NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-28-2024 9AM EST

Episode Date: December 28, 2024

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Ho, ho, ho! Santa here, coming to you from the North Pole. We're the elves in our podcast division of just completed work on this season's best gift for public radio lovers, NPR+. Give the gift of sponsored free listening and even bonus episodes from your favorite NPR podcasts, all while supporting public media. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. United Nations spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay says an Israeli attack on the forcible evacuation of one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza underscores a need for a resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

We continue to call for the protection of all medical facilities in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry says the Israeli army has detained the director of the Kamala Twan Hospital a day after Israeli soldiers stormed and set fires in several parts of the facility. The military says it was being used by Hamas but did not provide evidence. Russia is apologizing for Wednesday's crash of a passenger plane operated by Azerbaijan Airlines. The Kremlin issued a statement today saying President Vladimir Putin has spoken with his

Azerbaijani counterpart but stopped short of saying Russian air defenses were responsible. The plane crashed in Kazakhstan after diverting away from southern Russia where Ukrainian drones were reported to be attacking several cities. State Department has shut down an office that was tracking disinformation efforts by Russia, China and others. Republicans in Congress stripped the office of funding as MPH's Michelle Kellerman reports. The Global Engagement Center was set up to expose and counter foreign propaganda that could undermine stability in countries that are partners to the U.S.

Trump adviser, multi-billionaire Elon Musk called it the, quote, worst offender in the U.S. government of censorship and media manipulation. Its funding was stripped in the National Defense Authorization Act. The State Department says the Global Engagement Center terminated operations on December 23rd, and the Department is consulting with Congress on next steps. The office had been reporting on Russian disinformation campaigns around the world, as well as exposing Iranian and Chinese propaganda. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington. New details are emerging about a Louisiana resident who was recently hospitalized with

bird flu. A report from the CDC indicates the virus gained some mutations after the person was infected. Here's NPR's Will Stone with more. This is the first instance of a person falling severely ill from bird flu in the US during the current outbreak. The patient was infected after being exposed to backyard flocks. The CDC's analysis showed the virus acquired mutations affecting a protein on its surface. This is what allows the virus to latch on to receptors and infect a cell.

Changes in this protein are seen as a key step if the virus were to evolve to better infect humans The CDC says it appears the mutations emerged while the person was sick and there's no evidence They went on to infect anyone else The finding underscores the need to track bird flu and contain outbreaks given its potential to mutate Will Stone NPR News and you're listening to NPR News NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to delay the law that requires a ban in the US on the short video sharing app TikTok.

Trump has filed a brief with the court saying he wants to pursue a political resolution after he takes office. TikTok and the Biden administration have filed opposing briefs to the court ahead of arguments set for early next month on whether the ban violates free speech rights. and the Biden administration have filed opposing briefs to the court ahead of arguments set for early next month on whether the ban violates free speech rights. Trump tried to ban the app during his first term in office earlier this year. Trump said he still believes TikTok presents national security issues, but that he now opposes the move.

Many people are still celebrating the holiday season, but it can be a dark time for others. Stephanie Columbini with member station WUSF reports that organizations that help kids affected by child abuse are bracing for a spike in reports. Mike Trepper is with Pasco Kids First, a support agency near Tampa. He says anytime kids are out of structured environments like school, their risk for abuse and neglect rises. Where kids are left, sometimes to their own devices, are left with people they don't know or forced to be with so and so and that person takes advantage. He says high stress over the holidays plus communal events could increase the risk of threats.

Trepper says his agency typically sees a 10 to 20 percent increase in abuse reports in January. That's when kids return to school and may tell others what's wrong. He says it's critical adults take them seriously. For NPR News, I'm Stephanie Colambini in Tampa. That Mega Millions lottery says a winning ticket for last night's estimated $1.2 billion jackpot was sold in California. I'm Trile Snyder, NPR News.