NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-26-2024 12PM EST

Episode Date: December 26, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. An investigation is underway into the crash of an Azerbaijan airliner that left 38 people dead. NPR's Brian Mann reports the plane went down on Wednesday in Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board when the plane went down while en route from Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, to the Russian city of Grozny. There were 29 survivors. Video shows the plane flying erratically before the fiery crash.

There is widespread speculation in Ukraine the airliner may have been hit mistakenly by Russian anti-aircraft weapons. In a statement on social media, Andriy Kovalenko, head of a think tank linked to Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said a Russian anti-aircraft system, quote, damaged the plane and disabled its systems. His analysis is based on photographs and video of the crash and couldn't be independently confirmed by NPR. Brian Mann, NPR News, Kyiv.

Israel and Hamas are working toward the terms of a ceasefire agreement that would end the war in Gaza and release surviving hostages. NPR's Emily Fang reports the two sides have signaled that they're close, but no breakthroughs yet. The main disagreements have been about how Hamas would release hostages still alive, in stages or all at once. Also an issue is which Palestinian detainees Israel would release from its prisons, and when and for how long Israel's military would withdraw

from Gaza. It's also not clear yet who would govern Gaza after a ceasefire. A Hamas official familiar with the negotiations told NPR there was flexibility on the militant group's part regarding detainee releases. But the official says Israel is now insisting the ceasefire be temporary. So he says it could one day resume its war in Gaza. Asked about last-minute changes by Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas was, quote, lying. Emily Fang and Peer News, Tel Aviv, Israel. Today marks 20 years since a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia.

The quake triggered a tsunami that washed across the Indian Ocean, devastating parts of Southeast Asia and East Africa. Margareta Siragar is an international aid worker. She describes the stories she heard from children shortly after the tsunami hit. Some of the children told me that they saw the waves such as giant cobra. The current was just flowing across the coconut trees. It was even higher than the coconut trees. And it was kind of like chasing them and some even said that the clothes that they wore was torn apart by the waves because it was so strong.

The tsunami killed more than 230,000 people. This is NPR News from Washington. Winter storm warnings and advisories have been posted from Washington State to Utah. The National Weather Service says a series of atmospheric river events are hitting parts of the Pacific Northwest. The tracking site PowerOutage.com says tens of thousands of customers in Washington and Oregon are without power. Nearly half of teens in the United States say they're online almost

constantly. NPR's Corey Turner reports that's according to a recent survey of 13 to 17 year olds. The survey from Pew Research Center found that nearly all teens, 95 percent, have access to a smartphone and use the internet daily. That half of teens who say they're online almost constantly, that compares to just 24% who said the same a decade ago. Where are they going online? YouTube was the most popular site by far, followed by TikTok and Instagram.

Teen use of Facebook and X, formerly Twitter, has fallen dramatically. Last year, the US Surgeon General issued an advisory saying while social media can have benefits for teens, there is real concern that overuse may also be driving a national youth mental health crisis. Corey Turner, NPR News. Officials with the Mega Millions lotto say the jackpot has soared well past one billion billion. Nobody matched all six winning numbers on Tuesday. The next drawing will be held Friday night. It could be the largest prize ever offered in the month of December.

I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.