NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-24-2024 3AM EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

NPR News: 12-24-2024 3AM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from MPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Three years after imposing a moratorium on federal executions, President Biden has commuted the sentence of 37 federal inmates to life without parole. As NPR's Deepa Sivaram reports, the move cannot be reversed and comes amid ongoing debate over criminal justice reform. Shea Stevens, NPR News Anchor It is something that Americans are pretty divided on, which is different than, you know, say a couple decades ago.

In the 1990s, about 80 percent of Americans supported capital punishment. Today it's just about 53 percent. And that really even declines further into a different divide when you look at opinions based on age. Younger Americans feel a lot more negatively about capital punishment compared to older Americans. So there are a lot of mixed opinions on this issue. Three federal inmates convicted of terrorism or hate crimes still face execution in federal

prisons. President Biden has signed the annual defense authorization bill, which boosts military spending to $895 billion. The measure also authorizes a 14.5% pay increase for juniors enlisted service members and a 4.5% pay raise for others. Biden signed the measure despite objections to language that bans transgender health care for military children. The measure also seeks to counter China's growing power by banning the Pentagon's purchase of a range of goods from China. Americans visiting family this holiday may want to take extra health precautions. The Senate for Disease Control and Prevention says flu season has officially started after seeing a sharp rise in cases nationwide. Scott Masione from member station WYPR has 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. 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% 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 Massione. German President Frank-Walter Steinhammer says his nation's citizens must not let extremists divide them. As the BBC's James Reid reports, a deadly weekend attack on a Christmas market has led to an inflamed debate over migration. The president said the Magdeburg attack had cast a dark shadow over Christmas, leaving people uncertain and afraid.

But he said hatred and violence must not have the final word. The text of his speech was released hours after thousands of people joined rival demonstrations in Magdeburg. Leaders of the far-right AFD party called for border closures and deportations. Counterprotesters accused them of politicizing the tragedy. The BBC's James Reid. This is NPR News. U.S. forces launched a precision airstrike in the eastern Syria province of Deir ez-Dur, killing two ISIS operatives and wounding a third. U.S. Central Command says the attack occurred in an area that was formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and by Russians.

The airstrike is part of CENTCOM's ongoing commitment by the U.S. and its partners in the region to disrupt and degrade terrorist activities. There's a new English translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy. The epic poem is one of the most important texts in Western literature. NPR's Andrew Limbong has more on what keeps it relevant today. The new translation is by the poet Michael Palma, who keeps intact Dante's original Terzerima rhyme scheme, which interlocks the entire poem, which is why many translators opt for looser rhyme schemes.

And many of those translations are fine, says Palma, but… Without reproducing the rhymes, you're certainly losing a lot of the music of the poem. The three parts – Inferno, precatorio, and paradiso, tells a story about sin and redemption and human nature. Palmer says it still has something to say today. One of its principal themes is one that, unfortunately, is all too relevant now and is always relevant, and that is corruption on the parts of the powerful.

The new translation is out now. Andrew Limbong, NPR News. U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading on Wall Street following Monday's gains when Asia-Pacific market shares are mostly higher but down a fraction in Tokyo. This is NPR News.