NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-15-2024 11PM EST

Episode Date: December 16, 2024

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Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwahlees Ikaotow. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he spoke this weekend to President-elect Donald Trump about Lebanon, Syria and negotiations on a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. NPR's Michelle Kalman reports. Netanyahu says he had, in his words, a very friendly, warm and important conversation with Trump about the efforts to bring hostages back from Gaza, there are seven Americans among the 100 still held by Hamas. Biden administration officials say they hope a deal can be finalized this month for a hostage

and ceasefire deal that would also allow much needed aid to get into Gaza. Israel continues to carry out deadly airstrikes there. It's also been pounding military targets in Syria following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Netanyahu says Israel has no interest in confrontation with rebel leaders there. He says the Israeli actions are defensive to keep weapons out of the wrong hands. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, Tel Aviv. Drone sightings in the Northath continue to spark concern and controversy. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says the federal government is, quote, on it.

And Piers Luke Garrett reports. Secretary Mayorkas confirmed drone sightings are happening during an interview with ABC News Sunday. There's no question that people are seeing drones. He said a recent Federal Aviation Administration rule change that allows drones to fly at night might explain the increase in sightings. Regardless, Mayorkas said the federal government is helping New Jersey police deal with the drones and the concern they are creating, but that all the drones his team has looked into have been domestic.

We know of no foreign involvement with respect to the sightings in the Northeast and we are vigilant in investigating this matter. In a social media post on Friday, President-elect Trump said the drones should be shot down if the government can't explain what's going on. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. In central California, emergency authorities worked overnight to repair damage caused by a rare tornado that hit a Santa Cruz County city Saturday afternoon, leaving five people injured. Natalia Navarro with Member Station KQED reports. A strong storm

this weekend that brought heavy rain and high winds formed a tornado about 70 miles south of San Francisco in the city of Scotts Valley. Meteorologist Rick Canapa with the National Weather Service says the tornado was on the ground for five minutes with rotating winds peaking at 90 miles per hour. These things can form typically well out over the Pacific and never affect land at all. So this one came through, it had a powerful punch to it, highly focused, pocket of energy in the atmosphere that was just positioned just right as it was coming in from the west.

Natalia Navarro The Scotts Valley Police Department says power has been restored to nearby shops. For NPR News, I'm Natalia Navarro in San Francisco. Natalia Navarro And this is NPR. The death toll in the French Island territory of Mayotte in the southwestern Indian Ocean is so far unknown, following what emergency officials are describing as the worst storm there in a century. The prefect or top government official of Mayotte, François Xavier Beauville, speaking to a local broadcaster, estimated that tropical zone Saicon-Chito has left several hundred dead, adding, perhaps we will approach a thousand. Mayotte's population is just over 300,000, as one of the European

Union's poorest territory, with a third of inhabitants living in metal shacks. Pope Francis visited the French island of Corsica Sunday to shine light on the Mediterranean and migrants who have died trying to migrate to Europe. And Paris Eleanor Beardsley reports. The Pope's visit was one of the briefest outside Italy, lasting just nine hours. It included a 40-minute meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The Pope also met with Corsica's oldest citizen, 108-year-old Jeannette Marie. It was broadcast on French television. It's a sensational emotion, she said. I would have never thought I'd meet the Pope at my age.

The Pope spoke of the importance of taking care of old people and children. He also said the tragedy of migration has turned the Mediterranean into Europe's largest cemetery. Eleanor Beardsley in PR News, Paris. Pope Francis turns 88 on Tuesday. I'm Dwali Saikowtel in PR News.