NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-28-2024 4PM EST

Episode Date: December 28, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, Anuradha Ram. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke today with the President of Azerbaijan on the crash of an Azerbaijan passenger jet in Kazakhstan this week. Thirty-eight people were killed. Putin apologized for what he called a tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace, but he did not take responsibility for the crash. Russia's war against Ukraine is dragging on, and let's say Moscow needs reinforcements as some 30,000 Russian soldiers are killed or wounded every month. Roughly 10,000 North Korean soldiers are now fighting alongside the Russians, but some are being sent over open ground without necessary support or equipment.

Meanwhile, Ukraine worries about running out of money. NPR's Brian Mann reports. One big question here in Kiev is whether the US will actually deliver most of the $61 billion in additional military and economic aid for Ukraine that was allocated by Congress last spring. They're hoping it'll come before President Biden leaves office. People here fear that once President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in next month, much of that aid could be frozen. NPR's Brian Mann, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has blocked the Biden administration

from disposing border wall materials before Trump takes office. Texas Public Radio's Jerry Clayton has more. A federal judge on Friday granted Paxton's request to halt the Biden administration from disposing of any more of the raw material for 30 days. Despite Paxton's claim that Biden is trying to thwart Trump's immigration agenda, the sale of the material was approved by Congress in 2023.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the states of Texas and California received around 60 percent of the material through a donation process, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Paxton told Fox News recently that Texas purchased an additional $12 million of the unused material this past summer, enough to build about four miles of border wall. I'm Jerry Clayton in San Antonio. Lawyers for Trump are asking the Supreme Court to delay considering whether a law that could ban TikTok is constitutional. NPR's Bobby Allen reports Trump wants the court to give

his incoming administration time to pursue a political resolution. In two weeks, lawyers for TikTok and the Department of Justice will be arguing in front of the Supreme Court over whether banning TikTok violates the Constitution or not. The date had been set earlier this month. Now, Trump's new brief does not take a position on the constitutionality of the TikTok ban, but does essentially say, well, Supreme Court, if you want to hold off on making a ruling, Trump will step in, strike a deal that might make the high court's intervention unnecessary completely. NPR's Bobbi Allen.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is telling Congress the U.S. will reach its debt limit by the middle of next month. She says her department may need to take extraordinary measures to prevent a default. This is NPR News. Meteorologists are keeping watch on developing weather conditions in the southern plains eastward into the lower Mississippi Valley and central Gulf Coast states. The National Weather Service is predicting several tornadoes and heavy rain that could cause flash flooding.

In the western U.S., the National Weather Service has released a high surf advisory along the California coast from Sonoma County through Monterey, where waves are expected to reach 18 to 25 feet high. From member station KQED, Maria Fernanda Bernal reports. Meteorologists are warning people to stay away from the beach on the California coast while the high surf advisory is in effect. People should not swim or surf because it's dangerous, says meteorologist Braden Murdoch for the National Weather Service. We can't recommend much in the way of fishing or even taking the pets along the beach if

they're still what they think is far away from the water. It could still sneak up on you. It's also discouraged to be on a recreational boat or a small craft at this time. Murdoch says water rescues would also put emergency responders at risk because fog and rain makes visibility difficult. For NPR News, I'm Maria Fernanda Bernal in San Francisco. In London, dozens of flights have been canceled and delayed because of thick fog. Forecasters say the poor weather conditions could last into tomorrow. The disruption comes on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, after Christmas and before New Year's Day. Forecasters also warn drivers to be careful

because of reduced visibility on the roads. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News.