NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-23-2024 5AM EST

Episode Date: December 23, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Kristen Wright. President Biden is commuting the sentences of 37 men on Federal death row to life without parole. In a statement, the president says he condemns the murderers and grieves for the victims and families, adding he's, quote, more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level. Biden says the commutations are in line with his administration's moratorium on federal executions imposed in 2021. President-elect Trump is suggesting that his administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal. He says Panama charges excessive fees for passage through the vital shipping route Trump made the remarks at a conservative conference in Arizona yesterday

Panama's president Jose Raul Molina responded that the status of the canal is not up for discussion He's heard here through a BBC interpreter As president I want to say this clearly each square meter of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belong to Panama, and it always will. The sovereignty and independence of our country are non-negotiable. The U.S. gave Panama full control of the canal in 1999, under a treaty signed by both countries during the Carter administration. Australia says it will extradite a former US Marine pilot to face charges of money laundering and violating arms control laws in the US. As Kristina Kukula reports, the charges relate to his work training Chinese pilots in South Africa over a decade ago.

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus confirmed that Australia would send Daniel Duggan to face trial in the United States. The announcement ends a nearly two-year-long legal battle against extradition by the 55-year-old former marine pilot, accused by the US government of involvement in training Chinese military pilots without obtaining the required permissions. Duggan, who renounced his US citizenship, denies the charges and says they're politically motivated. The father of six was arrested in 2022 and has been held in a maximum security prison,

awaiting extradition. In a statement, his wife Safreen said the family feels abandoned by the Australian government and is considering its options. For NPR News, I'm Christina Kukalia in Melbourne, Australia. Thousands of Amazon workers remain on strike the same week as the holiday shopping rush. considering its options. For NPI News, I'm Christina Kukalha in Melbourne, Australia. Thousands of Amazon workers remain on strike the same week as the holiday shopping rush. They walk the picket lines at Atlanta over the weekend. Amazon delivery drivers and other employees there are off the job in a handful of cities

across four states. Georgia, New York, Illinois, and California, they want the company to recognize them as unionized employees represented by the Teamsters. You are listening to NPR News from Washington. Party City is going out of business. The party supply retailer filed for bankruptcy protection almost two years ago, but says its plans to restructure weren't enough to overcome inflationary pressures on costs and consumer spending. Party City has been in business for almost 40 years.

Penn State captured its eighth women's volleyball championship after a three sets to one victory over the University of Louisville. Greg Eklund has more from Louisville. Penn State entered the match with an edge when the Louisville Cardinals kills leader, senior Anna DeBeer, didn't play because of an ankle injury in Thursday night's semifinal. Penn State's Jess Merzik voted the most outstanding player

in the tournament, says she sympathizes with DeBeer as a friend. To see her go down in the semi-final, I was sick to my stomach because I know that if she could play, she definitely would. Penn State's Katie Schumacher-Cauley, who was part of the Nittany Lions first national championship as a student athlete in 1999, made history.

She became the first woman in Division I history to lead her team to a women's volleyball title as a head coach. For NPR News, I'm Greg Eklund in Louisville. Tiger Woods' son Charlie shot a hole-in-one at the PNC Championship in Orlando Sunday, his first in his professional career. Charlie Woods is 15 years old. He played with his dad, Tiger's first competition, since his latest back surgery in September. Professional golfers and their families compete in this championship. I'm Kristin Wright and this is NPR News. All this year, NPR traveled the country, hearing from voters not just about the issues, but

about their hopes for the country's future. We should be able to disagree with each other without bullying each other into submission. And what it means to be a part of a democracy. Invest in coverage that moves us forward together by giving today at donate.npr.org.