NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-21-2024 2PM EST

Episode Date: December 21, 2024

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Donald Trump promised to change Washington, D.C., a place where there's an old saying that personnel is policy. That's why we have created a new podcast called Trump's Terms, where you can follow NPR's coverage of the incoming Trump administration, from his cabinet secretaries to political advisors and top military leaders, to understand who they are, what they believe, and how they'll govern. Listen to Trump's Terms from NPR. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwahle Saikow-Tow. The federal government is staying open, at least until mid-March.

Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown late last night, wrapping up a chaotic week on Capitol Hill by approving a budget deal. President Biden signed it into law today, and Piers-Sara McCammon has more. In addition to funding the federal government for a few more months, the deal includes money for farmers and $100 billion in aid for victims of natural disasters, including wildfires in Hawaii last year and hurricanes and flooding in the Carolinas this year. The agreement approved by the House and Senate

was the third iteration of the bill introduced in recent days. The first deal fell apart after President-elect Donald Trump and his close adviser billionaire Elon Musk expressed opposition. The final deal ultimately passed with bipartisan support and without an increase to the nation's debt ceiling that Trump had requested.

Sarah McCammon, NPR News. It is day three for Amazon warehouse workers and drivers who are striking in a handful of states, including workers from New York City. Critics say the company ignored a deadline that the Teamsters union had set for their contract negotiations. Lamont Hopewell is a union member who drives an Amazon truck. We're hardworking individuals. We work hard every day. And I think a billion dollar company could afford to give us the benefits that we're looking for.

In Germany, authorities now say at least five people were killed and some 200 injured after a car sped into a crowd at a Christmas market. Police believe the attack was deliberate and have arrested a suspect. He is said to be a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who lived in Germany for almost 20 years. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the scene of the attack in the city of Magdeburg today. He is heard here through a BBC interpreter. It's important to me that we stand united, that we talk to each other, we enter into dialogue, that we should not disseminate hatred.

We remain a community that has a shared future. We should not allow those who wish to sow hate to do so. We should not allow those who wish to sow hate to do so. In Brazil, a bus that left Sao Paulo with 45 passengers earlier today has crashed into a truck in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, killing at least 30 people. First responders from a local fire department said more than a dozen others were taken to a nearby hospital. Some were in critical condition. A separate vehicle with three passengers also hit the truck, but reports indicate they survived. A state governor on his official social media said his forces have been on site all morning.

This is NPR. have been on site all morning. This is NPR. Today is the winter solstice, marking the official start of winter and the shortest day of the year. In Britain, people are celebrating at the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge. Vicki Barker reports from London. Barka reports from London. There was applause from the waiting crowd at 8.09 local time when a bleary sun rose behind Stonehenge on this winter solstice. Little dots of light marked those holding up their phones to capture the moment. Jennifer Wexler is a historian for English Heritage which administers the site.

She told the BBC. It's the shortest day of the year, but it's also when we start to get the light returning. And Stonehenge is such a special place because it's a place people have been coming to gather and celebrate that moment for really thousands of years. Many of these people will be back in six months to celebrate the longest day of the year, the summer solstice. For NPR News, I'm Vicki Barker in London. In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin held his annual much-choreographed news conference

that lasted more than four and a half hours. Putin said sending troops into Ukraine has strengthened his country's military and economic power, adding that Russia could have prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly. In central Kiev, cleanup does continue. After Russia launched ballistic missile strikes there yesterday, missile debris damaged a number of embassies, including a church.