NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-17-2024 11PM EST

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. A suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is now facing charges of murder as an act of terrorism, along with the first and second-degree murder charges and various weapons offenses. 26-year-old Luigi Mangione is accused of lying in wait before shooting Thompson as he headed to a shareholders' meeting in Manhattan nearly two weeks ago. Here's Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The maximum penalty possible for murder in the first degree and murder in the second degree as an act of terrorism is life without parole.

The maximum penalty for murder in the second degree is 25 years to life. There are additional counts as well. Authorities say Thompson was shot with an untraceable 9-millimeter handgun and fled on an e-bike. He was arrested days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he still awaits extradition to New York. Investigators say they're seeking a motive for Monday's school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin. Authorities say a 15-year-old girl killed two people and injured six others before taking her own life. NPR's Katie Ariddle has more. Though there have been hundreds of mass killings with guns in the past few decades, there have

been very few female shooters. Jonathan Metzl is a researcher who studies gun violence at Vanderbilt University. He says the shooter's gender is unusual, but it is not the most important piece of information in this case. On one hand, I think it's notable, but I also think it's in a way, you know, tragically an expected outcome of what we've done in this country, which is just to make it a lot easier for people to get guns. The more people who have access to guns, says Metzl, the more demographic types of people

can use guns. Katie Ariddle, NPR News. Top Republicans and Democrats in Congress have unveiled a stopgap budget plan to avert a government shutdown this weekend. The proposal includes more than $100 billion in funding to help states recover from devastating hurricanes as well as funding for FEMA and disaster relief for farmers. TikTok has met with President-elect Donald Trump as the company fights a new law that would ban the social media app next month.

As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, TikTok is asking the US Supreme Court to intervene. TikTok's chief executive, Chiu, met with Trump as the hit video app's future hangs in the balance. A law that bans TikTok in the US over national security concerns is slated to take effect January 19th. That's the day before Trump will be sworn in, creating serious uncertainty since Trump, once against TikTok, now says

he will save the app. TikTok recently lost a federal appeals court battle upholding the law. The court said TikTok's parent company being based in China, a foreign adversary, posed a security risk. Now TikTok's legal team has filed an emergency petition to the Supreme Court, arguing that silencing the voices of 170 million American users is a free speech violation. President-elect Trump is accusing the Des Moines Register newspaper and its pollster of election interference. Trump cites the newspaper's publication of a poll suggesting that Democrat Kamala Harris was leading by three percentage points in Iowa just days before the general election.

UNICEF workers at Starbucks have voted to authorize a potential strike in the United States ahead of a final round of contract talks this year. Workers United wants the coffee giant to increase wages and staffing and improve work schedules. The union represents more than 10,000 employees at over 500 Starbucks stores in the U.S. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its preliminary nominees in ten awards categories for Oscars. And NPR's Mandelito Barca reports that the hit films Wicked and Emilia Perez are already on the short list.

The film Emilia Perez is France's entry for international feature film at the Oscars. It's also on the short list for makeup and hair styling, sound, original score, and two original songs. Another buzzy film on the Oscars shortlist is Wicked, a musical about the witches of Oz. It's a contender for its visual effects, makeup and hair, sound, and its score. Among other films shortlisted for some Academy Awards categories are Dune Part II, Gladiator II, and Blitz. The list will be whittled down next month, but the Oscars ceremony isn't until March

2. Mandelita El Barco, NPR News. U.S. futures are flat and after hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR News.