NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-27-2024 2AM EST

Episode Date: December 27, 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, I'm Dale Willman. Humanitarian organizations are warning of a growing crisis this winter. Sudan's civil war has left more than 10 million people homeless. Gaza is cut off from outside aid and Syria has been decimated by years of fighting.

Kiran Donnelly of the International Rescue Committee says he hopes the incoming Trump administration shows leadership in addressing all those issues. Historically, a commitment to U.S. foreign assistance and engagement in humanitarian efforts has been the subject of a bipartisan consensus, and we hope to see that continue. The U.S. meanwhile demanded a retraction this week of an independent monitor's dire warning that North Gaza is facing an imminent famine, saying there were discrepancies in the data. The International Famine Early Warning System Network honored that request. New federal disclosures show that TechGiant Meta, which is the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, employed 14 lobbyists to kill the Kids Online

Safety Bill in Congress this year. As NPR'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. Bobby Allen, NPR News. Richard Parsons has died. He was 76 years old. Parsons held top positions at Time Warner and Citigroup. As NPR's Rafael Nam reports, he was widely known as Dick Parsons and he will be remembered as a troubleshooter who helped fix problematic companies.

Known for his affable personality, Parsons is remembered as one of the business world's most prominent black leaders. Born in New York, Parsons started his career in law and then joined Dime Savings Bank of New York during the late 1980s. That was his first fix-it job, helping the lender emerge from a savings and loans crisis. His bigger turnaround jobs came next. Parsons was a time warner when he was sold to AOL. To this day, it's seen as one of the worst corporate deals ever, but Parsons was credited with helping save Time Warner. He had another major fix-it job at Citigroup, steering the bank in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Parsons also had a turnaround jobs at the Los Angeles Clippers, cementing his reputation

as the ultimate troubleshooter. Raful Namb, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has died at the age of 92. Sushmita Patak reports that he was the first person from India's Sikh minority to become Prime Minister. Manmohan Singh's defining contribution to India came long before he became Prime Minister. In the early 1990s as Finance Minister

he steered the country's economic liberalization. As Prime Minister Singh presided over a landmark nuclear deal between India and the United States, ending India's decades-long nuclear isolation. Singh was a renowned economist. By the end of his second term, his government was embroiled in a slew of corruption scandals that tarnished his image and led his party to its worst-ever defeat in national elections in 2014. For NPR News, I'm Sushmita Pathak in Hyderabad, India.

Israel's Attorney General has ordered police to open an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife. They say she's under suspicion for harassing political opponents and witnesses in the Israeli leader's corruption trial. The potential charges stem from WhatsApp messages in which Sarah Netanyahu appears to instruct an aide to organize protests against political opponents and to intimidate a key witness. Two top Canadian cabinet ministers will be in Palm Beach on Friday for talks with officials from the incoming Trump administration. The meeting comes as Trump is threatening

tariffs on all Canadian products unless that country stops what he calls a flow of migrants and drugs into the U.S. In a statement, the ministers said they would be discussing Canada's effort to combat fentanyl trafficking and to stop illegal immigration. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.