NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-11-2024 9PM EST

Episode Date: December 12, 2024

NPR News: 12-11-2024 9PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The U.S. has troops in Syria, though it has not had a working embassy there in more than a decade. NPR's Greg Meyery explains the challenges facing the American government as it tries to figure out what's happening in a newly emerging Syria. The U.S. has some 900 military personnel in remote parts of Syria who are guarding against the re-emergence of the Islamic State. But the US shut down its embassy back in 2012, making it much more difficult for diplomats and intelligence officials who are operating

outside the country. The US and others are trying to figure out who will be the key players as a new government emerges. One rebel faction known as HTS is now the dominant group in Damascus. But a range of factions control various parts of Syria and will have to work together to form a stable government. Greg Myrie, NPR News, Washington. An effort to secure democratic control of the National Labor Relations Board has failed. The Senate today voting to reject the renomination

of a Democratic board member whose term ends next week. More from NPR, Andrea Hsu. Lauren McFerrin has served as a member of the National Labor Relations Board since 2014 and as chair since 2021. Under her leadership, the board has issued a number of decisions aimed at making it easier for workers to unionize and collectively bargain. Those decisions were praised by labor groups who said the changes leveled the playing field for workers and criticized by businesses who characterized them as overreach. Once in office, President-elect Trump is expected to quickly fill McFerrin's seat and another that has been vacant, giving Republicans control of the board. The vote

was 50 to 49, with independent senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kirsten Sinema of Arizona casting the deciding votes. Andrea Hsu, NPR News. The voice maker Apple is hoping adding more AI to its latest iPhone offerings will pump up sales during the busy holiday shopping season. Apple offering a new software update for its latest models and includes a feature that lets users create customized emojis. Tech stocks gained ground

with the Nasdaq rising above 20,000 for the first time ever today. MPR's Rafael Nam reports inflation data is reinforcing hopes for another interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve. A rally in stocks is showing no signs of losing steam. The Nasdaq hit another record high while the S&P 500 also posted gains, although the Dow Jones posted a small loss. Dow was on the heels of new data showing consumer prices rose 2.7% in November from a year ago. The rate was in line with expectations. It shows inflation continuing to ease, a little slowly and a little unevenly, but generally

still going in the right direction. And investors believe that will be enough to encourage the Fed to cut rates for the third time this year when policymakers gather next week. Rafael Num, NPR News. This is NPR. The Biden administration is shoring up a taxpayer fund to compensate workers who develop black lung disease while working for coal companies that later go bankrupt. Wyoming Public Radio's Chris Clements reports it's one of the moves being made before a new administration comes in. Coal companies are supposed to compensate

workers who suffer from black lung, but when some of those companies go bankrupt a government fund kicks in. The fund is more than $6 billion in debt. So now the Department of Labor is requiring coal companies to chip in more money to cover workers' benefits themselves, says Chris Godfrey, director of the Office of Workers' Compensation. First, as a taxpayer, they should want the responsible mining operator to be responsible for their own debts. He says the rule will stand unless a new U.S. Congress or presidential administration overturns it. For NPR News, I'm Chris Clements in Laramie.

A new poll that looks at how the public views President Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden finds that only about two in 10 Americans approve of the decision. That's based on a new Associated Press-Nork Center for Public Affairs research poll. The survey found about half of those questions say they strongly or somewhat disapproved of the president's decision. Hunter Biden was convicted on gun charges and pleaded guilty to federal tax charges in California. President Biden had contended the charges against his son were politically motivated.

Critical futures prices moved higher today after the EU announced new sanctions against Russia, targeting, among other things, oil and gas shipments, oil up nearly 2.5 percent to $70.29 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.