NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-20-2024 1AM EST

Episode Date: December 20, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Leaders of Congress thought they had a deal to continue government spending through mid-March. But NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports that House Republicans, taking advice from President-elect Trump's ally, Elon Musk, rejected the plan. Barbara Sprunt It's really notable how much power and influence he's already wielding here. An unelected billionaire, in fact, the richest man in the world with the ear of the president elect, he trashed the bill, spread false information about what was in it.

He personally thanked members of Congress who said they wouldn't support that initial bill. That's a lot of involvement. It's a lot of power. And Democrats are seizing onto this, referring to him as President Musk. So clearly trying to get under Trump's skin. NPR's Barbara Sprant, meanwhile a new GOP stopgap spending proposal that would also

raise the nation's borrowing limit, has been rejected by Democrats and dozens of Republicans. Government spending will run out at midnight Friday if no agreement is reached by then. The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson appeared in federal court in New York City Thursday. Luigi Mangione now faces federal counts in addition to the litany of state charges against him. NPR's Sarah Ventri has the latest. The federal charges include murder and two counts of stalking.

The unsealed complaint filed in the Southern District of New York includes a timeline of Mangione's alleged movements. It states that the shooter, quote, "'Undertook extensive efforts to identify the victim, place the victim under surveillance, and track the victim's whereabouts.'" In a statement, Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, says the federal government's

decision to, quote, pile on top of an already overcharged first degree murder and state terror case is highly unusual and raises serious constitutional and statutory double jeopardy concerns. Sarah Ventry, NPR News, New York. Since January 2023, some 900,000 migrants have made appointments using CBP-1. That's an app used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to facilitate appointments for people seeking asylum. That story from NPR's Sergio Martinez Bertran. President-elect Trump said in September that he would get rid of the CBP-1 app, which he

falsely claims is used to smuggle migrants into the U.S. This has put people in Mexico hoping to get an asylum appointment on edge. Barbara Mendoza, Ricardo Bravo and their 6 year old son and one month old daughter come from Venezuela. They say they've been trying to get a slot since June. Now Bravo says they are considering crossing the border and surrendering to authorities despite its dangers. Time is running to get a CBP-1 appointment before Trump's inauguration next month. Sergio Martinez Beltran, NPR News, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

You're listening to NPR News. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued some new guidelines aimed at reducing the rate of diet-related diseases. Products labeled as healthy must contain food from one or more food groups, such as fruit, vegetables, grains, and protein. The FDA says fortified white bread, highly sweetened yogurt, sugary cereals, and foods with too much saturated fat may not be used. The healthy claim. The new guidelines are set to take effect February 25th.

Giselle Pellicoe is thanking her supporters after a jury convicted her husband and dozens of co-defendants in a mass rape trial that shocked France. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports that Mrs. Pellicoe has become a national hero for insisting that the trial be open to the public. Hundreds of supporters in front of the Avignon Court chanted, thank you Giselle. They say Giselle Pellico has changed France by forcing society to reckon with sexual violence.

For nearly a decade, Pellico's husband drugged her and recruited other men on the internet to rape her while she was unconscious. Now the husband has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and the dozens of others have been sentenced on a range of charges. Activist Valentin Rioufaux says Pellico has empowered women by going public with her pain. She has the strength, a big strength. Speaking after the trial ended, Pellico said she would never regret opening the trial and forcing a national debate that could change society. Eleanor Beardsley reporting.

This is NPR News.