NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-20-2024 3PM EST

Episode Date: December 20, 2024

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Ho ho ho! Santa here, coming to you from the North Pole. We're the elves in our podcast division of just completed work on this season's best gift for public radio lovers, NPR+. Give the gift of sponsored free listening and even bonus episodes from your favorite NPR podcasts, all while supporting public media. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Ha ha ho ho ho! Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwahleesha Kaotel.
Starting point is 00:00:31 The White House says federal agencies began notifying their employees of potential furloughs today in the event that the government shuts down. NPR's Deepa Shivaram reports Congress has until midnight to pass a funding deal. Congress had reached a bipartisan deal to fund the government earlier this week, but then president-elect Donald Trump and his advisors weighed in and said they didn't approve of it. Yesterday, another proposal was put forward, but House Republicans were not able to pass that. Now as some government employees are being informed that they would have to go
Starting point is 00:01:02 without pay in the case that the government does shut down, the White House is blaming Republicans. Here's press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre. Republicans blew up this deal. They did and they need to fix this period. Jean-Pierre said there's still time for Congress to prevent a partial shutdown of the government but the administration is trying to be prudent in their planning. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News, the White House. The government's consumer financial watchdog is suing the payment network Zelle and three of the country's largest banks. As NPR's Laura Wamsley reports, the lawsuit alleges they failed to protect consumers from widespread fraud.
Starting point is 00:01:38 In the payment app Zelle's seven years of existence, customers of Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo have lost more than $870 million due to a lack of fraud protections. That's according to the lawsuit from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau against those three banks, which are also among the co-owners of Zell's parent company. The bureau says the banks failed to implement effective safeguards, then failed to help customers who were defrauded. Here's CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.
Starting point is 00:02:06 These banks broke the law by running a payment system that made fraud easy and then refusing to help the victims. In a statement, Zell said the Bureau's lawsuit is legally and factually flawed and says its timing, quote, appears to be driven by political factors. Laurel Wamslee, NPR News. Congestion pricing in New York City is set to go into effect the first week of January, but a preliminary injunction hearing
Starting point is 00:02:31 is taking place at this hour, possibly putting a pause on the controversial tolling plan. Another holed up the failed bargaining between neighboring New York and New Jersey. Governor Kathy Hochul accuses New Jersey officials of failing to negotiate in good faith. You get stuck on New Jersey, Governor Kathy Hochul accuses New Jersey officials of failing to negotiate in good faith. You get stuck on New Jersey transit, or waiting an hour on a path train, or you want a nice new bus station, this is going to all be affected if congestion pricing doesn't go through.
Starting point is 00:03:01 The daytime peak toll from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday is $9 with an easy pass tag. A winter storm that dumped more than a half a foot of snow in parts of Minnesota caused more than 450 crashes there on Thursday, that's according to State Patrol. You're listening to NPR News from New York City. The union representing Starbucks employees says baristas are on strike today through Christmas Eve in three cities, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle. Starbucks Workers United, which represents more than 10,000 employees, said it expects more members at locations across the country to participate. They want a minimum
Starting point is 00:03:45 wage of $20, annual raises of 5 percent, and better leave protocols, among other requests. A Starbucks spokesperson told NPR that they want union delegates to return to the bargaining table to continue negotiations that they say ended prematurely. Seasons Greetings takes on a new meaning tomorrow as the winter solstice ushers in a new season. The shortest day of the year brings some long-held traditions, as In Piers Amy Held reports. The winter solstice occurs at 420 a.m. Eastern Saturday, the moment when Earth tilts as far as possible from the sun.
Starting point is 00:04:23 Heralding the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, ancient cultures also tracked the skies, building monuments perhaps to monitor astronomical patterns. People still gather at Stonehenge in England like they did in prehistoric times, sort of. The solstice sunrise there is live streamed so people worldwide can see it too. Rituals may have changed,
Starting point is 00:04:44 but this time of year is still seen as a time of renewal. Days will gradually get longer until June when the cycle reverses. Except below the equator, they're tilted toward the sun. At Machu Picchu in Peru, for example, they're celebrating the summer solstice. Amy Held, NPR News. And I'm Dwaihli Psychoutel, NPR News.

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