NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-30-2024 12PM EST

Episode Date: December 30, 2024

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Oh, oh, oh, Santa here coming to you from the North Pole where the elves in our podcast division have just completed work on this season's best gift for public radio lovers, NPR plus. 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 dot NPR dot org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. The Biden administration is announcing billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports the defense assistance comes in the final weeks of the Biden presidency. President Biden announced almost $2.5 billion in defense assistance. He said in a statement that the aid would bring an immediate influx of capabilities

as Ukraine continues to defend their independence from Russian aggression. Biden said the money includes $1.25 billion in military aid drawn from U.S. stockpiles and a $1.22 billion Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package. Biden said the U.S. has now allocated all of the money he promised as part of that USAI package. The aid is in addition to $3.4 billion in assistance announced by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. It all comes just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to office, raising uncertainty

about future support. Franco Ordonez, NPR News. President Biden has declared Thursday, January 9th a day of mourning for the late former President Jimmy Carter, who died yesterday at the age of 100. Carter came from agricultural roots and today, the environmental history of the one-time peanut farmer is being remembered. As NPR's Jeff Brady reports, a key focus for Carter was securing U.S. energy supplies.

With the 1973 Arab oil embargo and concern that oil and gas supplies were dwindling, President Carter highlighted energy efficiency. He asked Americans to turn down thermostats to save gas. He also boosted renewable energy, installing solar panels on the White House in 1979. Honesting the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil. Carter was warned about climate change, but energy security was his primary concern. He encouraged more domestic coal production. The country is now grappling with the greenhouse gases emitted from burning all that coal. Still, ambitious

climate change policies today can be traced back to Jimmy Carter's work on conservation and alternative energy. Jeff Brady, NPR News. The World Meteorological Organization warns this year's record-breaking heat is likely to continue in 2025, further accelerating climate change. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports WMO is calling for urgent action to stem this looming disaster. WMO reports 2024 is set to be the warmest year on record. It says greenhouse gas levels are increasing to new heights. It warns temperatures will continue to rise if nations don't dramatically slash emissions into the atmosphere.

WMO says climate change has increased the number and impact of extreme weather events in all regions of the world. On Wall Street, the Dow is down 413 points. This is NPR News. In Bangkok, authorities say three people died and several people were injured in a fire at a popular tourism hotel. The blaze erupted at the Ember Hotel near Khao San Road, a famous backpacker street in the Thai capital that's also known for its lively nightlife. The fire was eventually contained. The cause under investigation, police say, the dead include an American man, a Ukrainian man, and a Brazilian woman.

Tony and Golden Globe award-winning actress Linda Lavin died Sunday in Los Angeles of complications from lung cancer. She was 87. Lavin is best known for the hit sitcom Alice and was a regular on Broadway. Jeff London has more. Born in Maine, Lavin began performing as a child and studied theater in college. She made her New York stage debut off-Broadway in 1960, but soon began performing in Broadway musicals and plays, earning a Tony nomination for Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers. In 1976 she was cast in the TV show Alice as a single mother working in a diner.

Lavin sang the show's theme song and starred in it for nine seasons winning a pair of Golden Globes. She returned to the stage and won a Tony in 1987 for Neil Simon's Broadway Bound and appeared in many plays over the years. For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. LeBron James of the L.A. Lakers turns 40 today. He's now the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s. I'm Louise Givone, NPR News, Washington.