NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-15-2024 7AM EST

Episode Date: December 15, 2024

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Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. In Syria, schools reopened today for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad a week ago. In Damascus, students applauded as a new Syrian flag was raised.

NPR's Ruth Sherlock is in the Syrian capital where there have been celebrations in the streets. Syrian people are one. The Syrian people are one. These have been the chance of the Syrian revolution since 2011 when the protests began. But back then, they were Renderah and Homs and the fringes of Damascus. So many people here didn't imagine that one day they'd be right here.

With Syria starting fresh, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria is calling for a quick end to Western sanctions. Gare Peterson visited Damascus today after meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Arab foreign ministers in Jordan yesterday. South Korea seeking to reassure allies a day after lawmakers voted to impeach President Yun Sung-yol. Acting President Han Deok-su has spoken with President Biden by phone in a statement. Han says South Korea will carry out its foreign and security policies without disruption, and he pledged to ensure the alliance with the U.S. is maintained.

The suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO has hired a high-profile former prosecutor as his defense lawyer in New York. The attorney has a history of prosecuting violent crimes in which mental health played a role in PRS Juliana Kim reports. Karen Friedman-Egnifolow will represent Luigi Mangione in defending against murder charges related to the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson earlier this month. Friedman-Egnifolow 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's scheduled to appear in a preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania on December 23rd. Julianna Kim, NPR News. Reported drone sightings have began in New Jersey last month and have since spread to other states including Massachusetts and Maryland have led to much speculation and concern. Joanna Peters lives in Palmyra, New Jersey. She believes the sightings are

worrisome. It's definitely scary. It's concerning. I feel like, you know, a lot of people are concerned about AI and technology and being monitored. Biden administration officials from the White House to the FBI and the Homeland Security Department are playing down the sightings, saying they could be manned aircraft mistaken for drones. The FBI said this weekend fewer than 100 of more than 5,000 sightings have merited further investigation.

This is NPR News. Australia says five remaining members of the drug ring known as the Bali Nine have returned from Indonesia. After serving nearly 20 years in prison in Indonesia, they're back in Australia after diplomatic efforts to strike a repatriation deal. The five were among nine Australians arrested in 2005 as they attempted to smuggle more than 18 pounds of heroin out of the Indonesian resort island of Bali. In Britain, the alleged Chinese spy who did business with King Charles' brother, Prince Andrew, reportedly also met with two former prime ministers. Robbie Griffiths reports that the man at the centre 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, and kept pictures of the encounters on the desk of his London offices. H-16 eyes 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. Robbie Griffiths, NPR News,

London. San Francisco saw its first ever tornado warning this weekend. The National Weather Service says the tornado touched down near a shopping mall south of the city, overturning cars and toppling trees and utility poles. Weather Service says the tornado struck the area nearly 20 years ago but no advance warning was given, likely because there was no clear signature on radar.