NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-30-2024 6AM EST

Episode Date: December 30, 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, on Corva Coleman, former President Jimmy Carter died yesterday after spending almost two years under hospice care at his home in Plains, Georgia. President Biden is remembering Carter as a friend, as well as a globally recognized humanitarian. NPR's Tamara Keith has more.

Biden, a young senator at the time, was one of the first national figures to endorse Carter in his bid for the presidency in 1976. I've been hanging out with Jimmy Carter for over 50 years. It dawned on me. national figures to endorse Carter in his bid for the presidency in 1976. I've been hanging out with Jimmy Carter for over 50 years. It dawned on me. Biden said it is a testament to Carter's decency and decades of work after leaving office that millions of people all over the world feel like they lost a friend too, even if they've never met him. And his compassion and moral clarity, clarity, lift the people up and change lives and save lives all over the globe.

Biden delivered his remarks after sharing his condolences in a call with several Carter family members. Funeral plans are underway. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Officials are trying to learn why a South Korean passenger jet crash landed at Muwon Airport yesterday. One hundred seventy nine people were killed, two survived. The plane skidded on the tarmac after its landing gear did not deploy. It crashed into a concrete fence and exploded.

It's the deadliest plane accident ever on South Korean soil. Meanwhile, South Korean investigators are seeking an arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon Song-yol. And Pierce Anthony Kuhn reports he's facing charges of insurrection and abuse of power following his botched declaration of martial law. A joint investigation team filed a request with a district court in Seoul. This makes Yoon the first sitting South Korean president to face arrest. Investigators have summoned Yoon three times to appear and answer questions, but he's refused

each time. Yoon insists that the investigators have no authority to investigate him on insurrection charges, and his declaration of martial law was a legitimate act of governance. Yoon's replacement has also been impeached. His replacement, acting President Choi Sang-mok, is here at the Muan International Airport, comforting bereaved family members following the worst plane crash and aviation disaster on Korean soil. Anthony Kuhn in PR News, Muon County, South Korea. The U.S. government has released figures from its annual homelessness count.

Officials found that homelessness increased 18 percent from last year. One cause is the lack of affordable housing. For people who do have homes, the cost of rent and new mortgages has soared. That means people are less likely to move. The home they already have is the home they can afford. And Pierce Laurel Walmsley says that means fewer people are putting their houses on the market and would-be homeowners cannot buy them. Because so many people aren't selling, we're on track for 2024 to have the fewest existing

home sales since 1995. That's almost 30 years ago when the country's population was more than 20 percent smaller than it is now. NPR's Laurel Walmsley reporting. You're listening to NPR News. Deadly storms across the South have killed several people this weekend from North Carolina to Texas. There were dozens of tornado reports on Saturday and Sunday.

The storms brought flash flooding and power cuts to wide parts of the South, and thousands of customers were without power for hours. The former Soviet Republic of Georgia has a new president. He's a former pro-soccer player. But Georgia's outgoing president insists she is still the country's legitimate leader. Terri Schulz reports European Union leaders are calling on Georgian authorities to consider holding new elections over allegations of voting irregularities. Salome Zurabishvili left the presidential palace Sunday, but she refuses to concede

to Mikheil Kavila-Shvili, insisting the October parliamentary elections and his election as president this month were invalidated by fraud perpetrated by the ruling Georgian Dream Party. The party has taken Georgia off its path to membership in the European Union, sparking anger from pro-EU citizens who've staged demonstrations in the streets for months. Nine EU governments, the Nordic and Baltic countries plus Poland, issued a joint statement Sunday calling for a full investigation into election irregularities and suggesting new elections. Thousands of people joined hands across Georgia as well as in other countries Saturday to protest both the parliamentary and presidential elections, but Georgian Dream shows no sign

of backing down. For NPR News, I'm Terri Schulz in Brussels. Doctors for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say he's recovering in the hospital after successful surgery to remove his prostate. They say there's no fear of cancer. Netanyahu's office says he is conscious and is recuperating in a bomb-proof underground area. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News in Washington.