NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-11-2024 6PM 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. Listen now on the Sunday story from the Up First Podcast. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. FBI Director Christopher Wray plans to step down in January at the end of the Biden administration. Wray's decision comes after President-elect Donald Trump already announced his pick to replace Wray. NPR's

Ryan Lucas reports. Wray announced his decision at an FBI town hall. He said after careful consideration, he decided it was the right thing for the FBI for him to serve until the change in administration and then step down. His goal, he says, is to keep the focus on the FBI's mission. And resigning is the best way to avoid dragging the FBI,

quote, deeper into the fray. Ray will step down a little over seven years into his tenure term. He replaced former director James Comey, whom Trump fired in 2017. The president-elect announced last month that once back in office, he intends to nominate Cash Patel to be FBI director, making clear that Ray would not remain in the job. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. The NYPD says it has determined the gun found in the possession of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, matches casings found

at the scene of the shooting a week ago in Manhattan. Mangione is in custody in Pennsylvania on weapons and forgery charges. He's currently fighting extradition to New York, where he faces charges of second-degree murder and firearms violations. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said police got the gun in question back from Pennsylvania and it's now at the NYPD crime lab. Iran's supreme leader is blaming the U.S. and Israel for the fall of the regime in Syria. As NPR's Jackie Northam explains, Syria was a critical ally for Iran's so-called axis of resistance against the U.S. and Israel.

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 Middle East. 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. California fire officials are hoping weather conditions improve this week in Southern California, where a wildfire has now forced the evacuations of as many as 20,000 people from their homes. The fire in an area of Malibu has continued to grow, now encompasses more than 4,000 acres. Much of the coastal city, which is home to a number of celebrities, including Sharon Dick Van Dyke, are under evacuation orders or warnings. More than 1,500 firefighters are battling the flames trying to save homes there. Stocks gained ground on Wall Street today, the Dow is up 99 points. This is NPR. The nation's highest court says it will allow a class action lawsuit involving

chipmaker Nvidia to move ahead. The suit accuses the company of misleading investors about its past dependence on selling computer chips for the mining of volatile cryptocurrency. The Supreme Court decision comes at the same time. China has announced it's investigating the company over suspected violations of China's anti-monopoly laws. Elon Musk has become the first person in the world worth more than $400 billion. That's according to a Bloomberg estimate. And as Bobby Allen reports, Musk's ties to President-elect Trump are boosting his wealth. 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 in PR News. A Wisconsin man allegedly faked his own drowning and then fled to Eastern Europe as willing to return to the U.S. and is in custody. Green Lake County Sheriff's Office says Ryan Borgwart came back on his own. According to a court filing for the past four months, Borgwart has been living in Georgia, former Soviet Republic. He's scheduled to appear in court today with expectations he

may face charges in the case. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.