NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-18-2024 7PM EST

Episode Date: December 19, 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 Jack Spear. House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing a rebellion from some fellow Republicans over his bill to keep the government funded into the spring.

As NPR's Barbara Spahn explains, the bill would avert a government shutdown after funding runs out the end of the day Friday. After intense pressure from billionaire adviser Elon Musk, President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance are calling on Republicans to reject the bill. The short-term measure includes over $100 billion towards disaster aid and farm subsidies,

among other things. In a statement, Trump and Vance called for a bill they say doesn't include any legislative wins for Democrats. This leaves Republicans scrambling to keep the government open, right as Congress is also prepping to go home for the holidays. Barbara Sprint and Peer News, The Capital. The Senate Judiciary Committee is weighing legislation that would put stricter regulations on sports betting in the U.S.

NPR's Windsor Johnston reports wagering on sporting events has grown into a more than $10 billion industry since the Supreme Court legalized it in 2018. The use of new technology like smartphones has increased the risk for gambling addiction. Keith White is the executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling. With the digitization of sports and content, you can now bet 24 hours a day on hundreds, if not thousands, of events per day, and you can do that continuously from your phone. Senate Democrats have introduced legislation that would implement stricter regulations on sports betting including

so-called affordability checks on large wagers and deposit limits. Critics of the measure say it undermines the progress that states have made on regulating betting markets. Windsor-Johnston NPR News, Washington. A group of former students has accused elite universities of secretly favoring applicants who come from wealthy backgrounds. The lawsuit date backs two years, but a new motion was filed this week. NPR's Janaki Mehta reports.

New details have emerged in an ongoing case that accuses schools of cheating students out of millions of dollars in financial aid over two decades. The motion demands $685 million in damages and accuses elite universities, including University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown, and Cornell of participating in quote, a price-fixing cartel. The plaintiffs say the universities were meant to use a quote, need-blind approach to admissions and that favoring applicants because of their family's donation potential violates the law. The schools deny the allegations and have attempted to get the case dismissed. Janaki Mehta and PR

News. One of the worst days of the year on Wall Street is investors sold off after the interest rate setting. Federal Reserve signaled the pace of interest rate cutting in the new year will be slower than previously forecast. Fed cut rates by a quarter point but signaled only two rate cuts are likely next year. The Dow plunged 1,123 points, a drop of more than 2.5 percent. The NASDAQ fell 3.5 percent today. You're listening to NPR. Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan have stopped short of saying they want to merge, but are confirming they're discussing closer collaboration.

Nissan shares soared more than 22% after reports of a possible deal, citing unnamed sources, began circulating. What were shares returned to Earth when the automaker said instead of creating what would be the world's third largest automaker, they instead will be looking at possibilities for future collaboration. Nissan has an alliance with French automaker Renault and recently announced plans to axe 9,000 jobs. An ancient tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments sold at auction today for more than $5 million. CNBR's Jason DeRose reports the auction house says the object

dates from as early as the fourth century. Jason DeRose, CNBR, Sotheby's says an anonymous bidder has acquired the 115-pound white marble slab and plans to donate it to an Israeli institution. The final $5 million price is far more than what the auction house estimated it would go for. According to Sotheby's, the object was discovered in 1913 during construction of a railroad south of Tel Aviv. It was used as a paving stone in a home for decades until someone figured out that the inscription was of the Ten Commandments. An oddity is that the list is missing the prohibition against taking God's name in

vain, but it includes an admonition to worship God on Mount Gerizim rather than in Jerusalem. Scholars say that means the tablet was likely used by Samaritans rather than Jews or Christians. Jason DeRose, NPR News. Jason DeRose, NPR News. Cruel Features prices settled modestly higher after a drop in U.S. inventories oil up 50 cents a barrel to 70.58 a barrel in New York. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.

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