NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-23-2024 10AM EST

Episode Date: December 23, 2024

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Otograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has pleaded not guilty to New York State charges of murder. The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has pleaded not guilty to New York State charges of murder. Luigi Mangione appeared in a Manhattan courtroom last hour. These state counts include alleged

terrorism. Mangione is already facing federal charges in connection with the same killing. The White House says President Biden has given clemency to nearly every federal prisoner on death row. 37 men will have their sentences changed to life in prison without parole. NPR's Deepa Sivaram reports Biden did not grant clemency to three prisoners on death row. These are very specific, pretty high profile cases that involved terrorism or hate-fueled mass murder. So that includes Robert Bowers, who was convicted for the 2018 mass shooting at a Pittsburgh

synagogue, Dylann Roof, convicted for the 2015 mass shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina, and Zokar Sarnov, who was convicted of the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon. Those three men will remain on federal death row. NPR's Deepa Sivaram reporting. Congress passed a short-term spending bill over the weekend to fund the federal government through mid-March. That was after other spending plans collapsed last week under pressure from President-elect Trump.

That included a demand to raise the debt ceiling. House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to wedge it in, but MPR's Barbara Sprint says that effort failed. Not for lack of trying on House Speaker Mike Johnson's part. He did try to pass a version that included that, but 38 House Republicans rejected it over concerns of government spending. And that's a significant number to openly defy

the leader of their party, and they did it after Trump threatened to primary anyone who didn't go along with what he wants. NPR's Barbara Sprunt reporting. New leaders in Syria have made several high-level appointments to the interim government. They're seeking to rebuild the country and its relations with the world. Some of the appointees have ties to neighboring Turkey. NPR's Fatma Tanis reports from Istanbul. Turkey has long backed the opposition to Bashar al-Assad's regime and is hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world.

Now the country is set to play an influential role in the new Syria. Syria's new foreign minister, Assad al-Shebani, lived in Turkey and was pursuing graduate studies in international relations at a university in Istanbul. The new governor of Aleppo, Azam el-Gharib, was part of a Turkish proxy rebel group and completed his masters at a university in Turkey. And the first woman to have a role in the new administration, Ayesha el-Dibz, will head the Women's Affairs Office.

She led an NGO in Turkey and worked with Syrian refugees. She's a dual citizen of Turkey and Syria. Fatma Tanis, NPR News, Istanbul. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Averages are down about 250 points. It's NPR. Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the House Ethics Committee. He's demanding that the federal court temporarily block the committee from releasing its report

into its investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Gaetz has consistently denied the allegations. He says the committee cannot now release the report because he is no longer a member of Congress and the Ethics Committee has no jurisdiction over a private citizen. The holidays may be a time when you start noticing memory loss and family members you don't see every day. For Member Station WUSF, Stephanie Columbini reports on some warning signs families can watch for. Tampa resident Melissa Malone says she was worried when her mom, who loved Christmas,

hadn't decorated one year. She didn't seem to realize the holiday was approaching. When Malone helped her put up her tree, memories about ornaments they cherished weren't clicking. Months later, her mom was diagnosed with dementia. The signs can be so minute and so spaced out and as a family member you're so close to them you're almost in denial. The Alzheimer's Association says if your loved one seems withdrawn or has trouble completing familiar tasks, those are some signs they should see a doctor. For NPR News, I'm Stephanie Columbini in Tampa. The motoring club AAA says more than 119 million people will travel for the holidays and most

will be driving. There are some spots of weather motorists will need to watch out for, including around the Great Lakes. This is NPR. Hi, I'm Ramtin Adab-Louie from ThruLine. Electricity, internet, cell service, all the things we rely on every day can be unreliable or inaccessible in an emergency. But through any storm or crisis, radio is a lifeline. Support the resource that's here for you no matter what. Give today at donate.npr.org.