NPR News Now - NPR News: 12-31-2024 2AM 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 Roman. President Joe Biden has announced another nearly $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine as his administration pushes to deliver as much aid as possible before he leaves office.

NPR's Hanna Polymarenko reports. The package consists of two parts. About half of it is weapons and equipment from Pentagon stockpiles that can be quickly transferred to the Ukraine's armed forces. The second part is in USAI funds. These are used to sign contracts with American arms manufacturers for the production of weapons. In his daily address, Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the U.S. President, Congress and both parties. This is something that will strengthen the front in the near future, will help us deter

the Russian assaults and support Ukraine in saving lives, he said. President Biden's administration says it has fully transferred the $61 billion it intended for Ukraine. Hanna Polomarenko, NPR News, Kyiv. fully transfer the $61 billion it intended for Ukraine. Hanna Polomarenko, NPR News, Kyiv. Funeral ceremonies for former President Jimmy Carter will last for six days spread across Georgia and Washington, D.C., as the country pays tribute

to the nation's 39th president. Melissa Faito of Member Station WABE reports. Carter's funeral begins on January 4th in South Georgia. His motorcade will pause at Carter's Boyhood Farm before arriving at the state Capitol and finally the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. The public is invited to pay their respects as the former president lies in repose for two days. The next morning, the late president's casket will be transported from Dobbins Air Reserve Base to Washington, D.C. Upon arrival, his casket will go to the U.S. Capitol, where members of Congress will pay

their respects that afternoon. The public can visit as Carter lies in state. Finally, on January 9th, a ceremony will be held at the National Cathedral before Carter is laid to rest in Plains, Georgia. For NPR News, I'm Melissa Fatow. The World Health Organization is calling on China to share data on the origins of the COVID pandemic. Five years from the start in the city of Wuhan, the WHO said access to information to help

understand how the pandemic began is a moral and scientific imperative. The BBC's James Reid reports. The COVID pandemic killed millions of people and crashed economies around the world. But five years on, it's still not clear how it started. Many scientists think the virus spread naturally from animals to humans. But some suspect it escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan that was studying coronaviruses. China has dismissed that theory as a smear, but it hasn't released data to disprove it or welcomed international investigations.

The WHO says transparency and cooperation are essential to prevent future pandemics. This is NPR News. Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that she had a great meeting with President Trump and the two discussed our shared priorities for the president's second term, adding that both of them want the capital city to reflect the strength of our nation. This is not the first meeting between Trump and Bowser and their relationships at time has been strained, but they said they found common ground in this meeting over the issues of underutilized federal buildings and infrastructure. Police in Kenya have arrested more than 40 protesters who were demonstrating against a recent wave of abductions of government critics.

Riot police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds who took to the streets in several major towns across the country. From Nairobi, Emmanuel Oganza reports on an opposition senator among those detained. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the capital and other towns across the country demanding for the release of all abducted government critics. In Nairobi, police fired teargas to disperse demonstrators who were chanting anti-government slogans and calling for the resignation of President William Ruto, whom they accused of corruption and mismanaging the economy.

The whereabouts of a dozen government critics remains unknown more than a week after being picked up by police. Kenya has been in a political crisis since June, when thousands of mainly young demonstrators marched to oppose a controversial tax hike bill. For NPR News, I'm Emanuele Gunza in Nairobi, Kenya. Wall Street we on a short scheduled Tuesday ramping up at 2 p.m. because the markets will close because of New Year's Eve. From Washington, this is NPR.