded a group called Nusra Front. It allied with Islamic State, then al-Qaeda, then neither, after Jilani broke ties to focus more on defeating Assad than creating a caliphate.

Since then analysts say he's sought to appear much more moderate. But still designated a terrorist by the US, many inside and outside Syria are waiting to see if he can transform from rebel to statesman. For NPR News, I'm Willem Marx. Small business owners are feeling better about the economy since the election. NPR's Scott Horstley reports a survey of small business confidence has jumped to its highest level in three and a half years. A survey of small business owners by the NFIB found a big jump in the number who expect the economy to improve in the months to come.

Uncertainty among small business owners declined after reaching a record high in the month leading up to the election. More than a quarter of the business owners surveyed say they plan to invest in their companies within the next six months. The NFIB survey typically shows higher confidence during Republican administrations with the prospect of lower taxes and less regulation. The jump this year was even bigger than in 2016 when President-elect Trump was elected the first time.

Economists caution that the survey results are not a reliable guide to the economy's actual performance. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. Back-to-back losses to start the trading week on Wall Street. The Dow fell 154 points today. The Nasdaq was down 49 points. You're listening to NPR. In the Philippines, about 87,000 people have now been evacuated to the central region after a volcano erupted there, a huge plume of ash and superheated streams of gas and debris

hurtling down the slopes. The eruption of Mount Kenloan on central Negros Island did not cause immediate casualties but resulted in a heightened alert there. Mass evacuations are being carried out in towns and villages nearest the volcano's western and southern slopes. Taiwan says dozens of Chinese warships and planes have been spotted operating near the self-governed island. Meanwhile, other vessels from the Chinese Navy and Coast Guard were fanned out of maneuvers in the western Pacific, constituting one of the biggest deployments in decades. Northman BRS John Rewich.

Beijing has yet to publicly acknowledge the maneuvers, but a Taiwanese defense spokesman said the scale of operations was the largest since 1996. That year, China conducted drills around the time of a presidential election in Taiwan. The spokesman said the Chinese ships were deployed along what's known as the first island chain, linking Taiwan with the Philippines and Okinawa. Another Taiwanese general told a news conference it was clear from the scope that Taiwan was not the only target of the maneuvers. Beijing considers Taiwan a part of China and hopes to annex it someday, by force if necessary. The Chinese maneuvers come on the heels of the first

overseas trip by Taiwan's new president, Lai Qingde, which wrapped up last week. John Ruech, NPR News, Shanghai. General Motors is getting out of the robo-taxi business. GM bought San Francisco-based Cruze in 2016, sinking billions in the money-losing operation. The automaker cites considerable time and resources needed to scale such operations, along with increased competition. This is NPR. Listen to this podcast sponsor-free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.