NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-11-2024 4PM EST

Episode Date: December 11, 2024

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52 years ago, the federal government launched a program to support the poorest elderly and disabled Americans. But an NPR investigation has discovered a very different reality. They come to me and say, you owe $20,000. How a program designed to help the most vulnerable is trapping them in poverty. Listen now on the Sunday story from the Up First podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Lakshmi Singh. Three shell casings recovered from the site of a healthcare executive's murder in Manhattan last week match the gun found in Luigi Mangione's possession when he was recently picked up

in Pennsylvania. That's what New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch disclosed to reporters today. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down outside a hotel. He was 50 years old and leaves behind a wife and two sons. His death has drawn condemnations against violence, but it has also amplified public anger

against corporate America and heightened worries about copycat attacks. Washington Post reporter Dan Diamond spoke to NPR's Here and Now about the overall anxiety some executives are expressing. It used to be a pride point that your photo would be posted on your company's website. Some of these healthcare companies have taken down those photos. They've locked their doors, the doors to their offices that historically someone could walk in when paying a visit.

So I think there are real steps we've seen in the past week of companies trying to protect themselves and protect their employees because of this generalized fear. Dan Diamond speaking with NPR. FBI Director Christopher Wray plans to step down in January at the end of the Biden administration. Wray's decision comes after President-elect Trump already announced his pick to replace Wray.

Here's NPR's Ryan Lucas. It had been unclear whether Wray would force Trump to fire him once Trump got back into office or whether he would step down. We now have Wray's decision. He is indeed going to step down with the change in administration. That decision clears the way for the man who Trump has announced that he intends to nominate to be the next FBI director, that is, Kash Patel, someone who held several positions in the first Trump administration and is viewed as a Trump loyalist.

NPR's Ryan Lucas. Iran's supreme leader is blaming the United States and Israel for the fall of the regime in Syria. NPR's Jackie Northam reports Syria was a critical ally for Iran's so-called axis of resistance against U.S. and Israeli influence in the Middle East. In a defiant speech, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was the result of an American-Israeli plot.

They were Khamenei's first comments since Assad fled Damascus from Moscow last weekend. Khamenei warned not to underestimate the Iranian regime that it would continue to undermine U.S. and Israeli influence in the Mideast. Even so, the collapse of the Assad regime has dealt a huge blow to Iran. Tehran relied on a land corridor through Syria to funnel weapons and money to Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and other proxies in Iraq and Yemen. Jackie Northam, NPR News. This is NPR.

NPR News. This is NPR. In Southern California, fire crews are starting to make progress against the fast-growing Franklin Fire. Steve Futterman has the latest from Malibu. After a second straight night of battling the fire, there was some encouraging news from Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. As of this morning, the Franklin fire is 7% contained. The containment figure may not seem like much but for LA County Fire Chief Anthony Maroney it is significant. 7% is 7% than better than yesterday. Obviously the weather is cooperating that plays a huge role. Weather reports indicate the winds that have driven this fire are diminishing and the red flag wind alerts are ending. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Malibu, California.

Elon Musk is already the wealthiest person on the planet. Now, according to a Bloomberg estimate, the entrepreneur is the only person alive worth more than $400 billion on paper. Here's NPR's Bobbi Allen. There are several factors driving Elon Musk's wealth to new heights. First, there was a major insider sale of shares of Musk's privately held rocket company, SpaceX, that added about $50 billion. Musk's AI startup, XAI, has had its valuation more than double from earlier this year. And shares of Tesla, the source of most of his wealth, are up 65% on expectations that Trump will unveil policies that help the electric vehicle maker. Bloomberg says that puts Musk's wealth above $400 billion.

Campaign finance records show Musk spent a quarter billion dollars to help elect Trump and investors are pouring more money into Musk's companies in part because of his ties to the president-elect. Bobby Allen, NPR News. The Nasdaq has closed up 347 points. It's NPR.