NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-11-2024 12AM 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, I'm Giles Snyder. The man charged in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson remains in Pennsylvania, where he appeared in court Tuesday. Luigi Mangione was denied bail and his lawyer, Thomas Dickey, told CNN that he wants a hearing

on whether Mangione should be extradited to New York. It was my opinion and my advice under the circumstances that he not, and I emphasize the not because apparently there's news reports already going out that he waived his extradition he did not do that. Mangione is facing murder and other charges in New York where Governor Kathy Hockel says she will sign a request for a governor's warrant to ensure Mangione is held accountable in New York. A five day manhunt ended with Mangione's arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Parents from across the nation were on Capitol Hill Tuesday calling on the House to pass bipartisan legislation to better protect kids on

the internet and Beerus Windsor-Johnston reports. 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 Biliraka 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. 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. Villa Marx reports that Abu Mohammed al-Jalani has suddenly become Syria'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-Jalani, he founded a group called Nusra Front. It allied with Islamic State, then al-Qaeda, then neither, after Jalani broke ties to focus more on defeating Assad than creating a caliphate. Since then analysts say he

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 Villam Marx. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is leaving Wednesday for the Middle East. He used to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in Syria and efforts to win a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza. And you're listening to NPR News. A federal bankruptcy judge has rejected the sale of Alex Jones's Info Wars platform to

the Onion satirical news outlet. The Onion was named the winner of an auction last month over a company affiliated with Jones but the judge says the Onion's offer and the process was flawed. The decision is a win for Alex Jones, who was embroiled in a long-running legal battle with relatives of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments about a proposed 88-mile Utah railway from Colorado Public Radio. Ishaan Thakur reports that the court is considering whether to narrow environmental reviews for major federal projects. At issue is a proposed track that would allow waxy crude oil

to travel from Utah to refineries along the Gulf Coast. Last year an appeals court halted the project. It said federal regulators did not fully account for potential impacts, like refinery emissions. A coalition supporting the project says agencies should not have to consider effects that are quote remote in time or space. Paul Clement is an attorney with the group. 88 miles of track should not require more than 3,600 pages of environmental analysis.

Environmental groups say the potential for harm is clear and that major federal projects should be subject to heavy scrutiny. For NPR News, I'm Eshaan Thakur. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burroughs' home was broken into during Monday night football. Authorities said Tuesday that no one was injured, but the home was ransacked and deputies say they have not yet determined what items were stolen. The break-in is the latest home invasion of a pro athlete. Both the NFL and the NBA have issued alerts to players urging them to take precautions.

I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News. This is Eric Glass. On This American Life, we specialize in compelling stories from everyday life. I was like, wow, you literally just died and came back. And the first thing you ask is, do you need any money? Real life stories, really good ones, in your podcast feed, This American Life.