NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-27-2024 7AM 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 in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. There's political turmoil in South Korea. Opposition lawmakers have impeached acting President Han Dook-soo. He'd been on the job for less than two weeks. Han was installed after the South Korean parliament impeached President Yoon Sang-yul,

following his botched declaration of martial law this month. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports South Korean lawmakers are angry at the acting president Han for interfering with the impeachment process against President Yoon. Anthony Kuhn, South Korean Lawyer, South Korea The opposition party which controls the parliament says that Han refused to appoint three justices to fill vacancies on the constitutional court. And that's the court which will rule on President Yoon's impeachment. Han says he didn't appoint them because that's up to the president to do. But the opposition points out that he did veto bills to appoint special counsels to investigate President Juhn and his wife and he

didn't oppose martial law so basically he's protecting Juhn. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reporting. NATO is calling for a full investigation into Wednesday's crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight in Kazakhstan. At least 38 people aboard were killed, 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. NASA says its Parker Solar Probe appears to be safe. The probe has transmitted a beacon tone back to Earth. On Tuesday, it skimmed less than four million miles away from the surface of the sun without

burning up. It's the closest a human-made object has ever come to the sun. For a brief moment before Congress left Washington for the holidays, it appeared that members were about to get their first pay raise in 15 years. But as NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports, it didn't happen. Misinformation quickly spread about the funding bill, with Elon Musk, an adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, claiming members of Congress were trying to give themselves a 40% pay bump. The bill would have actually made it possible for members to get a cost of living adjustment

of 3.8%, a roughly $6,600 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 PR News, The Capitol.

This is NPR. There are reports that six people were killed in Yemen's capital yesterday after the Israeli military struck the Yemeni airport. Dozens of others were injured. The rebels in Yemen have been firing missiles at Israel. The Food and Drug Administration says there's no longer a shortage of popular obesity and type 2 diabetes medications. And BRC Sydney Lepkin reports the FDA reevaluated the status of Zep-Bound and Monjaro.

Almost exactly two years after the shortage of Eli Lilly's Zep-Bound and Monjaro began, the FDA has declared the shortage to be resolved. The FDA has heard that some patients have had a hard time filling prescriptions recently, but it doesn't think that means the shortage is ongoing. The agency says it took many factors into account, including the drug manufacturer's inventory data and projected demand. It says it also spoke to patients, healthcare providers, and compounding pharmacies, which had been temporarily allowed to make essentially copies of these drugs during the shortage. Compounding pharmacies will need to

stop making copies in the coming months. Sydney Lepkin, NPR News. Financial company Lazard says business turnaround specialist Richard Parsons has died at the age of 76. He helped steer big companies such as Citigroup and was Time Warner's president and CEO. Parsons was also one of the business world's most prominent black leaders. He co-founded a group that invested in business ventures led by women and people of color. Parsons also guided the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers

for a time after the team's then owner made racist remarks. I'm Corva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.