NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-16-2024 4AM EST

Episode Date: December 16, 2024

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Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Doha Lisey Kautau. Syria's new de facto leader is calling for diplomatic solutions over conflict with its neighbor. Israel continues to launch airstrikes in Syria and is occupying a military outpost it says is necessary to ensure its security since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. More from NPR's Kerry Kahn in Tel Aviv. 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. Kari Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv. President-elect Trump's pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. While Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is defending the benefits of the vaccine,

more from NPR's White House correspondent Franco Ardoñez. McConnell had polio as a young child and to this day it impacts his walk. Now Kennedy himself says he doesn't want to take away anyone's choice to take vaccines. But still McConnell, without naming Kennedy, said any efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are quote, not uninformed they're dangerous he went on to say that anyone seeking Senate confirmation would quote do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez federal officials say increased drone activity in the Northeast US poses no

threat but state and local officials are calling for more action, as NPR's Ava Puchat reports. New York Governor Kathy Hochul says federal partners are deploying a, quote, state-of-the-art drone detection system to the state. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer explained how that technology works. We're asking the DHS, the Department of Homeland Security, to deploy special detection systems like the Robin, which use not a linear line of sight, but 360-degree technology that has a much better chance of detecting these drones.

Drone activity Friday night temporarily shut down a New York airport. Drone sightings have been going on for weeks. Eva Pukac, NPR News. Days before he turns 88, Pope Francis traveled to the French island of Corsica. This is NPR News in New York. The campaign group Human Rights Watch has called for a United Nations mission to be deployed on the ground in Sudan to protect women and girls from sexual violence. It says widespread rapes committed by fighters of the paramilitary rapid support forces are a war crime. More from BBC's Caroline Holly.

Human Rights Watch spoke to dozens of survivors, some of whom had been gang-raped in front of family members. One woman said that when her husband and son tried to protect her, they were both shot dead. Another described being raped daily by RSF fighters at a military base where women and girls were chained together in what Human Rights Watch has called sexual slavery. It says survivors have barely any access to services and need urgent help. The Bombay-born tabla genius Zakir Hussain has died in San Francisco. The classical Indian artist who transcended genres has mesmerized audiences for more than five decades, performing Indian drums since he was about the age of seven. Here's Hussein performing the with Bella Fleck on the banjo and Edgar Meyer on bass on bubbles from the album

The Melody of Rhythm. Hussein earlier this year won three Grammys for a contemporary instrumental album, global music album and global music performance. He was 73 years old. This is NPR News. I'm Dwahilisai Kautau. This is Eric Glass. On This American Life, we like stories that surprise you.

For instance, imagine finding a new hobby and realizing... To do this hobby right, according to the ways of the masters, there's a pretty good chance that you're going to have to bend the law to get the materials that you need. If not break it. Yeah. To break international laws. Real life stories, really good ones. This American Life.