NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-26-2024 6PM EST

Episode Date: December 26, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Hurst. In Kazakhstan, investigators are piecing together why an Azerbaijan Airlines jet crashed yesterday, killing 38 people. 29 survived. As NPR's Russell Lewis reports, video of the wreckage shows numerous punctures on the exterior of the fuselage. The Embraer 190 took off from the Azerbaijani capital Baku for a flight to Grozny in Russia. This area has seen numerous drone attacks fired from Ukraine and anti-aircraft artillery used by Russia. Yesterday, as the plane approached Grozny, the aviation tracking site Flightradar 24

said the jet encountered significant GPS interference. Survivors of the crash said they heard an explosion and then the plane began to buffet. For the next 75 minutes, the pilots wrestled the aircraft as it climbed and descended uncontrollably before crashing near an airport in Kazakhstan. Video of the debris showed numerous holes on the rear of the aircraft,

punctures that happened outside the jet. As the investigation continues, Azerbaijan Airlines have suspended all flights from Baku into Grozny. aircraft, punctures that happened outside the jet. As the investigation continues, Azerbaijan Airlines have suspended all flights from Baku into Grozny. Russell Lewis, NPR News. For a brief moment before Congress left Washington for the holidays, it looked like members were on the brink of getting their first pay raise in 15 years. But as NPR's Barbara's Front reports, that didn't happen. Misinformation quickly spread about the funding bill, with Elon Musk, an advisor to President-Elect Donald Trump, claiming members of Congress were trying to give themselves a 40 percent

pay bump. The bill would have actually made it possible for members to get a cost of living adjustment of 3.8 percent, a roughly $6600 increase. Congressional pay for rank-and-file members is $174,000. It hasn't been adjusted since 2009. Lawmakers have long blocked a statute that would give them a yearly cost of living pay increase over concerns of political blowback. But critics argue stagnant pay makes it harder to run for Congress unless you're already wealthy. Barbara Sprint and Peer News, The Capital. Two Japanese automakers are considering a merger to survive a quickly changing auto industry.

Nissan and Honda would be able to share costs and pull expertise and production. The well-known car makers hope that a merger would help them expand their brands. And Peer's Rafael Nam has more. The name of the game could be size. Get bigger or get left behind. It's why analysts believe we could see more deals happening over the next few years. It may be the best way to tackle these two

seismic changes taking place. The pivot to electrification and the emergence of China. And Piers Rafael-Nam reporting. Mortgage rates rose again this week for the second week in a row. Mortgage buyer Freddie Maxx says the average 30-year note rose to 6.8% this week. It's the highest level since mid-July. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Cases of wild polio have increased in Afghanistan. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show there were 23 reported polio virus cases in 2024.

As NPR's Gabriella Emanuel reports, that's the highest number in four years. Global health experts are trying to eradicate polio. And wild polio remains an issue only in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, the regime initially supported the polio vaccination campaign. But the Taliban abruptly reversed course in September of this year, imposing national restrictions. Polio eradication has also been hindered by the mandated repatriation of about one million Afghans who had been living in Pakistan. Many moved to the two provinces in Afghanistan where the majority of wild polio cases have

recently been detected. Gabriella Immanuel, NPR News. In New York, companies that are big fossil fuel polluters will now have to help pay to repair the damage caused by extreme weather, which is more common because of greenhouse gas emissions. The new law is meant to take the burden off taxpayers, who now finance much of the cleanup and mitigation efforts after weather disasters. The new law, signed by Governor Kathy Hochul today, is modeled after the EPA's 1980 Superfund law that requires

companies to pay for the cleanup of toxic waste that comes from oil and chemical spills. Wall Street in Mixed Territory by the Closing Bell. I'm Janene Herbst, NPR News in Washington.