NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-13-2024 3PM EST

Episode Date: December 13, 2024

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When it came out in 1843, a Christmas carol was a sensation, and Charles Dickens became a legend. Some people would consider him the originator of Christmas or the inventor of Christmas. The past, present, and future of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Listen to Thulein wherever you get your podcasts. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has met with the incoming Trump administration's nominee to oversee U.S. border security.

NPR's Quill Lawrence reports New York is a so-called sanctuary city for immigrants who are in the country illegally. Adams met with Thomas D. Homan, who Trump has named as a border czar. Homan has been critical of cities like New York where the police do not hand over immigrants to ICE without a warrant for a serious crime. Adams echoed some of that criticism

after what he said was a good meeting. We're gonna protect the rights of immigrants in the city that are hardworking, giving back to the city in a real way. We're not going to be a safe haven for those who commit repeated violent crimes. Critics say Adams is courting President-elect Trump because of his own legal troubles. The mayor is fighting federal corruption charges. Quir Lawrence, NPR News, New York.

Doctors at one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza say the attacks from Israeli airstrikes have been relentless in recent days. NPR's Aya Batraoui reports the physicians say they're running dangerously low on medical supplies. Doctors at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahya estimate Israeli forces have struck the hospital and its vicinity hundreds of times in the past weeks. They say doctors, nurses, their families and even patients have been killed. The hospital's director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyah, says a nurse and a doctor were the latest

to be killed Thursday. He says the nurse, Kareem Jaradat, was killed in a drone strike on his way to the hospital, while the doctor, Sayed Jododah was killed by Israeli tank fire. The World Health Organization says Israel has denied its request this week to deliver medical supplies and fuel to Kamal Adwan Hospital. Israel's military told NPR it has not struck the hospital directly and that its operations in northern Gaza are directed at militants around the hospital. Ayah Batraoui, MPHRE News. An American citizen who was being held in a Syrian prison

has been handed over to US forces. 29-year-old Travis Timmerman from Missouri was held for seven months in Damascus after being arrested for illegally entering the country. Timmerman's mother, Stacy Gardner, has been waiting for this moment. My heart's been broken since, you know, he's been gone. But now I'm happy.

Timmerman was among thousands of prisoners who were freed from Syrian jails after former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted last weekend. A Japanese court has ruled that the government's refusal to legally recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. It's the third such ruling in the country this year, and it increases pressure on Japanese lawmakers to change their stance. On Wall Street, the Dow was down 49 points. This is NPR News. Worldwide drowning deaths have dropped nearly

40 percent since 2000. But the toll is still high. At least 300,000 people still drown each year. That's according to the first-ever global report on preventing drowning from the World Health Organization. NPR's Gabrielle Emanuel has more. WHO surveyed 139 countries and found that 90 percent of drownings happen in low and middle income countries. And a quarter of the drowning deaths are in children under five. But there are solutions, more child care to keep children from wandering into ponds and, of course, swimming lessons. Rebecca Bavinger works on this issue for Bloomberg Philanthropies.

In Africa, she says, a different group is most at risk. Showing that it's young men engaged in boating activities, primarily fishing, but also ferrying and other commercial activities on the water. One solution, flotation devices that use empty soda bottles. Gabriella Emanuel, NPR News. The incoming Trump administration could have big implications for the US seafood industry. Some economists believe that Trump's proposals to slap tariffs on

Canada and Mexico could further drive up the price of seafood. But many people working in the commercial fishing industry say they expect Trump will allow fishing in protected areas and crackdown on offshore wind expansion. Stocks are trading mixed on Wall Street at this hour. The Dow was down 47 points. The Nasdaq composite up 23. This is NPR News in Washington.