NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-24-2024 5AM EST

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. The Israeli military says its forces intercepted a missile fired from Yemen at central Israel. It was the third such missile launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen in nearly a week, according to the Israeli military. One of them landed in Tel Aviv over the weekend, resulting in damage and injuries. Israel and the U.S. have attacked Houthi targets in Yemen in recent days. Israel's defense minister is vowing to kill Houthi militia leaders in that country. President Biden has followed through on his threat to veto an effort in Congress

to add 66 federal district judgeships over more than 10 years. The measure unanimously cleared the Senate in August and was approved by the House after Donald Trump was elected to a second term in the White House. Presidents nominate federal judges and the Senate confirms them. Trial court judges would have been added in federal district courts in 13 states including California, Florida and Texas. The National Weather Service says the Pacific Northwest can expect a series of storms this week. They're expected to bring heavy rains, gusty winds and high surf to Washington, Oregon and Northern California. Stormy

weather collapsed a large section of the Santa Cruz Wharf in California yesterday. Sydney Johnson with member station KQED reports. Three people fell into the water when the wharf broke off. Two of them had to be rescued, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department. The portion of the wharf that broke off was undergoing repairs from previous storm damage. The people who fell in included a Parks and Rec project manager and two contractors

working on the wharf recovery project, according to authorities. A restroom and construction equipment also toppled into the water during the collapse. Here's Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley warning residents to stay out of the water. I'm very concerned that we will lose additional portions of our municipal wharf. For NPR News, I'm Sydney Johnson in San Francisco. Later this morning, NASA says the Parker Solar Probe will fly closer to the Sun than any spacecraft in history. As Joe Palka reports, it will come within 4 million miles.

The Parker Solar Probe's mission is to study the conditions on the Sun that influence the solar wind. The solar wind is a collection of charged particles spewing out from the Sun's atmosphere. The Earth's magnetic field protects us from most of those particles, although some do get through and cause the auroras known as the Northern Lights. The solar wind can also interfere with satellite communications and in some instances disrupt the electrical grid on Earth. To get the most accurate measurements, the probe has to get very close to the Sun, and that's hard. The spacecraft must be able to withstand temperatures of around 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. For NPR News, I'm Joe Palca.

Wall Street futures are higher this morning. This is NPR News from Washington. New York is banning a new type of fracking that uses carbon dioxide to extract oil and gas from underground rock. As Rebecca Redelmeyer with member station WSKG reports, the change expands the state's long-standing ban on hydraulic fracking. More than a decade ago, officials in New York banned hydraulic fracking, which uses water to extract oil and gas from rock. Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to expand that ban, to prohibit fracking with carbon dioxide as well. State Assemblymember Anna Kellis introduced the legislation. It closes an important loophole and continues to protect the state against very intense

polluting. Researchers have found that fracking is associated with numerous health and environmental risks. The practice remains widespread in several states, like Pennsylvania and Texas. For NPR News, I'm Rebecca Rottelmeier in Ithaca, New York. Retailer Nordstrom is being sold in a deal valued at more than $6 billion. The company is being taken private by members of the Nordstrom family and a retail group out of Mexico, which will assume the retailer's debt of more than $2 billion. Analysts say Nordstrom has struggled to compete with the likes of Walmart, Target and Amazon.com.

Gasoline prices in the U.S. continue to hover above the $3 mark. AAA says Regular is averaging $3.04 a gallon, slightly less than what it was a month ago. It's cheapest in Oklahoma. AAA says regular there averages just under $2.56. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News, in Washington.