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

Episode Date: December 20, 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's Embedded Podcast. embedded podcast. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwahleesha Ikaotow. Members of Congress have hours left to pass a spending bill that prevents a partial shutdown of the federal government at midnight. Margaret Barthol of Member Station WAMU reports on what a partial government shutdown might look like.

When the government shuts down, many federal workers are told to stop doing their jobs. Some, like air traffic controllers and parts of the defense industry, still work but don't get on-time paychecks. A law passed in 2019 requires back pay for all the roughly 2 million federal employees across the country after a shutdown ends. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat, says that makes shutting down the government a bad fiscal decision. There's no reason to shut government down, lock employees out of their office, tell them

they can't help their fellow Americans, and then give them a paycheck anyway. Kaine said he hopes congressional leaders can make a deal before midnight. For NPR News, I'm Margaret Barthol in Arlington, Virginia. The Oxford, Michigan school shooter failed to withdraw his guilty plea to first-degree murder, terrorism, and other charges. Ethan Crumbly's attorneys said he didn't understand what he was doing when he entered the plea, but the judge wasn't convinced, as NPR's Kristen Wright reports. The judge said Ethan Crumbly's guilty plea was knowingly, voluntarily, and accurately

given. He also rejected Crumbly's request to be re-sentenced, the school shooters serving life without the possibility of parole. But Crumbly's new defense team argued the now 18-year-old was only 16 and living with mental illness and cognitive impairment when he pleaded guilty, waiving his right to a trial. They claim his previous attorneys failed to properly raise these issues during the plea process and sentencing. The same judge who handed down Crumbly's sentence last December concluded Thursday

he showed no signs of confusion when he pleaded guilty and the sentence stands. Crumbly murdered four classmates and wounded seven other people in 2021. His parents were the first in the nation to be convicted in a school shooting committed by their child. Kristin Wright, NPR News. There are reports that at least 100 North Korean troops have died in Russia, supporting war efforts there since earlier this month, according to a South Korean lawmaker. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, emergency responders are busy putting out fires in Kiev caused by Russian attacks overnight. And Piers Bryanman is traveling in the east

of that country, reporting about the battle for the city of Pokrovsk in the Dnepr region. One of the hardest things I saw yesterday was people still in the streets. Pokrovsk, a frightening place. There are Russian drones everywhere. They pummel the city with grenades and larger bombs. But officials say they think roughly 11,000 Ukrainians are still hunkered down under the threat of this violence without gasps or heat or running water. NPR's Brian Mann reporting, the city was a population of 60,000, Mann adds, but the city is now emptied of people. This is NPR. man adds, but the city is now emptied of people. This is in PR. The college football playoffs begin this weekend with a game Friday night and three games on Saturday with Notre Dame, Texas, and Ohio State all on the docket. And Piers-Becky Sullivan

has this preview. The playoffs kick off with an in-state showdown between Notre Dame and Indiana, both of which only have one loss apiece. Then on Saturday, Texas will take on Clemson and Tennessee will face Ohio State in two of the most anticipated matchups of this round, and the power conference newcomer Southern Methodist will travel to Penn State for the early game. Sitting out this week are four conference champions, all of whom got to skip straight to the second round.

That includes the nation's top overall team, the undefeated Oregon Ducks, and the number two team, hot on their heels, the Georgia Bulldogs. It's the first year of this expanded 12-team playoff. It'll be a full month of games before a team is crowned champion. Becky Sullivan, NPR News. The motoring club, AAA, estimates that nearly 120 million people will travel this holiday season between tomorrow and New Year's Day. That's about 3 million more people than last year. AAA says nearly 8 million people are going to fly, but these travelers could face longer

lines at the airport if there's a partial federal government shutdown tonight. Air traffic controllers have to report to work, but they won't get paid. The same is true for TSA agents. French President Emmanuel Macron visited the island territory of Mayotte near eastern Africa between Madagascar and Mozambique. It was hard hit by a cyclone last week.