NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-11-2024 3AM 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 United Healthcare 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 emphasized 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 Hochul 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 Mancioni's arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Kroger's mega merger with Albertson's has been blocked by two separate courts. A federal judge in Oregon and a state judge in Washington

have both rejected the deal, which would combine the biggest two supermarket chains in the U.S. NPR's Alina Seliguk who reports that the fate of the deal is now up in the air. Kroger bid almost Alina Seljoke reports that the fate of the deal is now up in the air. Kroger bid almost $25 billion to buy Albertsons more than two years ago. Since then, the mergers faced three lawsuits filed by Colorado, by Washington, and by the Federal Trade Commission. The Colorado case is still pending, but the company is lost in the two others. A legal double whammy that could be the final straw for the merger. The companies say they're disappointed they disagree and they're evaluating their options. Kroger and Albertsons presented the merger as a matter of survival in a fight against giants like Walmart and Costco.

But government lawyers argued combining two direct competitors would lead to fewer choices and higher prices. The companies can now appeal but may decide to abandon the deal. Alina Seluk, NPR News. South Korea's former defense minister has tried to kill himself. A top corrections official has told lawmakers that Kim Jong-un tried to kill himself at a detention center in Seoul. Kim is being held on allegations of playing a key role, a failed attempt to declare martial law last week. Nuclear monitors returning from Ukraine's nuclear power plant were attacked Tuesday with an explosive drone hit the back of their armored SUV. Although the vehicle was heavily damaged, no one was injured, the IAEA's director general Rafael Mariano

Grossi denounced the strike. Attacking a nuclear power plant is a no-go. Attacking those who care for the nuclear safety and security of these plants is even more unacceptable. The incident took place in Ukrainian controlled territory. On social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia for the attack. This is NPR News. Weather conditions are expected to improve in Southern California this week, where firefighters

are battling a wildfire that's forced up to 20,000 people from their homes. The Franklin fire has grown to more than 2,600 acres, but the National Weather Service says the strongest Santa Ana winds have passed. It's not clear how the play started. The Biden administration and tribal nations celebrated the work of co-managing lands and water together at a national summit this week in Washington, D.C. And Piersney Perez has more. The Department of Interior signed 69 new agreements this year with tribes to share the management

of federal lands together. One of those agreements is with the Jamestown Squallum tribe to manage a wildlife refuge in Washington state. Chairman W. Ron Allen says the tribe hopes it can someday lead to land being returned. We're managing it in a way that, so that it stays in a sustainable level, so that it's always there for generation after generation. The tribe is co-managing

the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Allen says that relationship will help ensure the protection of wildlife and salmon habitats, which are key to the Jamestown Squallums Tribe's cultural heritage. This is one of the 400 co-stewardship agreements the Department of Interior has made since 2020. Nate Pérez, NPR News. 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 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. This is NPR News.