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

Episode Date: December 31, 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, I'm Dan Ronan. 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 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, D.C., where Carter will lie in state at the U.S. 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 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. In an end of year message, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is pledging in 2025 for a more peaceful, stable and healthy future for all people. He said more must be done to encourage the use of renewable energy and nations and people, he said, should come together to battle climate change. We have just endured the decade of deadly heat. The top 10 hottest years on record have happened in the last 10 years, including 2024. This is climate breakdown in real time.

Despite global warming temperatures, Gutierrez says he's optimistic because citizens are forcing governments and others to make changes. The president of Azerbaijan is demanding that Russia accept full responsibility for the downing of an airliner last week that claimed 38 lives. While the investigation is still underway, officials in Azerbaijan say it's clear Russian air defense weapons hit the plane, NPR's Brian Mann reports. For days after the crash, Russian officials offered theories about what might have downed the Azerbaijan Airlines jet that was en route to the Russian city of Grozny. They suggested bird strikes or an explosion on board the plane might be the cause. In a televised address, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said it was certain the plane

was hit by Russian weapons. He spoke through an interpreter. Compensation must be paid to the Azerbaijani state, to the injured passengers and crew members. These are our conditions. In a statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped short of accepting responsibility, but did apologize, quote, for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace.

Brian Mann, NPR News, Kyiv. South Korean officials are being ordered by the country's acting president to conduct safety investigations of all 737-800 aircraft operated by the country's airlines. The move comes after a Zhizhu Airlines plane skidded off of a runway, hit a wall and burst into flames, killing 179 people. Two people on board survived the crash.

You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Israel's military says it intercepted a missile fired by the Yemen Houthi rebels. The attack set off warning sirens in Israel, including Tel Aviv. The Houthis have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea Corridor and firing missiles and drones at Israel, trying to pressure Israel into accepting a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the U.S. Monday condemned the latest Houthi attacks on Israel, and at the U.N., U.S. officials said Israel had a right to defend itself. New research from the National Institutes of Health

find that children who have used substances before the age of 15 appear to have some structural differences in their brain, but those differences may exist prior to the substance use. NPR's Yukina Gucchi reports. Researchers compared the MRI brain images between adolescents who started using substances like nicotine or alcohol and those who had not by age 15. They identified differences in brain volume and variation in thickness of the cortical region, which is responsible for higher levellevel thinking.

But some of those differences appear to predate the drug or alcohol use, suggesting a person's brain structure may influence their risk of developing substance use disorders. The research was published in JAMA Network Open. Yukinoguchi, NPR News. President-elect Donald Trump is endorsing the current House Speaker Mike Johnson to serve another term. NPR News.