NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-30-2024 9PM EST

Episode Date: December 31, 2024

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Funeral plans for former president Jimmy Carter are coming together. Services will span nearly a week in Georgia and Washington, D.C. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports Carter died on Sunday at the age of 100. Carter's body will leave his home in southwest Georgia Saturday morning the 4th and travel to Atlanta for a moment of silence at the State Capitol before lying in repose at the Carter Center. Members of the public will be able to pay respects at the Carter Center until Tuesday morning

when the casket will be transported to Washington, DC where Carter will lie in state at the US Capitol. The 39th President's State Funeral will be Thursday, January 9th at the Washington National Cathedral before a private ceremony at Carter's Maranatha Baptist Church and private interment at the family home in Plains. Stephen Fowler, NPR News, Atlanta.

The Treasury Department says a state-sponsored actor in China hacked some employee workstations at the agency. NPR's Rafael Nam reports the department says it's considering the breach a major cybersecurity incident. On December 8th, Treasury was told by a third-party software provider called Beyond Trust that a hacker from China had gained access to a security key used by the vendor. The hacker then used that key to remotely gain access to a number of Treasury workstations and access unclassified documents, according

to a letter seen by NPR. Treasury said it was working with the FBI and security officials to look into the breach. In a statement, the agency says the hacker no longer has access to Treasury systems or its information, and that it takes all threats to its systems and its data very seriously. Rafael Nam, NPR News. House Republicans are gearing up to elect a speaker when the new Congress begins on Friday. President-elect Donald Trump says he supports House Speaker Mike Johnson.

NPR's Lexi Schipitl reports the endorsement could be a boon for Johnson or a test of Trump's influence in Congress. Johnson is hoping to secure reelection without the drama that surrounded Kevin McCarthy's fight for the gavel in 2023. But some in his conference were frustrated by Johnson's handling of the government spending bill that passed earlier this month. And Johnson can't afford even a handful of defectors. President-elect Trump wrote on social media that Johnson has his, quote, complete and total endorsement, also calling Johnson a good, hardworking and religious man. But Trump also endorsed McCarthy in 2023, and it took him 15 rounds of voting to win the speakership. Lexi Shapiro and PR News Washington.

Cleanup operations continue across parts of the southern U.S. after a series of powerful storms this weekend. The National Weather Service says more than 30 tornadoes have been confirmed from Texas to South Carolina. This is NPR News. Federal health officials say they're finding more cases of a rare bacterial disease, but it might be because they're getting better at detecting it. NPR's Ping-Mong reports on a new paper from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tularemia is a rare bacterial disease. People can get it from deer flies and ticks. A new paper published in a CDC weekly report looks at the past decade and finds around 200 cases a year. The incidence is higher than in the previous decade, but it could be because detection has improved. Tularemia occurs across most of the country, but Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma had the most cases.

American Indian and Native people also had a much higher likelihood of getting it. Many live on reservations in these states and spend time outside with animals. The disease causes fevers, ulcers, and swelling in the glands and is mostly treatable with antibiotics. People can use insect repellent and wear gloves when handling dead animals to reduce their risk. Ping Huang, N PR News. Actress Linda Lavin, perhaps best known for her role in the 1970 sitcom Alice, has died. Lavin also spent a large part of her career performing on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for Best Actress in the Neil Simon play Broadway Bound in 1987. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall

of Fame in 2010. Lavin died from complications of lung cancer at the age of 87. I'm Windsor Johnston, NPR News in Washington.