NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-24-2024 2AM EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

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Announcer Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Shea Stevens Live from MPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The House Ethics Committee has released a long-awaited report on former Congressman Matt Gaetz.

The Florida Republican was the subject of a 2021 investigation into alleged illicit drug use and sexual misconduct. As NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports, the ethics panel found that Gaetz had violated several laws. The report alleges that Gaetz accepted bribes connected to a trip to the Bahamas. And the committee found that Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs on various occasions from 2017 to 2019 and engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old in 2017. Now in 2021, the FBI did investigate Gates over possible sex trafficking violations,

but the Justice Department did not bring charges. And this ethics report similarly does not find that Gates violated the federal sex trafficking statute. NPR's Barbara Sprunk reporting. A federal lawsuit alleges Walmart illegally created deposit accounts for over one million delivery drivers without their knowledge or consent. As NPR's Elena Seljuk reports, the drivers were allegedly forced to receive their pay through those accounts. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is suing Walmart and a payments platform called Branch Messenger. The lawsuit says Walmart told its delivery drivers they could not work without using branch accounts

and in fact created branch accounts using drivers' personal information and even deposited drivers' wages before they ever agreed to terms and conditions. The lawsuit also says Walmart suggested drivers could instantly access their earnings but the accounts had fees for instant transfers that overall cost drivers more than $10 million. Walmart in turn accuses the Bureau of rushing its investigation and lawsuit, saying it's quote riddled with factual errors and contains exaggerations and blatant misstatements. Alina Seluk, NPR News. Federal regulators are taking aim at a popular category of edibles that contain a psychoactive

mushroom. That comes after some of these products were linked to more than 100 illnesses and even a few suspected deaths. That story from NPR's Will Stone. This is the quintessential red-capped and white-spotted mushroom. It's called Amanita muscaria. While it is hallucinogenic, it's very different than magic mushrooms with psilocybin and is not a controlled substance.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning letter to food manufacturers saying they cannot use Amanita muscaria or its compounds in food products because they do not meet safety standards. Mushroom edibles are sold in smoke shops and convenience stores. Some do contain Amanita muscaria, which can be toxic in high doses, but testing reveals they also have a range of other undisclosed substances and drugs. Legal experts say it's hard to predict how the FDA will enforce this latest decision. Will Stone, NPR News. You're listening to NPR.

A retired police officer in the nation's capital faces sentencing in April for lying to authorities. Shane Lamond was convicted in a non-jury trial of leaking confidential information to then-proud boys leader Enrique Tario and then lying about it. Tario testified that he did not receive confidential information from Lamond while under investigation for burning a Black Lives Matter banner. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman-Jackson says she didn't believe the witness or the defendant. France's new prime minister, the fourth in a year, has named his government. NPR's Eleanor Beersley reports that the veteran politician hopes to stay in power longer than his predecessor, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote after just three months in office.

Francois Bayrou has picked leading political figures, including two former prime ministers, as part of his new government. He says he wants to govern from the center and represent the vast majority of the French people. In a combative hour-and-a-half interview on French television, Bayrou said France is in trouble. Our country is in the most difficult situation since World War II, he said. We have no budget, no majority in Congress, and a large majority of the people think they've

been forgotten. The French parliament is deadlocked with three distinct blocs unwilling to work together. A key challenge for Bayroux's cabinet will be pushing through a 2025 budget. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. U.S. futures are flat and after hours trading on Wall Street. On Asia Pacific, markets share some mostly higher, down a fraction in Tokyo. This is NPR.