NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-19-2024 9AM EST

Episode Date: December 19, 2024

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What happens to democracy when one political party has near complete power? That's the question at the heart of Supermajority, the series the New Yorker just named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024. Listen and hear what all the hype is about. It's season 19 of NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. Congress has until tomorrow night to approve a short-term spending bill to avert a partial shutdown of the federal government. House Republicans have rejected a spending bill that had won bipartisan support this week. But NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports President-elect Trump demanded that GOP lawmakers abandon

it. After intense pressure from billionaire adviser Elon Musk, President-elect Trump demanded that GOP lawmakers abandon it. After intense pressure from billionaire adviser Elon Musk, President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. 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 PR News, The Capitol. The disaster aid relief money was intended for people affected by Hurricane Celine and Milton in the southeastern U.S. The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson will appear in a courtroom in central Pennsylvania today. New York prosecutors want to extradite Luigi Mangione to face murder charges. He also faces weapons charges in Pennsylvania.

The Montana Supreme Court has upheld the lower court's decision on a lawsuit about climate change. It was brought by young people who sued the state for failing to act on climate change. From Montana Public Radio, Ellis Julin reports. The Montana Supreme Court has affirmed a lower court ruling that said the state's fossil fuel-friendly policies, along with a lack of action to address climate change, have violated the plaintiff's constitutional right to a clean environment.

This was the first youth-led climate case to go to trial in the U.S. Olivia Vesavich is one of the plaintiff's constitutional right to a clean environment. This was the first youth-led climate case to go to trial in the U.S. Olivia Vesavich is one of the plaintiffs. She's been involved with this case for the last five years. Hope is something we work towards, and that is what this case has been. We have fought to have our voices heard. This decision means that state agencies must now consider the greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts of any proposed development project.

Because it involves the state constitution, this ruling is the final decision. It cannot be appealed to a federal court. For NPR News, I'm Ellis Ju Lin in Missoula, Montana. A court in France has convicted nearly 50 men for rape. A man drugged his then-wife and then invited strangers to rape her while she was unconscious. He then recorded the sexual assaults over more than a decade. The French court has sentenced him to the maximum 20 years in prison.

The woman, Giselle Pellicot, waived her right to anonymity in the case. She has been in the French courtroom for weeks demanding justice. After the verdicts today, she spoke publicly. It's with a profound emotion that I express myself today in front of you. Speaking in French, Pellicot said Today, she spoke publicly. Speaking in French, Pellico said that this had been a difficult trial and that she was

thinking of her children and her grandchildren. Pellico also called for a better future where women and men can live together in mutual respect. You're listening to NPR News. Workers at seven Amazon facilities have gone on strike this morning. The Teamsters Union says they're demanding that the online retailer come to the bargaining table and hash out contracts. They're on picket lines from New York to Los Angeles.

Amazon has released a statement saying the Teamsters Union does not represent its workers and that the union is pushing a false narrative. The Justice Department says a New York man pleaded guilty to operating a secret Chinese police station in Lower Manhattan, but China's Foreign Ministry denies that such things exist. And Piers John Rewich reports. Sixty-year-old Chen Jinping pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiring to act as an agent for the Chinese government. In a news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said there are no so-called

secret police stations. Lin says China follows the rule of law, and it's always strictly abided by international law and respects the judicial sovereignty of other countries. Chinese state media have said in the past, places described as illicit police stations are in fact volunteer centers to help people do things like renew Chinese drivers licenses. The Justice Department however says the guilty plea is a reminder of the Chinese government's efforts to intimidate those who speak out against their ruling Communist Party. John Ruech, NPR News, Shanghai.

French President Emmanuel Macron is on the French territorial island of Maït. It has been wrecked by a cyclone that later made landfall in eastern Africa. The French president is asking European partners for relief supplies. At least 22 people have been killed by the storm, but it's feared that hundreds may have perished. This is NPR.