NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-26-2024 7PM EST

Episode Date: December 27, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. NATO is calling for a full investigation into the cause of the crash yesterday of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan. Terry Schultz reports at least 38 of the 67 people on board died. As Azerbaijan observed a day of mourning for the dozens of dead and injured, speculation is mounting as to what brought down the plane on its way from the Azerbaijani capital Baku to Grozny, the capital of the Russian Republic of Chechnya. NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlala posted on social media offering condolences for the victims, saying the alliance calls for a full investigation. Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan have all launched criminal probes

into why the flight was diverted from its path and was reportedly not allowed to land on Russian territory. Images of the crash appear to show damage to the aircraft's tail, consistent with explosives. For NPR News, I'm Terri Schulz. New federal disclosures show that tech giant Metta, parent company of Facebook and Instagram, employed 14 lobbyists to kill a kids online safety bill in Congress. As MPR's Bobby Allen reports, the legislation passed the Senate but stalled in the House. Child safety advocates had hoped Congress would pass the Kids Online Safety Act before

Congress adjourned this year, but it faltered. New lobbying disclosures show Metta had a team of 14 full-time lobbyists fighting the bill, in addition to numerous outside firms. The legislation imposed a so-called duty of care on social media companies, essentially putting the legal onus on tech firms to better police bullying, harassment, sexual exploitation and other harms. The bill was shelved after a remarkable moment earlier this year, when Metta CEO Mark Zuckerberg turned to parents in the audience of a Senate hearing and apologized for the pain they experienced after they say social media fueled self-harm and physical altercations. Safety advocates hope the bill will be reintroduced next year.

Bobbi Allen, NPR News. Holiday spending surged this year, exceeding expectations and outpacing numbers from last year's gift buying season. That's according to numbers released today by MasterCard Spending Pulse, which tracks in-store and online retail sales. MasterCard senior advisor and former SACS CEO Steve Sadov says this year's data is a good sign for the economy. Steve Sadov, Senior Advisor, MasterCard Spending Pulse This is a healthy number. It was a little bit higher growth rate than the forecast of 3.2 percent.

And it indicates that the consumers were shopping and they were out there in the stores. Danielle Pletka Speaking there at ABC News, he says shoppers focused on value as they shop for both goods and experiences. Initial claims for unemployment benefits were down slightly this week. The Labor Department says jobless claims were down 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 219,000, but continuing claims rose 46,000 to 1.9 million. Wall Street ended the day in mixed territory, the Dow up 28, the Nasdaq down 10. This is NPR News. In Syria, there's an uneasy calm today after the country's new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs.

This a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and raised fears that the country's fragile peace could break down. Checkpoints were set up throughout the country's third biggest city, which has Sunni and Shia Muslims, Alawites, and Christians. The security forces are controlled by the former insurgent group HTS, which led the charge that unseated former president Bashar al-Assad. Health officials are warning that pets could be at risk of contracting bird flu if they consume raw milk or raw pet food. That's after reports that some cats falling ill and dying

after eating it. And Piers Willstone has more. Raw pet food made with turkey or poultry can harbor the virus. A brand based in Portland, Oregon called Northwest Naturals recently issued a recall after a house cat died from bird flu. Health officials confirmed the cat had contracted the virus from the brand's frozen turkey offering. In Los Angeles, several cats have also caught bird flu and died after consuming raw milk. Kristin Coleman at the University of Maryland has reviewed the evidence on bird flu in felines. She says sometimes cats will have respiratory symptoms, but recently it's presented differently. It seems more neurological.

It often mimics rabies. She advises keeping your cat or pets away from wild birds to minimize the risk. Will Stone, NPR News. You as futures contracts are trading flat at this hour, I'm Janine Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington. This message comes from Wondery Kids and the number one kids science podcast, Wow in the World. Be wowed by fascinating companion audio stories that come exclusively with each Wow in the World STEM toy.

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