NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-22-2024 3PM EST

Episode Date: December 22, 2024

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Since the beginning of women's sports, there's been a struggle to define who qualifies for the women's category. Tested from NPR's Embedded podcast and CBC takes you inside that struggle. Listen to Tested, the series that was named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by Apple, Vulture, and the New York Times. It's season 20 of NPR's Embedded podcast. Live from NPR News in New York Times. It's season 20 of NPR's embedded podcast. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Duah Lisi Kautel. Russian President Putin has threatened to bring more destruction to Ukraine in retaliation for a drone attack on the Russian

city of Kazan. The attacks on Saturday damaged high-rise apartment blocks there. The BBC's Danny Eberhardt has more. Kazan is a long way from the front lines, more than 900 kilometres from the border with Ukraine. But video of drones smashing into luxury apartment blocks were a reminder to many Russians that the war could come to them. Hence Vladimir Putin's uncompromising warning. Ukraine, he said, would regret such strikes and would face many times more destruction than it managed to inflict on Russia. Ominous words, but they're unlikely to deter Ukraine. It has already faced nearly three years of destruction at

Russian hands since the full-scale invasion. The BBC's Dani Abrahart reporting. The short video TikTok app is used by a majority of teenagers in the U.S. among millions of others. A new U.S. law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, approved with bipartisan support is set to ban the popular app in January. But here's what President-elect Donald Trump had to say on the matter today. Donald Trump, President-elect of the United States of America We did go on TikTok and we had a great response with billions of views, billions and billions of views. They brought me a chart and it was a record and it was so beautiful to see. And as I looked at it, I said, maybe we got to keep this sucker around a little while.

Trump was speaking at AmericaFest in Arizona, a conference put on by Turning Point USA. At the event, he also reaffirmed his support for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his Pickford Defense Secretary. But Hegseth is plagued by reports of drunken behavior, allegations of sexual impropriety, and financial misconduct. Hegseth has said these allegations quote, are all meant to smear me and tear me down. After a volatile week in stocks, investors on Wall Street are facing a quieter week due to the holidays.

As NPR's Rafael Nam reports, markets have lost a bit of momentum heading to the end of the year. Trading is likely to slow down, especially after Congress avoided a shutdown this weekend. A slower week will likely be a welcome development after a rough week. All three major indexes tumbled last week, with the Dow Jones declining for a third consecutive week, as stocks continue to pair some of the strong gains seen after the election of Donald Trump in November. The path forward will ultimately depend on how inflation and other economic data shape up.

But there won't be many new reports coming this week. We'll get new home sales and consumer confidence, but not much else, Rafalna. Two American pilots ejected safely from their fighter jet over the Red Sea. The U.S. military said one pilot suffered minor injuries. The aircraft was shot down in what Central Command is describing as a friendly fire incident involving the USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. This comes as the Pentagon had announced that U.S. forces are targeting weapon storage locations in Yemen controlled by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. For months,

Houthis have attacked military and commercial vehicles in critical shipping lanes of the Red Sea. The NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship will take place this afternoon in Louisville, Kentucky between the University of Louisville and Penn State. Greg Eklund reports. Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Colley was diagnosed early in the season with stage 2 breast cancer but chose to continue coaching while undergoing treatments. Penn State has won seven national championships, the second most all time in Division I volleyball. As a student player, Schumacher-Cauley helped Penn State win its first in 1999.

As the head coach seeks the school's eighth, she reflected on what she'd tell her younger self. I think just put yourself out there and continue to meet people and be the best person you can be. The Louisville Cardinals, who have never won a volleyball title, will have plenty of partisan support in the host city. For NPR News, I'm Greg Eklund in Louisville. And I'm Dwahili Saikow-Tau, NPR News.