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

Episode Date: December 13, 2024

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Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The public killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO Brian Thompson continues to put a spotlight on widespread fury with the business of U.S. health care. As NPR's Maria Aspin reports, many are using the moment to advocate for

change. Dr. Diana Gernita is one of many doctors fed up with health insurance companies. I can tell you so many stories about fighting them and winning, but it's consuming. Now Granita runs a direct care practice where she mostly avoids dealing with big insurance companies, but she still understands the frustration that so many have shared this week. Brian Thompson led the largest U.S. health insurer, which has been widely criticized for denying medical claims. He was shot and killed on his way to an investor meeting. Gernita calls Thompson's death a tragedy, one that delivered a disturbing message.

It's a wake-up call for all of us. Now she is one of many calling on the health care industry to listen and to change. Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York. The head of the Federal Aviation Administration says he will step down January 20th. As NPR's Joel Rose reports, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker made the announcement today and emailed his staff. Mike Whitaker has served as head of the FAA since October of last year, when he was confirmed for a five-year term. It's not unusual for FAA administrators to resign at the change of administration, though some have stayed longer. Whitaker's time at the FAA has been largely dominated by Boeing, as he led the agency's response to major safety and quality problems at the company and its suppliers. He also

worked to hire more air traffic controllers, although the FAA remains far short of full staffing in that area. Still, the agency made it through a near record year of air travel with relatively low cancellations and delays. Whitaker says his confidence in the FAA to keep the U.S. airspace safe has, quote, never been stronger. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington. The Navajo Nation is making a last-minute push to get the current Congress to act on

a water rights settlement that needs to pass both chambers. As Alex Hager of Member Station KUNC reports, more people living on the nation's largest piece of tribal land would have access to clean water if the bill becomes law. Navajo Nation leaders say money from the settlement would help bring in new sources of water and improve water delivery systems. The nation's principal hydrologist, Crystal Tule Córdova, notes that one in three Navajo households lacks access to clean water. There's a pressing need to be able to address that issue now and have the opportunity to

be able to create the infrastructure through water settlements to help close the clean water access gap in the Navajo nation. Tule-Cordova and other Navajo leaders say the settlement has been decades in the making and hope it clears Congress before the year ends and a new Congress takes over. For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager. Stocks lost ground on Wall Street today. The Dow fell 234 points. The Nasdaq was down 132.

You're listening to NPR News. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst who survived sexual assault and a torn Iraq is among those being asked to consider Pete Hegseth to be the nation's defense secretary. Hegseth has faced assault allegations and also said in the past women should not serve in combat, though he's been seeking to moderate those remarks. Ernst is among those facing pressure from allies of President-elect Donald Trump to support Hegseth. That includes threats of possible primary challengers. Ernst has appeared to soften someone on Hegseth while saying she looks forward to a full hearing in the Senate.

The Writers Guild of America is calling on Hollywood studios to take action against plagiarized scripts reportedly written by artificial intelligence. Imperial's Mendeleet Al Barker reports the union sent a letter to major studios. The letter was addressed to the CEOs of Amazon, MGM Studios, Disney, Universal, Paramount, Netflix, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. Discovery. In it, leaders of the Writers Guild called on the studios to take legal action against companies that reportedly plunder scriptwriters' work to train their AI software tools. Quote, tech companies have looted the studios' intellectual property, they wrote, without

permission or compensation. The WJA's letter comes in response to a recent story in The Atlantic alleging that a data set used by Apple, Meta, and other companies is using subtitles from thousands of Oscar-winning films and hit TV shows. The Guild says the collective bargaining agreement with Hollywood Studios requires them to defend their copyrights on behalf of writers. Mandelit Del Barco, NPR News. Crypto futures prices closed slightly lower today, oiled down 27 cents a barrel to 70.02

a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things in other currencies. Send, spend, or receive money internationally, and always get the real-time mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Download the Wyse app today or visit wyse.com, tease and seize apply.