NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-19-2024 10PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear.
Congress is getting closer to a government shutdown
this weekend.
That's after House Republicans failed to pass
a GOP-led funding measure.
MPR's Claudia Grisellos reports the stopgap bill
was crafted after President-elect Donald Trump
and billionaire Elon Musk tanked an earlier
bipartisan agreement.
The new House Republican bill drafted without input
from Democrats failed with 38 Republicans
joining Democrats in voting against it.
The measure needed a two-thirds majority to pass under an expedited process after House
GOP leaders crafted the plan in the last day.
The failure leaves lawmakers back at the drawing board, with the shutdown deadline looming at the end of the day on Friday.
Senate and House Democrats blasted Republicans for reneging on a bipartisan compromise funding plan reached earlier this week.
The House Republicans who helped tank the new proposal said it violated traditional Republican goals of cutting
spending and reducing the deficit. Claudia Rizales, NPR News. The suspect in
the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is back in New York
facing additional federal charges of murder by firearm and stalking along
with other charges laid out in previous indictments in New York and Pennsylvania.
Luigi Mangione flown from Pennsylvania where he was being held after his arrest,
then paraded past the media. Mangione, through his lawyers, waved extradition.
With the latest charges, the 26-year-old Mangione, who was accused of gunning
down Thompson under New York City Street earlier this month,
now faces the possibility of the death penalty.
Authorities have named the two people killed in the deadly shooting the Small Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin Monday. CNPR's Meg Anderson reports
the victims were a student and a teacher.
According to the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office, the two who were killed were both
pronounced dead at the scene. Forty-two-year-old Erin West was the school's substitute coordinator.
According to her obituary, she was the mother of three daughters.
She's described as enjoying camping with her family
and going to sports games at the school.
14-year-old Ruby Vergara was a freshman at the school.
Her obituary describes her as an avid reader
who loved art, singing, and playing the keyboard.
She's described as having a special bond
with her cat Ginger and her dog Coco. She's described as having a special bond with her cat Ginger
and her dog Coco. The shooter was also a student. She apparently turned the gun on herself that
day. Meg Anderson, NPR News.
In its latest snapshot of the economy, the government says it appears growth accelerated
a bit more in the July through September quarter than initially thought. Government Today reporting
the nation's gross domestic product, the total output of goods and
services within US borders, expanded to the 3.1% annual rate. Stocks stabilized
somewhat after yesterday's sell-off the Dow up 15 points today. You're listening
to NPR. Dozens of data centers in Ireland may be starting to wear out their welcome
with the locals.
That's because with the country making itself something of a computing hub for big firms like Amazon, Google and Meta,
those firms are now consuming more electricity than all of the urban homes there combined.
It's led to fears of rolling blackouts on the part of Ireland's grid operator and a halt to any new data centers near Dublin until at least 2028.
The giant buildings housing large numbers of powerful servers last year consumed about
21 percent of Ireland's electricity. Philadelphia lawmakers have authorized the 76ers to build a new
basketball arena in the heart of the city. Aaron Mozilla member station WHYY is more.
More than two years after the team announced the controversial project, the billion-dollar arena is set to be built on top of a busy train station in a
section of the city's downtown that has struggled to thrive for decades. Regina
Hairston leads the African-American Chamber of Commerce. She says the arena
is desperately needed to revive Market East. You cannot grow without investment.
We all see how this corridor looks.
It is empty.
It is blighted and businesses are leaving every day.
Opponents say the arena represents an existential threat for nearby Chinatown.
The facility is scheduled to open in 2031.
For NPR News, I'm Aaron Mozzell in Philadelphia.
The U.S. population this year posted its strongest growth rate in 23 years, much of it driven
by immigration.
The government says the total U.S. population now surpasses 340 million people.
I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.