NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-18-2024 5AM EST

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

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Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. The leader of opposition forces in Syria says all rebel factions in the country are being dissolved. NPR's Hadil al-Shalchi in Damascus says the announcement follows the ouster of Syrian

President Bashar al-Assad by the rebels less than two weeks ago. The leader of Ha'ayyat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led the revolt against former President Bashar al-Assad, said fighters from different factions will unite under the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Ahmed Al-Shar'a, formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, made the comments while visiting the Druze community on Tuesday. The forces that toppled the regime were made up of a number of rebel groups, some backed by foreign countries like Turkey.

Shadr did not detail how this unification would be accomplished. He also called on all Syrians in the country and abroad to help rebuild Syria all as, quote, team players. Shadr remains a designated terrorist by the United States. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Damascus. The man accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthCare in New York City has been indicted on nearly a dozen counts by the state Supreme Court. They include first-degree murder as an act of terrorism and two counts of second-degree

murder. The additional charges elevate the case against 26-year-old Luigi Mangione. The indictment was announced yesterday by the district attorney in Manhattan. D.A. Alvin Bragg calls the shooting death of CEO Brian Thompson a targeted and premeditated killing. Thompson was shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on December 4th. Mangione was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Later today, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce another cut in interest rates. It would mark the Fed's third rate cut since September. With inflation in the US economy still elevated, NPR's Scott Horsley says

economists believe this may be the Fed's last rate reduction for a while. Markets are betting that the Federal Reserve will cut its benchmark interest rate by another quarter percentage point. The central bank has already lowered rates by three-quarters of a point since September. Lower rates make it less expensive to borrow money to buy a car, grow a business or carry a balance on your credit card. Fed officials will also share some guesses this afternoon about where they think interest rates are going next year.

On average, policymakers had expected expected lower rates by another full percentage point in 2025 when they last issued a forecast back in September. That forecast for cuts could be dialed back a bit today since inflation in recent months has proven stickier than expected. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington. Congressional leaders say they've come up with a stopgap spending bill to prevent a partial shutdown of the federal government. It would fund the government through mid-March.

It's unclear when the House or Senate might vote on the legislation. The current funding measure runs out on Friday night. This is NPR News from Washington. Authorities in Maryland are looking for suspects following last night's shooting in a suburb north of Baltimore. One person was killed, nine others were hurt by what Baltimore County's police chief describes as gunshots and a related fiery car crash. It happened in Towson. All nine people were hospitalized. The police chief calls the violence targeted and isolated. The return of two astronauts who flew to the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft are being delayed yet again, NPR's Giles Snyder reports. NASA says this latest holdup has to do with a new SpaceX capsule, saying in a statement

that the new capsule won't arrive in Florida until early January. NASA says the agency and SpaceX need more time to be sure it's ready to send a new four-person crew to the International Space Station. NASA had planned to send the new crew to the station in February. That mission is now scheduled for no earlier than late March. The delay means astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams stay aboard the ISS has been extended again. The two flew to the orbiting outpost in June on a mission that was only supposed to last for a little more than a week. But Boeing Starliner developed multiple issues and

returned to Earth empty in September. Trial Snyder MPR News. Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan say they're discussing ways to collaborate more closely but they're denying reports that they're in talks about a possible merger. Shares of Nissan jumped sharply on the news. A merger of Honda and Nissan would create the world's third largest auto group. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News in Washington. This is Ira 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.