NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-17-2024 6PM EST

Episode Date: December 17, 2024

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You care about what's happening in the world. Let State of the World from NPR keep you informed. Each day we transport you to a different point on the globe and introduce you to the people living world events. We don't just tell you world news, we take you there. And you can make this journey while you're doing the dishes or driving your car. State of the World podcast from NPR, vital international stories every day. Jack Spear Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The victims of Monday's school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin are still not being publicly identified. Wisconsin Public Radio's Anya VanWagendonk reports on the unfolding investigation.

Danielle Pletka Madison Police Chief Sean Barnes clarified his earlier reports that a second-grade student made the first 911 call in Monday's shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison. Barnes said it was actually a second-grade teacher who made the call, and he said other details, like the victim's names, are part of an active investigation into the shooting. Identifying a motive is our top priority, but at this time it appears that the motive was a combination of factors. Again, we cannot share that information at this time. The shooter has been identified as a 15-year-old girl.

She killed a teenage student and a teacher before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot. Police say her family is cooperating with their investigation. For NPR News, I'm Anjubin Wagtendonk in Madison. Senators are meeting with San Fransito President-elect Donald Trump's more controversial cabinet nominees this week. NPR's Claudia Grisales reports it could mark the last week of meetings before confirmation hearings begin in January. Tulsi Gabbard, a former House Democrat who became a Republican this year, faces stiff opposition to her joining the Trump administration as director of national intelligence.

Gabbard, however, told NPR she remains optimistic as she meets with senators. Taking the opportunity to be able to engage with each of them personally and hear what's on their minds and share what President Trump's vision is and how we look forward to working together. Gabbard has drawn criticism for her apparent acceptance of brutal dictators, including Syria's ousted leader. She's among Trump's more controversial nominees, who include Pete Hagstead for defense secretary and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health and human services secretary. Claudia Grizales, NPR News, The Capitol.

Demand for electricity across much of the country is growing faster than the supply needed to keep power on when the weather is very cold or very hot. NPR's Jeff Brady reports a new assessment explains why. Most at risk is the region west of the Great Lakes and parts of Louisiana and Arkansas. A new report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation says those areas are at high risk of not having enough electricity when demand peaks during a typical summer or winter. Extreme weather poses an even greater challenge. Electricity demand is expected to surge over the next decade. That's because the country is switching from fossil fuels to electric power to reduce greenhouse gases.

The report says climate-friendly sources of electricity, such as solar, wind, and nuclear, aren't being built fast enough to meet the increasing demand. Jeff Brady, NPR News. Stocks lost ground on Wall Street ahead of the conclusion of a meeting by the Federal Reserve. The Dow is down 267 points. This is NPR. Doctors in New York City are reporting a medical first. Surgeons have transplanted a new kind of genetically modified pig kidney into a living person. It appears Rob Stein got exclusive access to witness the procedure.

Surgeons at NYU Langone Health in New York City transplanted the kidney into an Alabama woman three weeks ago. 53-year-old Tawana Looney couldn't get a human kidney so doctors did an experimental procedure using a pig kidney that was genetically modified to help her body accept the organ. Two other living patients have previously gotten other kinds of modified pig kidneys and two men have received modified pig hearts. None of those patients survived more than three months but Looney is healthier raising hope she may fare better.

Rob Stein in PR News New York. The biggest charitable donations of this year came from two business titans Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. More than a billion dollars each, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. In both cases, most of the money went to provide academic financial aid. Hastings and his wife donated $1.1 billion in stock to their foundation, which primarily supports education. Bloomberg also donated about a billion dollars to Johns Hopkins, mostly to make medical school free for many

students there and provide more financial aid for nursing and public health students. Crude Oil futures prices eased a bit today. Oil fell 63 cents a barrel to end the session at 70.08 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.