NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-31-2024 11AM EST

Episode Date: December 31, 2024

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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. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Kuhlman. The funeral plans for former President Jimmy Carter have been announced.

His state funeral will be held in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, January 9th. President Biden has ordered federal agencies closed on the 9th. One of Biden's last official acts as president will be to deliver Carter's eulogy. Biden will leave office January 20th. His supporters say Biden has many accomplishments from his time in the White House, such as the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. And Piers Chambers-Keith says Biden is confident of his work.

In his own self-assessment, Biden now argues that he's leaving the country in better shape than it was when he started. The unemployment rate is much lower than it was when he started. The unemployment rate is much lower than it was when Biden took office. Crime is down. Wages are up.

But so are prices. And globally, alliances may be stronger, but war is raging in the Middle East and Ukraine. And PR's Tamara Keith reporting. Mexico's government is testing a new app. It's designed to help migrants, alert relatives and consulates when they're about to be detained by U.S. immigration authorities. Stephanie Acorpi of Texas Public Radio says the app is expected to be in use sometime in January. The app allows users to send an alert to selected contacts and the nearest Mexican consulate by pressing a

panic button. The feature ensures consulates are promptly informed, aligning with U.S. obligations to notify home country consulates when foreign nationals are detained. This initiative is anticipating mass deportations under President-elect Donald Trump. The Mexican government has strengthened consular staffing and legal aid to support migrants during deportation proceedings. A 24-hour call center has also been established.

The app could serve more than 11 million Mexican migrants with legal residency and 4.8 million undocumented individuals living in the U.S. I'm Stefania Corpi in Mexico City. The war in Gaza continues and no ceasefire has been struck between Israel and Hamas. NPR's Emily Fang reports from Tel Aviv that ceasefire talks this year have been rocky.

After months of talks, Hamas conceded to Israel's demands to let their troops temporarily remain in a sliver of land in between Egypt and Gaza, and in Gaza itself. But there's still disagreement about which Palestinian prisoners and detainees Israel would release for surviving hostages in Gaza. Plus, Hamas wants a permanent ceasefire. Israel wants a temporary truce first. Jamal Zahaka, a former member of Israel's parliament who worked closely with Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says he thinks the prime minister is no longer in a rush to secure a ceasefire. I think Netanyahu is waiting for Trump.

He says Netanyahu believes he can get more concessions after Trump becomes U.S. president again because he sees Trump as a closer political ally. Emily Fang, NPR News, Tel Aviv, Israel. On Wall Street, the dial is up more than 20 points. You're listening to NPR. The National Transportation Safety Board has brought a team of aviation experts to South Korea. They'll help investigate last weekend's plane crash that killed nearly 180 people. South Korea's acting

president has ordered improvements to the country's airline operation system. New York governor has ordered statewide prison reforms after the fatal prison beating of a restrained black inmate. As NPO's Ava Pukac reports, the governor is requesting an outside review of the culture and the patterns and practices of the state's correctional facilities. Body camera footage showed correctional officers repeatedly punched and kicked inmate Robert Brooks in the face, groin, and stomach in a prison infirmary at Marcy Correctional Facility near Utica. He died hours later at a nearby hospital. Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the termination of the 14 employees involved and has named a new permanent superintendent of the facility. She says she's expediting 400 million dollars in funding to install more security cameras

and provide additional body cameras to staff across the state's 42 correctional facilities. The state will also expand funding for a watchdog group that provides independent monitoring and oversight of New York's prison system. Eva Pukac and PR News. Weather forecasters say there's a chance people in the northern U.S. could see the northern lights this New Year's Eve after dark. News.