NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-25-2024 5PM EST

Episode Date: December 25, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. Protests erupted in parts of Syria dominated by the Alawite religious minority after a video online apparently showed militants burning a shrine sacred to the group. And Piers Deahadid has more. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the video showed gunmen torching a shrine wholly to Alawites and killing five workers and mutilating their bodies. As the video spread, protests erupted across Syria in areas dominated by Alawites, posing

perhaps the most important security challenge yet for the country's new rulers. They assumed power after rebels overran Damascus in early December. The rebels were led by a Muslim group known as HTS, leading to fears among Syrian minorities that they'd be vulnerable to persecution. That fear is particularly strong among Alawites because many view the minority as having aided the former regime of Bashar al-Assad, who is also an Alawite. Syria's new information minister blamed, quote, hidden hands that sought to divide Syrians. De Harid, NPR News, Damascus.

More than two months after Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, the state is investing millions in mental health recovery efforts. And Piers Kadia Riddle has more. Some of the people most in need of mental health services here are children. Thousands of students are at a crucial point in their recovery and need help processing their traumatic experiences in order to avoid developing post-traumatic stress disorder. Pacovia Levitt works for the North Carolina schools. She says helping students in a situation like this, there's just not that much precedent.

I would love for there to be a nice blueprint and be able to really pull out the pieces that you need, but it's very hard to find. Love it says mountain communities are seeking help and advice from people in coastal North Carolina. That part of the state is more prepared for hurricanes. Katie Ariddle, NPR News, Asheville, North Carolina. A congressional watchdog found that many state election officials aren't aware of a federal law about what should happen when there are an extraordinary number of vacancies in Congress.

And here's Hansi LeWang has more. This federal law was passed in 2005 after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Some two decades later, the Governing Accountability Office finds more than half of the 33 state election officials who responded to a survey said they were not aware of the law. It generally requires states to hold special elections within 49 days of the House Speaker confirming more than 100 open House seats. The JEO says there's been growing interest in whether states are prepared for this scenario because of increased threats to members of Congress and the COVID-19 pandemic. If states have to hold special elections for more than 100 House vacancies, the J JO says there will likely be challenges with selecting candidates and preparing ballots

in time. For Senate vacancies, the Constitution allows states to decide whether a governor can appoint someone temporarily. Anzela Wong, NPR News. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Anyone cuddling their pup this holiday season knows that we humans have a close relationship with dogs. But how far back can we trace that bond? NPR's Emily Kwong reports on the latest finding from the world of archaeology.

The animals known as canids, that includes wolves and dogs, were likely domesticated in Eurasia. And people who crossed the Bering Strait thousands of years ago likely had canines by their side. New evidence from bones found in Alaska supports this theory, specifically, a 12,000-year-old leg bone excavated in Fairbanks that was filled with fossilized salmon protein. Salamons are not naturally available in big quantities in a place like Fairbanks.

Lead author Francois Lanois, based at the University of Arizona in Tucson, says it's more likely this wolf was fed salmon at the hands of its human companions. For I'm Pure News, I'm Emily Quang. In his annual Christmas message, Britain's King Charles wished all a joyful and peaceful holiday and acknowledged the Middle East, Ukraine, and other areas of the world wracked by war and violence. Charles also thanked his doctors and nurses during a year in which both he and daughter-in-law Princess Kate were treated for cancer.

Charles Charles I am deeply grateful, too, to all those who have offered us their own kind words of sympathy and encouragement. Monarchs usually make the speech from one of their castles, but King Charles spoke from the Middlesex Hospital in London. I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.