NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-18-2024 12AM EST

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shay Stevens. A New York grand jury has indicted 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in the slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. As WNYC's Samantha Max reports, Mangione is accused of waiting outside of a Manhattan hotel where he allegedly shot Thompson two weeks ago. SAMANTHA MAX He's facing first-degree murder, second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, and then also criminal possession of a forged instrument for allegedly having a fake ID. And something that I should note is that some of these murder charges allege that the killing was committed in furtherance of terrorism.

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg called the shooting brazen and said it was meant to cause shock and intimidation. So there's still a lot that we don't know about the shooter's motives, but there are questions about whether Thompson was targeted for his role at this major insurance company that's known for high rates of insurance claim denials. Samantha Maxx in New York.

Men and boys commit most of the shootings in the United States. And Paris Rachel Triesman reports that Monday's shooting at a Wisconsin Christian school was 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. Senate Republicans grilled the president of the NCAA on Tuesday on the participation of transgender women in female sports. The questions came up at a hearing about sports gambling, as NPR's Becky Sullivan reports. The NCAA's Charlie Baker came to the Hill to talk about how gambling has led to harassment

for college athletes. But when Republican Senators John Kennedy of Louisiana and Josh Hawley of Missouri had their turn to ask questions, they had a different topic in mind. Kennedy asked whether trans women have a physiological advantage over cisgender women. Baker said research was lacking but agreed they do. Then Holly asked why the NCAA won't ban trans women from women's sports altogether. Baker said the law is murky and he pointed to recent decisions by federal judges who have cited in favor of trans women's participation. Across the NCAA's three divisions there are more than 500,000 student-athletes in total. Baker said he's aware of fewer than 10 who are transgender.

Becky Sullivan, NPR News, Washington. President-elect Trump has tapped former pro football player Hershel Walker to become U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas. Walker ran for Senate seat in 2022 but lost. This is NPR. Illinois' attorney general and the Federal Trade Commission have announced a settlement with Grubhub over alleged deceptive business practices. They say the online food delivery company misled customers about delivery costs and benefits of paying for subscriptions. Grubhub has also accused of deceiving drivers about the amount of money that they could

make and listing restaurants without their consent. The Chicago-based company denies the allegations and says the settlement will allow it to move on. This week's billboard rankings are out, and as NPR 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. ["All I Want For Christmas"] 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, ["Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"] Bobby Helms, ["J! 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. U.S. futures are flat and after hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR News.