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

Episode Date: December 15, 2024

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Oh, oh, oh, Santa here coming to you from the North Pole. We're the elves in our podcast division of just completed work on this season's best gift for public radio lovers. NPR plus give the gift of sponsored free listening and even bonus episodes from your favorite NPR podcasts, all while supporting public media. Learn more at plus dot NPR dot org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. Syria's new de facto leader is calling for diplomatic solutions over conflict with neighboring Israel.

Israel continues to launch airstrikes into Syria and is occupying a military outpost in Syria that it says is necessary to ensure its security since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports. The Syrian rebel leader who goes by the name Abu Mohammed al-Jolani says his country does not want conflict with Israel. Speaking to Syrian state media, he said there are no excuses for any foreign intervention now and accuses Israel of quote using false pretexts to justify its continued presence in and attacks on Syria. Israel has taken up positions inside a demilitarized zone between the Israeli occupied Golan Heights and Syria. Military officials say troops will

stay through winter. Sunday Israel's defense minister said recent developments in Syria increased the severity of the threat despite what he called the seemingly moderate facade that rebel leaders claim to present. Carrie Hahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. A Russian tanker containing more than 4,000 tons of fuel broke apart due to rough weather and is spilling its cargo into a strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. NPR's Joanna Kakissis reports that Russian officials say at least one person has died and a

second tanker has also suffered damage. Russian state media showed footage of one tanker split in half and sinking. Russia's water transport agency reported that there was quote a spill of petroleum products. At least 15 people were aboard. The second tanker which had a crew of 14 was drifting after it was damaged. The vessels issued distress signals while in the Kerch Strait which is between mainland Russia and the Ukrainian region of Crimea which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to manage rescue operations and the fuel spill. Joanna Kekesis, NPR News, Cave.

Wintery weather is taking a toll in parts of the U.S. In upstate New York more than 33 inches of snow fell near Orchard Park. An ice storm created treacherous driving conditions in the upper Midwest. More than a foot of snow fell in Lake Tahoe at a tornado touchdown 70 miles south of San Francisco. Colorado's Travis Hunter won the 2024 Heisman Trophy last night. A cornerback and wide receiver, he's the first two-way player to win college football's most prized individual honor since 1997.

It means a lot, you know, still having that grind to go out and show everyone what I can do and show myself most importantly how much the sport can do for me and how much I can do for the sport and how much I love the sport. Colorado's Travis Hunter. this is NPR. There's more palace intrigue in Great Britain. The alleged Chinese spy who did business with King Charles's brother Prince Andrew reportedly also met with two former prime ministers. Robbie Griffiths reports the man at the center of the scandal has yet to be named publicly. An immigration tribunal had upheld a decision to block a 50-year-old Chinese citizen identified only as H6 from the UK. That decision was made out of concerns for national security. H6, who worked advising British firms on doing business in China,

was an associate of Prince Andrew, who reportedly invited him to events at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. H6 also reportedly met with former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May May and kept pictures of the encounters on the desk of his London offices. H6 denies being an agent of the Chinese state, but Prince Andrews said Friday he had ceased all contact with him on the advice of the government. will pay $15 million and post a note of regret to settle a defamation suit filed by President-elect Donald Trump. Early this year, George Stephanopoulos repeatedly asserted Trump had been found liable for rape

while a civil jury instead found him liable for sexual abuse. The statements came in a March segment of an ABC broadcast where the anchor had pressed a guest who herself had been a rape victim. Why she would support Trump, the now-Presidentident-elect had been found responsible by a jury for sexual abuse, but not rape, in the E. Jean Carroll case. The payment by ABC is to go to a presidential library foundation and the payment of a million dollars in legal costs. I'm Louise Giovone, NPR News, Washington.