NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-25-2024 8AM EST

Episode Date: December 25, 2024

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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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. Russia launched a massive missile strike against Ukraine early this morning, sending more than 70 missiles and 100 remote-controlled drones. This was the latest attack by Moscow that appeared to target Ukraine's power infrastructure.

NPR's Brian Mann reports from Kyiv. The strikes began early in the morning local time, with Ukraine's air defense system knocking down most of the missiles and drones. But in a statement, Ukraine's air force said some missiles got through. In the city of Dnipro, a worker at a thermal power plant was killed. There are also power and heating outages in some regions of the country. In a statement, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said it was clear that Russia, quote, deliberately chose Christmas Day for an attack.

He added that Russian violence will not break Ukraine and will not spoil Christmas. Officials say engineers are working to restore power as rapidly as possible. This was Moscow's 13th large-scale attack on Ukraine's energy and power grid this year. Brian Mann, NPR News, Kyiv. The national menorah lighting takes place this afternoon in front of the White House. NPR's Jason DeRose reports Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will be among those at the ceremony, marking the first night of Hanukkah. Prior to the menorah lighting on the ellipse, there's a short concert featuring, among others,

the musical group The Three Cantors and the Jewish pop rock group The Eighth Day. This is the 46th annual National Menorah Lighting. It's sponsored privately by Habad. The celebration also includes dancing dreidels and readings by winners of the What Hanukkah Means to Me Essay Contest. For those who can't make it to the event in person, the National Menorah Lighting is also being livestreamed. Jason DeRose, NPR News. It's been an interesting year in space, starting with two astronauts who are living the Gilligan's Island version of space travel, leaving Earth in June for a journey of less than two weeks and now facing the likelihood they won't return until this coming spring.

So Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, along with three others on the International Space Station today, are celebrating Christmas in space. NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boyce reports the new year is expected to potentially see some new endeavors, under a new president, along with a new president, along with a new NASA chief. Jared Isaacman, he's this wealthy entrepreneur, he's a private astronaut, and he's Donald Trump's pick to lead the space agency. And you know, Donald Trump has this alliance with Elon Musk.

Musk and Isaacman have this financial connection through SpaceX. And so it'll probably be an interesting confirmation process in the Senate. No one knows what all of this might mean for NASA and this expensive rocket that NASA has got to try to get people back to the moon. That's NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boys reporting. This is NPR News in Washington. The Biden administration's landmark climate legislation included federal tax credits for electric heat pumps. NPR's Julia Simon says time may be running out for that money. The Biden administration's climate legislation introduced $2,000 federal tax credits for heat pumps. Shooting Palmerloh at the right-of-center American Action Forum says the incoming Republican-led Congress will be looking for revenue to pay for planned tax cuts.

She says if a homeowner wants to buy a heat pump and wants that $2,000 federal tax credit, they should buy the heat pump sooner rather than later. By the end of the 2025 calendar year to be safe, she says. Yeah, I definitely think so. Some states, cities, and local utilities may choose to continue heat pump incentive programs. Julia Simon, NPR News. Count the gifts under your tree this holiday and tally how many arrived via Amazon. It's a lot of responsibility for those drivers, and this week some Lakeville, Massachusetts,

Amazon customers waiting for their packages can thank the Lakeville police for finding their parcels. According to the police there, an officer driving by a wooded area around 2 a.m. Sunday saw something in the woods. And when he went to investigate, he found around 80 undelivered Amazon packages. As the packages were being returned to the local Amazon Center to be redistributed, an Amazon driver showed up at the police station to take responsibility for ditching the packages in the woods. The driver said he was just stressed out and reporting to bosses at Amazon.

Police said there'd be no charges. I'm Louise Chiavone, NPR News, Washington.