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

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Ukraine is struggling to stop Russia's advance in the eastern part of the country. Facing a manpower shortage, the Ukrainian army is turning more and more to remote-controlled drones. NPR's Brian Mann visited a drone command post near the front lines. Russia has been grinding forward in the Pokrovsk region, fielding more troops and artillery. Ukraine's smaller force is using drone units to fight back.

NPR was able to watch live video feeds as attack drones bombed Russian units, led by a soldier who goes by the call sign PIP. We're doing this every day, nonstop, 24 hours. Drones haven't stopped Russia, but a military drone technician who gave his name as Yuri for security reasons said Ukraine is making Russia pay a huge price in soldiers killed and wounded. We try to take out as many as we can before they reach our positions.

If Pokrovsk falls, it will be Russia's largest victory in months. Brian Mann, NPR News, near Pokrovsk. The incoming Trump administration is expected to make big changes in how the U.S. tackles health concerns, especially when it comes to vaccines. Dr. Ashish Jha is the former White House COVID-19 response coordinator. He says public opinion regarding vaccines has shifted in recent years. When I was growing up and early in my training, we just all assumed that everybody knew that vaccines were safe and effective, that they made an enormous difference in people's

lives, probably more responsible for the gains in human life expectancy than anything else, maybe with the exception of sanitation. And that was a given. That no longer feels like a given. Now we have to go back and explain to Americans what the evidence is, why vaccines are as valuable as they are. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the nominee

to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. He's also made false claims about the safety of vaccines. NASA says its specially designed space probe made its closest approach to the sun this morning. NPR's Jeff Brumfield reports no other spacecraft has ever done this. It's called the Parker Solar Probe, and at its closest point it's just 3.8 million miles from the surface of the sun. That may sound far away, but even at those distances the probe experiences temperatures of more than a million degrees Fahrenheit.

It can do it thanks to a specially designed heat shield that keeps its scientific instruments cool. The Parker probe's mission is to understand how heat flows from the sun's surface to its atmosphere, known as the solar corona. Ultimately, researchers believe they could use that data to better forecast outbursts of particles from the sun, which can disrupt satellites closer to Earth. Geoff Brumfield, NPR News.

On Wall Street, the Dow was up 390 points. This is NPR. American Airlines has lifted a ground stop that led to flight delays at airports across the nation this morning. The Federal Aviation Administration says a technical issue forced planes back to their gates on one of the busiest travel days of the year. Flights were given the green light by federal regulators about an hour after the ground stop was issued. The National Weather Service says heavy rain, strong winds, and rough surf will continue today along the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. Stormy weather yesterday caused a large section of the Santa Cruz Wharf to collapse in central California. It sent three people into the water, resulting in rescues but no reported injuries.

Turkey's Minister of Internal Affairs says at least 12 people have been killed today in an explosion. NPR's Fatma Tanis reports five others were injured. The explosion happened at a munitions factory for small weapons in northwest Turkey. Witnesses told local media that the explosion caused tremors through the town near the factory. The building where the blast happened collapsed and other nearby buildings suffered some damages. Authorities said the cause of the explosion was not clear, but they said

that they had ruled out sabotage. The Justice Ministry said it has launched an investigation for what led to the explosion. Fatma Tanis and PR News is that they had ruled out sabotage. The Justice Ministry said it has launched an investigation for what led to the explosion. Fatma Tanis and PR News Istanbul. Stocks traded higher today on Wall Street at the close. The Dow was up 390 points, the Nasdaq up 266. This is NPR. Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.