NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-14-2024 11PM EST

Episode Date: December 15, 2024

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Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwahleesha Icautel. The White House says the drones that have been spotted over New Jersey, New York and other northeastern states for weeks now have no known evidence of foreign activity or nefarious activity at this point. And Piers-Diba Shivram has more. Officials from the FBI, Homeland Security and the FAA said Saturday that they share public concern about the drones, but also think there has been some overreaction from the public.

Officials said they're working with New Jersey State Police and other entities like the Coast Guard as they investigate. They also established a tip line that resulted in 5,000 tips, but less than 100 that they say was worth looking into. Officials could not say how long they expect the investigation to last. President-elect Donald Trump suggested on Friday in a post on Truth Social that the drones could be shot down, but officials did not speak to that possibility. Deepa Sivaram, NPR News.

The U.S. officially labels the Syrian insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham a terrorist organization, but its leader Abu Mohammed al-Ghalani, whose real name is Ahmad al-Sharah, was key to overthrowing half a century of oppressive rule by President Bashar al-Assad, making al-Ghalani and his HTS forces key to the rebuilding of that country. At the end of his three-nation visit in the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed publicly that the U.S. is in direct contact with HTS rebels. There's some immediate needs that I think have to be addressed. For example, a shortage of fuel so that the lights can be turned on, so that stores can

be open, so people can get around. Speaking in Jordan, he said regional leaders there have called for a new, inclusive, non-sectarian Syrian government that respects the rights of women and minorities. The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has hired a high-profile former prosecutor as his defense lawyer in New York. The attorney has a history of prosecuting violent crimes where mental health played a key role. And Pierce Giuliani Kim reports. Karen Friedman-Egniffilo will represent Luigi Mangione in defending against murder

charges related to the shooting death of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. Friedman-Egniffilo was a prosecutor for much of her career. She was second in command at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office where she prosecuted violent crimes, including those that had a mental health component, according to her law firm's bio. She currently works in private practice, and it happens to be the same law firm representing Sean Diddy Combs against criminal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Mangione is currently held in Pennsylvania without bail.

He is scheduled to appear in a preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania on December 23rd. Julianne Kim, NPR News. This is NPR News. France's new government met this weekend to discuss how they will help their island territory of Mayotte, which may have recorded on Saturday its most destructive cyclone since 1934. Mayotte is in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar. The head magistrate of the island wrote on Facebook that many may have lost everything. The BBC reported that even emergency responders were locked down because of dangerous conditions including sustained wind

speeds of 130 miles per hour. Chito is now moving toward the east coast of Africa and could make landfall in Mozambique. The Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing a petition to ban a petroleum-based food dye called Red Number 3 and PR's Allison Aubrey reports the decision could come soon. Red dye 3 has been used for more than 50 years to give foods and drinks bright, flashy coloring. Back in 1990, the FDA banned it from cosmetics after lab studies show it could cause cancer in animals at high doses.

And last year, the state of California passed a law to ban the use of red 3 in food. Researchers found evidence that synthetic food dyes may exacerbate behavior problems in children. Thomas Galligan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which filed the petition, says there's no reason to add synthetic dyes to food. Here's Thomas Galligan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the group that filed the petition.

It's just there to make food look visually appealing so that consumers want to spend their money on it. He points out Red 3 has been banned or severely restricted in many countries including Australia, Japan and the European Union. Allison Aubry, NPR News. And I'm Dwali Saikowtel, NPR News.