NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-27-2024 5AM EST

Episode Date: December 27, 2024

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Noor Rahm. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noor Rahm. The South Korean parliament voted today to impeach the acting president, Han Deok-su. He served as president since President Yoon Sung-yeol was impeached two weeks ago for briefly declaring martial law. The parliament, controlled by the opposition party, impeached Han today because he didn't appoint three justices to fill vacancies on the Constitutional Court, which is deciding whether Yun should be reinstated or permanently removed from office.

NATO is calling for a full investigation into Wednesday's crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan. There were 67 people on board, at least 38 people died. Terry Schultz reports. 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. After weeks of houthi rebel attacks on Israel, Israel launched airstrikes against rebel targets in Yemen yesterday, including the airport in Sanaa, where the head of the World Food Organization was about to board a plane. He was not hurt. With continued unrest in the Middle East, humanitarian organizations warn of a growing crisis this winter.

Kiran Donnelly is senior vice president of the International Rescue Committee. He says of special concern, those living in Gaza. The situation in Gaza in particular is absolutely dire with aid all but cut off to the northern part of Gaza for quite some time now, very difficult conditions for aid organizations to be able to access

populations in need. He says Sudan is also in great need where more than 10 million people have been displaced by war. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Climate Change Superfund Act into law yesterday. It will hold gas and oil companies responsible for their effect on climate change. Harrison Malkin reports. The money will be used to fund projects in New York like protecting coastal wetlands, improving flood mitigation systems, investing in bridges and roads, and more to deal with extreme heat and flooding that's more likely to occur because of climate change.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the bill will hold polluters responsible for the damage done to our environment. The measure was modeled on the 1980 Superfund law that requires companies to pay to clean up oil and chemical spills. Legal challenges in response to the law are expected to come. For NPR News, I'm Harrison Malkin in New York. This is NPR News in Washington. China launched a new amphibious assault ship today.

The official Xinhua News Agency says it's China's largest ship yet and is designed to launch fighter jets directly from its deck. It's also designed to launch ground troops and landing crafts and provide them with air support. The Chinese Navy has been working to modernize its forces to allow them to operate around the world, not just in waters near the Chinese mainland. ZepBound, a popular obesity drug, is now the first and only drug approved

to treat some people with sleep apnea. The drug's new approval by the Food and Drug Administration could also help expand insurance coverage of the drug. NPR's Sydney Lupkin has more. The Food and Drug Administration has approved Eli Lilly ZepBound as a treatment for moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea in patients who have obesity. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which someone temporarily pauses breathing

in their sleep because their upper airway collapses. It can happen to anyone but is more common among people who have obesity. ZepBound was originally approved as an obesity drug in November 2023. This is its second approval. The new approval could expand Zepbound's insurance coverage for people on Medicare and Medicaid, which are not required to cover drugs approved for weight loss. But the programs would have to cover a drug for sleep apnea. Sydney Lepkin, NPR News.

Richard Parsons has died. He was a prominent black leader in the business world known for turning around troubled companies, including Time Warner and Citigroup. Richard Parsons was 76. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.