NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-12-2024 8AM EST

Episode Date: December 12, 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 Korova Coleman. President-elect Trump's nominee for defense secretary Pete Hegseth is continuing to meet

with senators as he seeks their support. He's faced criticism over allegations of sexual misconduct and financial impropriety. He denies the accusations. Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins says she held a long conversation with Hegseth yesterday. I did press him on some of the personal allegations against him. I'm really relying on the FBI background check. She spoke to WCSH-TV in Portland, Maine. Collins says she will wait for Hegseth's confirmation

hearing before making a decision. Investigators say they have found more evidence linking Luigi Mangione to the killing of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson in New York City. And Piers Maria Aspin reports on what police are saying about a gun found in Mangione's possession. Piers Maria Aspin, P.O. Police arrested Mangione after a five-day manhunt

for the person who shot and killed Thompson in Manhattan last week. The 26-year-old suspect is being held in Pennsylvania on weapons and forgery charges. He is fighting extradition to New York, where he faces charges for second-degree murder. But the gun in his possession has been sent to the NYPD crime lab, Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

We were able to match that gun to the three shell casings that we found in midtown at the scene of the homicide. She also said that the fingerprints on the gun match the prints on other evidence found near the crime scene in New York. Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York. Reporters in Syria say that an American man has been found barefoot in a suburb of Syria's capital Damascus. He said his name is Travis Timmerman.

He said he had walked from a notorious Syrian prison. He's believed to have gone missing last May from Hungary, but Timmerman said he crossed into Syria on foot and on a pilgrimage. Meanwhile, Syrian rebels are putting together a transitional government out of the various militias that toppled the regime of President Bashar al-Assad just days ago. And Piers Hadil al-Shalchi reports there is still a lot of uncertainty about what the new country will look like. Piers Hadil al-Shalchi, P.S.

The new prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, promised that the new Syrian transitional government will be inclusive in a country that's made up of many sects and religions. But recently at a press conference, two flags stood next to him. One of the new Syrian flag and the other a white flag affiliated with Islamist groups. Bashir took it down at his next appearance after an outcry by pluralist Syrians online. Their fears may be justified. Bashir's group is Hayat Tahrir

Al-Sham, or HTS, and it was affiliated with Al-Qaeda before breaking off years ago. And the group's head, Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, is considered a terrorist by the United States with a $10 million bounty on his head. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Damascus. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. News reports say President-elect Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration next month. China's foreign ministry says it has no information at this point to share. A U.S. appeals court has narrowly ruled that stock exchange NASDAQ cannot force companies

on its index to publish how many women or people of color are serving on their boards of directors. If the companies don't, they are supposed to explain why. The decision affects rules set by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The ruling is a win for activists who oppose policies intended to increase gender and racial diversity in companies. Automaker General Motors is getting out of the robotaxi business. GM says it will continue to work on self-driving features.

And Pia's Camilla Dominovski explains. GM subsidiary cruise had autonomous taxis on the road in some cities. But after billions of dollars of investment, the robotaxi service wasn't paying off. GM says it will merge crews into the teams that work on software for GM vehicles, partial autonomy as a premium feature rather than full autonomy as a taxi service. GM's super cruise feature for hands-free driving costs thousands of dollars and a subscription. Google's Waymo is the biggest player remaining in the robo taxi business. Tesla still has ambitions to launch its own service. Camila Dominooski, NPR News. California fire officials say

the wildfire burning northwest of Los Angeles has scorched more than six square miles. It's about seven percent contained. Thousands of people in the city of Malibu have been told to evacuate. This is NPR.