NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-17-2024 9PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has visited a strategic high point in Syria
the Israelis now control.
He and his defense minister say they plan to keep troops there for a while despite outrage
in the Arab world.
More from NPR's Michelle Kellehman.
Mount Hermon is the highest peak in the Golan Heights.
Israeli troops took over a Syrian post there following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. And now the Israelis say they plan to stay
as long as needed. During a visit, Defense Minister Israel Katz described the summit
of Mount Hermon as, quote, Israel's eyes, saying from there they can observe Hezbollah
in Lebanon and keep watch on the Syrian capital Damascus. Arab states
have expressed anger over the Israeli moves into Syria calling it a land grab.
The UN is also expressing concern. Israel has moved into a buffer zone where the
UN has had peacekeepers for 50 years. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
Men and boys are responsible for most of the shootings in the US as NPR News, Tel Aviv. Men and boys are responsible for most of the shootings in the U.S., as NPR's Rachel Triesman
reports this week's incident at a Wisconsin school is a rare exception.
Authorities say a 15-year-old girl was behind Monday's deadly shooting at the Abundant
Life Christian School in Madison.
She apparently then turned the gun on herself.
Female shooters are statistically unusual.
The nonprofit Violence Prevention Project says there have only been four of them
among the 200 mass shooters since 1999.
Women have carried out some high-profile shootings
in recent years, including at YouTube's
California headquarters and a kosher supermarket
in New Jersey.
And one of the earliest school shootings in the U.S.
was the work of a California teenage girl in 1979.
Rachel Triesman, NPR News.
Authorities in Moscow say senior Russian general was killed
when a bomb hidden in a scooter detonated outside a building.
Ukrainian officials saying today,
its security devices or service rather carried out
the remote-controlled bombing.
They claim the life of Igor Kilarov and an assistant.
The officials speaking on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Health insurers are drawing more scrutiny as NPR's Maria
Aspen reports shares in UnitedHealth Group, CVS, and Cigna fell today.
It's been a bad month for big healthcare companies. Investors are spooked by the killing
of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They're also bracing for more scrutiny of his industry.
Thompson ran the largest U.S. health insurer.
The apparent motive for his killing uncorked waves of consumer frustration over denied
claims and the high costs of care in the United States.
Now both Congress and President-elect Trump are talking about breaking up the behemoths.
Trump threatened to go after the pharmacy benefit managers, known to their critics as
middlemen. We're going to their critics as middlemen.
We're going to knock out the middlemen.
Any crackdown would likely target United Health,
CVS, and Cigna.
Combined, they process 80% of all US prescriptions.
Maria Aspin, NPR News, New York.
This is NPR.
When it comes to the future of the economy,
both sides of the political divide
appear somewhat sour headed toward year's end.
Democrats say they're more pessimistic about the economy after Donald Trump's presidential win.
Republicans are also dour about the current state of things.
They're a bit more hopeful about stronger economic growth next year.
Survey from the Associated Press-Nork Center for Public Affairs research seems to indicate the economy is more tied to whomever is in office. This week's Billboard rankings are out and as NPR's Stephen Thompson
reports, holiday perennials dominate. It's beginning to look a lot like last year's
Billboard charts. If you compare this week's Hot 100 to the same chart from 12 months ago,
you'll find that the top five is identical.
12 months ago, you'll find that the top five is identical. Mariah Carey's at number one, where she's been for 16 non-consecutive weeks in six consecutive
years.
Then you've got Brenda Lee, Bobby Helms, Wham! and Burl Ives.
In that exact order just like last year, what's really hard to find on the holiday charts
is new music.
The highest-charting holiday song from this year is Christmas Magic by Leve at number 79.
Stephen Thompson, NPR News.
Good old futures prices eased today oiled down 63 cents a barrel to 70.08 a barrel in
New York.
I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.
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