NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-12-2024 11AM EST

Episode Date: December 12, 2024

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

Live from NPR News in Washington on Corva Coleman, President-elect Trump rang the opening bell this morning on Wall Street. He visited the New York Stock Exchange. He also highlighted the fact that he's been selected as Time Magazine's Person of the Year. Time Magazine officials say they made the choice because, for better or worse, Trump had the most influence on the world and on the news this year. Trump spoke this morning about his incoming administration.

He's promising that the U.S. will be number one in oil and gas production and claims that will boost the U.S. economy. We're going to be number one plus. We'll do numbers that nobody will really see before. And when that happens, prices are going to start coming down because people can't afford their groceries and they're going to be affording their groceries very soon. The federal government says that the U.S. now produces more crude oil than any other country ever.

A Democratic Rules Committee will meet this afternoon in Washington, D.C. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports members will outline the process for selecting a new chair of the Democratic National Committee. The DNC Bylaws Committee will tick through mundane logistical procedures, like how many signatures a candidate needs to qualify and setting key deadlines. Next month, they'll hold four virtual and in-person forums for people to share their pitch for the party's future.

On February 1st, the DNC membership of roughly 450 Democratic lawmakers, elected committee members, activists, and state party chairs will vote on new leadership. The DNC executive committee will convene later this week to reflect on the 2024 election cycle where Democrats narrowly lost the White House and Senate and failed to retake the U.S. House. Steven Fowler, NPR News. Reporters in Syria say that an American man has been found barefoot walking in a suburb of Syria's capital, Damascus.

He said his name is Travis Timmerman. He said he is an American and that he had walked from a notorious Syrian prison. He's believed to have gone missing last May from Hungary. Timmerman said he crossed into Syria on foot on a pilgrimage. Meanwhile, the Syrian rebel groups that toppled former dictator Bashar al-Assad say they are now forming a transitional government. South Korea's president is sounding defiant about his recent declaration of martial law, and Piers Anthony Kuhn reports. In a televised address, President Yun Song-yeol said that his declaration of martial law, NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports. In a televised address, President Yun Sung-yeol said that his declaration of martial law

was an act of governance in line with the Constitution. He doubled down on his allegation that opposition lawmakers are trying to paralyze the government and are aligned with North Korea. Whether you impeach me or investigate me, I will stand up to it, he said. I've already said that I will not shirk my legal and political responsibility for this declaration of martial law. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reporting. On Wall Street, stocks are lower.

The Dow is down more than 25 points at 44,122. This is NPR. New York City police say they have more physical evidence in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They say they've matched three shell casings from the scene to a gun that was found with the suspect in the crime, Luigi Mangione. He is being held in Pennsylvania. New federal data show the number of people dying from fatal street drug overdoses continues a sharp decline. As NPR's Brian Mann reports, the Biden administration says the national fight against fentanyl is working.

At the peak of the fentanyl epidemic, more than 113,000 people in the U.S. were dying from street drugs every year. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show roughly 94,000 deaths in a 12-month period. Still high, but it's the biggest drop in drug deaths ever recorded. Speaking on background today, a senior Biden administration official said one factor is better cooperation from China, cutting off the supply of industrial chemicals used to make street fentanyl.

White House officials say public health measures and wider use of medications that reverse opioid overdoses are also helping. This progress comes as the Biden administration prepares to hand off the fight against street fentanyl to President-elect Donald Trump's team next month. Brian Mann, NPR News. Montana State Supreme Court says gender-affirming medical care for minors can continue for now. It's still going to trial as an issue before lower court, but the state law banning gender-affirming care is on hold while the case proceeds. California fire officials say the wildfire burning northwest of Los Angeles has now scorched more than six square

miles. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.