NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-14-2024 10AM EST

Episode Date: December 14, 2024

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Jile Snyder. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jile Snyder. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Jordanian city of Aqaba meeting with Arab foreign ministers and the UN envoy on Syria on the situation following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Our determination to work together to support a Syrian-led transition where the United Nations plays a critical role, particularly when it comes to the provision of assistance, to the protection of minorities, to all the work that needs to happen.

Lincoln is making the case for the Middle East to come together to support a peaceful political transition in Syria. Meanwhile, the US military has brought an American who was imprisoned in Syria for seven months out of the country. 29-year-old Travis Timmerman was flown to Jordan on a US military helicopter. Rebel fighters in Syria have been uncovering huge stockpiles of the illegal amphetamine Captagon in various warehouses across the Syrian capital. President Assad's family and associates profited from the manufacturing

and trade of Captagon, turning Syria into one of the world's biggest narco states. Imperial's Hadil al-Shalchi visited one of these drug warehouses. I'm standing in what was probably the living room of this fancy luxury villa overlooking the Damascus countryside, but the smell in here is so strong. It smells of chemicals stacked behind me to the ceiling are these drums of chemicals that were used for the Captagon. And there's also these stacks that look like flower bags. But again, they have the chemicals that are used to make Captagon. There are all these heavy duty machinery also used to make the drug in a very incongruous setting with these chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

And the end product was Captegon, these tiny pills that propped up the Syrian economy under Bashar al-Assad. NPR's Hadil al-Shalji reporting there from Damascus. Authorities offered a sizable reward for information during the five days search for the suspect accused in the shooting death of United Health Care executive, but as NPR's Rachel Triesman reports, it may take a while for tipsters to cash in. New York City police and the FBI collectively offered

up to $60,000 for information leading to the suspect in last week's shooting. On Monday, Luigi Mangione was arrested after a customer recognized him at a Pennsylvania McDonald's and an employee called in the authorities. It may be sometime before any tipsters get their rewards. Both agencies say the information must lead not only to an arrest but to a conviction,

and the total amount could be smaller, based on how many people split it and factoring in taxes. Rachel Triesman, NPR News. Luigi Mangione remains in Pennsylvania following his arrest in Altoona. He's in custody on forgery and firearms charges. But Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his office is getting indications that he may waive extradition. And you're listening to NPR News.

The state of Texas is suing a New York doctor for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine. A suit filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is one of the first challenges to shield laws that Democratic-controlled states implemented to protect physicians after Roe v. Wade was overturned. Long-term exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of developing blood clots, as the finding from a new study published in the medical journal Blood, in Pierce Alejandro Burundow reports. Every year, some one million Americans develop blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and

pulmonary embolisms. They can cause organ damage or even death. A new study finds the chances of developing them are higher if people are exposed to pollution like fine particles or nitrogen dioxide, over many years. The study is dated from a project that followed people in Chicago, Los Angeles, and four other major metropolitan areas for more than 16 years. That project collected air pollution information every two weeks, as well as health outcomes. People living in places with more pollution were much more likely to report problems with

blood clots. Alejandro Borunda, NPR News. in places with more pollution, we're much more likely to report problems with blood clots. Alejandro Burunda, NPR News. The White House is playing down the sightings of reported drones in the skies along the East Coast. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says there is no evidence the reported drones pose any threat and that it appears many are actually manned aircraft operating lawfully.

The sightings have been reported from Connecticut to New Jersey to Maryland. Some officials are calling for them to be shot down if they can't be identified, including President-elect Donald Trump. I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.