NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-23-2024 8PM EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

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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 Plus. 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. Ho ho ho! Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. The man accused in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare's CEO Brian Thompson has pleaded not guilty to state murder charges. Samantha Max from member station WNYC reports that includes first degree murder and furtherance of terrorism.

Prosecutors say Luigi Mangione targeted the health insurance executive while he was in New York City for an investor conference. They say he waited for about an hour outside Thompson's hotel and then shot him from behind with an untraceable ghost gun. Mangione has become an antihero for people who are frustrated with the health insurance industry. But police, prosecutors, and the New York City mayor have criticized Mangione. Mangione's defense attorney said in court that he's innocent until proven guilty. She also said official statements about the case could hurt his chance of getting a fair trial. For NPR News, I'm Samantha Maxx in New York.

President Joe Biden now says he is commuting the sentences of nearly every federal inmate still on death row. Biden just weeks before Donald Trump is slated to take the oath of office, now saying he's commuting the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates. President says the commutations are consistent with a pause put in place on executions by his administration in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. Biden said he could not allow a new administration to resume executions.

Republican voters say they feel confident about the integrity of the 2024 election. That's according to a post-election survey from the Public Religion Research Institute, and pure Sarah McCammon has the story. President-elect Donald Trump has never accepted his loss in the 2020 election, and many of his supporters have also expressed skepticism about the security of the nation's election system.

But after Trump's victory last month, two-thirds of Republicans expressed confidence in the 2024 election results, according to a recent survey from PRRI. The poll also found that a majority of Republicans still believe the 2020 election was stolen. That's despite the fact that multiple inquiries, many led by Republican officials, have found no evidence of significant election fraud in 2020. This holiday season, 23 percent of Democrats told PRRI that they will be spending less time with certain family members because of their political views. That's compared to five percent of Republicans who said so. Sarah McCammon, NPR News. Companies, automakers, Nissan and Honda initially were talking about a partnership,

but now say instead they plan to merge in 2026. A move the company say was necessitated by the need to develop new technologies. Companies announced today they've signed an agreement integrating their businesses. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi has also agreed to join the talks, combining to create the world's third largest car company after Toyota and Volkswagen. On Wall Street, stocks gained ground. The Dow is up 66 points today. The Nasdaq rose 192 points. You're listening to NPR News. While China has become a major player in the drone market, the tech rivalry between the US may put the brakes on that to some extent.

US lawmakers are now saying they are seeking to ban new sales of Chinese-made drones, citing potential security risks, including the fact that devices could be used to spy on Americans and that low-cost models are hurting U.S. drone makers. That would cause problems for many who have come to rely on drones for their businesses, everyone from police officers to farmers to mappers to filmmakers. Floaters banning Chinese drones in state-funded programs, while also appropriating $25 million to help offset replacement costs. Americans visiting family this holiday may want to take extra health precautions.

The CDC says flu season has officially started After seeing a sharp rise in cases across the nation Scott Macchione from member station WYPR is more. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's seen a surge in flu cases Recent clinical lab tests show a 9% spike in the disease over the last week 13 states are reporting high or very high levels of influenza disease over the last week. Thirteen states are reporting high or very high levels of influenza. Medical officials say there's still no dominant strain of the flu, but say getting vaccinated is the best way to prevent serious complications.

The CDC says about 41 percent of Americans have received their flu shots. Health officials say in addition to getting vaccinated, people should wash their hands frequently, cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough, and avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth. For NPR News, I'm Scott Mozzioni. The first Christmas in Hong Kong came a bit early today for a pair of five-year-old pandas, the pandas named An-An and KK, munching on special treats and mugging for the cameras. China sent the panda pair to Hong Kong in late September in a bid to boost

tourism in the city. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.