NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-14-2024 3PM EST

Episode Date: December 14, 2024

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I'm Lakshmi Singh. Public radio reminds us of our shared humanity, even at our darkest hours. Like with the story of an artist couple who make beautiful spaces for communities to grieve. We found that people will usually stop by and just feel a little bit more open and willing to talk and share. Help us make room for light in the dark. Give before the end of the year at donate.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. President-elect Trump is attending today's Army Navy game with some guests who are courting controversy. NPR's Amy Held has more on standouts in the crowd at Washington Commander's Northwest Stadium outside D.C.

Today's game represents a storied rivalry in college football and Trump is hosting guests who know something about divisiveness. Pete Hegseth, his pick for defense secretary, is reportedly attending. Accused of sexual assault and excessive drinking, which he denies, Hegseth has struggled to build Senate support. And Vice President-elect JD Vance says Daniel Penney accepted his invitation. The Marine veteran was found not guilty of criminally negligent homicide after putting Jordan Neely in a chokehold on a New York City subway last year. Republicans have accused the district attorney in the case of overreach. The same DA, Alvin Bragg, who secured a conviction against Trump on felony counts of falsifying

business records to try to influence the 2016 election. Amy Held, NPR News. Syria is topic A as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Jordan huddling with Arab foreign ministers and the UN envoy. NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports. Secretary Blinken met with the UN special envoy to compare notes on Syria. To again think through how we can support the Syrian people in this time of both opportunity

but also a real challenge. UN envoy Gare Pedersen says it's critical to have an inclusive political process that brings together all communities in Syria. He also wants to make sure that state institutions don't collapse, leading to chaos and infighting. The U.S. has carried out strikes to keep ISIS from reemerging in Syria. Israel has taken up positions in a buffer zone near the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, drawing criticism from Arab states and the U.N. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenney said in an interview with NBC News that there's

no indication that Luigi Mangione, the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was ever a client of the company. In New York, NPR's Sarah Ventry has the latest. Andrew Witte is the CEO of UnitedHealthcare Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare. In a New York Times op-ed, Witte says, We know the health system does not work as well as it should, and we understand people's frustrations with it. No one would design a system like the one we have, and no one did.

It's a patchwork built over decades. Our mission is to help make it work better. Brian Thompson's killing has sparked national discussion about the nature of healthcare in the United States. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised through crowdfunding for Luigi Mangione's defense. One site alone had more than $80,000 in donations

for the accused shooter. Sarah Ventri, NPR News, New York. This is NPR. In Brazil, the 2022 running mate of former President Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested in connection with a probe of an alleged plot two years ago to overthrow President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Brazil's Supreme Court says that General Walter Braganeta was charged with obstructing the collection of evidence.

Some Irish pubs in the UK have run out of Guinness beer this week. NPR's Lauren Fraer explains. Earlier this month, the company that owns and distributes Guinness, Diageo, put a cap on the amount individual pubs in England, Scotland and Wales can order. Diageo says it's seen exceptional demand amid recent international rugby tournaments and in the lead-up to the holidays. It says it's working proactively with customers to manage distribution as efficiently as possible. Nevertheless, Irish pubs in Liverpool, Durham and Leicester have all reported running dry. Another pub here in London says it's issuing ration cards to

customers, requiring them to order two other drinks first before they can even ask for a Guinness. Shortages have not been reported in Guinness's homeland of Ireland, though, where Diageo has separate supply chains. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. Speaking of pubs, there's a festive kind of bar crawl underway in New York City today. People dressed in holiday-themed get-ups, mainly Santa Claus, are hitting participating venues in the New York City SantaCon. Described by the event's

website as an annual charitable Santa Claus convention to spread absurdist joy, participants are asked to contribute $15 to enter the bars or clubs taking part in the event. I'm Louise Giovone, NPR News.