NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-30-2024 3PM EST

Episode Date: December 30, 2024

NPR News: 12-30-2024 3PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

On NPR's Book of the Day podcast, we hear from all sorts of writers making bold arguments, like the late President Jimmy Carter on Citizens United. So I think it's completely distorted the democratic purity or legitimacy of our elections in the United States. We hear about his life as a writer and from his biographer about President Carter's complex legacy. Listen to Book of the Day from NPR wherever you get your podcasts. Listen to Book of the Day from NPR wherever you get your podcasts. 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 U.K. 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. U.S. officials say large numbers of North Korean soldiers are being killed or wounded

while fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine. NPR's Brian Mann has details from Kyiv. Intelligence gathered by the U.S. and the Ukrainians indicates North Korean soldiers are engaged in fierce battles in the Kursk region of Russia, which is occupied by Ukraine. They appear to be mounting attacks over open ground on foot with little support or protection. George Barros, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War, says many of the 10,000 North Koreans sent to Russia are already casualties. One-fourth of those Korean forces have been

made casualties. The current estimate is about 3,000. U.S. officials say more than a thousand North Korean soldiers were killed or injured in a single week of fighting. Brian Mann, NPR News, Keefe. The National Weather Service is forecasting snow storms around Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming this week, with rain moving into the Midwest and Northeast. Meteorologist Scott Klebauer says New Year's Eve will be a soggy one in the East. Looks like there will be some rainfall for areas like New York City, who I know will be having obviously the New Year's Eve festivities up there. So it'll be important to keep an eye on the weather and definitely dress warm and dress for

potential rainfall if you're going to be out and about during any of those timeframes. And that pretty much extends from the D.C. Baltimore area all the way up into Boston. A state funeral is scheduled for January 9th at Washington National Cathedral for former President Jimmy Carter. President Biden has declared that day to be a national day of mourning. Biden says he's lost a dear friend with the death of the former president. The country's 39th president died yesterday at his home in Plains,

Georgia at the age of 100, more than a year after entering hospice care. On Wall Street, the Dow is down 253 points, the Nasdaq off 120. This is NPR News in Washington. the Nasdaq off 120. This is NPR News in Washington. President-elect Trump has endorsed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for another term as Speaker, with 220 Republicans, 215 Democrats in the next Congress. Johnson needs as much support as he can get, and it's not clear that all GOP members will support his bid. Congress votes Friday on the next speaker. The end of the year can be a difficult time for people caring for those with dementia, but there are ways to ease the holidays.

From member station WUSF, Stephanie Columbini spoke with a Tampa caregiver who reminisced about celebrating holidays with her late mother. Melissa Malone cooked her mom's favorite food and put on music and movies she grew up loving. Just to jounce any bit of memory that she had. So she didn't overwhelm her mom, Malone staggered guests' arrivals. They tried to stick to yes or no questions to limit confusion and didn't shame her if she said something that didn't make sense. It's okay to be upset at the disease and it's okay to be mad at the disease, but you can't be mad at the person.

Malone encourages caregivers to take breaks and ask for help when they need it. For NPR News, I'm Stephanie Columbini in Tampa. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting conditions that could bring northern lights to several states. They say the sun recently expelled two bursts of plasma that are hurtling toward Earth. They could arrive as early as tonight or tomorrow and cause colorful auroras in the Pacific Northwest as well over Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. I'm Louise Giavone, NPR News, Washington.