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- [00:01]
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- [00:19]
Jack Speier
In Washington, I'm Jack Speier. The Trump transition and the US Justice Department have signed an agreement that will begin the process of background checks and security clearances for the incoming admin administration. NPR's Tamara Keith reports. It had been delayed.
- [00:36]
Tamara Keith
President Elect Trump hasn't been shy about expressing his distrust of the Justice Department and FBI, but they play a key role in the transition from one administration to the next, conducting background checks and processing security clearances for intended nominees and the transition officials who will go into agencies before the inauguration to get ready. This agreement allows the transition to begin submitting names. In a statement, Susie Wiles, who will be White House chief of staff, said this agreement will ensure President Elect Trump and his team will be ready on day one to begin enacting the America first agenda. Tamara Keith, NPR News, West Palm Beach, Florida.
- [01:16]
Jack Speier
The number of people with unaffordable housing costs has reached yet another record high. NPR's Jennifer Ludden reports. Both renters and homeowners are struggling as prices continue to spike.
- [01:27]
Jennifer Ludden
Nearly 43 million households paid more than third of their income for housing last year, and for about half of them, it was more than 50%. That's according to an analysis of new census data by Harvard's Joint center for Housing Studies. Renters are far more likely to struggle, but the biggest uptick was actually among homeowners. Harvard researchers say a growing number of older people have retired or cut back on work, lowering their income just as housing costs have spiked. And even if they've paid off a mortgage, insurance and property taxes have also shot up since 2019. Harvard finds that housing costs have risen faster than wages for both renters and owners. Jennifer Ludden, NPR News, Washington.
- [02:10]
Jack Speier
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing a new rule to better protect Americans financial data from scammers. More from NPR's Laurel Walmsley.
- [02:18]
Laurel Walmsley
For more than 50 years, the Fair Credit Reporting act has protected consumer privacy by restricting how consumer reporting agencies can use personal information. But a growing industry of data brokers has avoided compliance with that law, even as they collect and sell enormous troves of sensitive financial data. Now the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing a rule that would ensure financial data brokers comply with that law. CFPB Director Rohit Chopra says the rule will help protect Americans personal information often.
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Jennifer Ludden
Our adversaries don't need to hack anything. Data brokers are making this data available to anyone willing to pay a price.
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Laurel Walmsley
It's not known whether the incoming Trump administration will support the rule. Laurel Wamsley, NPR News, Washington.
- [03:01]
Jack Speier
A mostly quiet trading day on Wall street with blue chips again losing ground even as the Nasdaq and the broader market continued to hit new highs. The Dow fell 76 points. The Nasdaq also was down 76 points. The S&P was up 2 points. This is NPR. Bronze head of a Roman emperor is on its way back to Turkey. A Danish museum has agreed to return the looted artifact. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has the story.
- [03:27]
Elizabeth Blair
The bronze head of Roman Emperor Septimius Severus was originally looted by villagers in Turkey, eventually sold to an art smuggler and ended up at the Glyptotech Museum in Copenhagen. Based on what it calls strong arguments and scientific documentation, the museum now agrees the bronze head was excavated illegally and will return it. Septimius Severus body was also looted from Turkey and ended up at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. The statue was seized by the Manhattan DA's Antiquities Trafficking Unit and was returned to Turkey last year. Turkey's ambassador to Denmark says this adds another precedent for institutions and collectors worldwide about, quote, artifacts with shady provenance. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.
- [04:11]
Jack Speier
In what has come to be called the Black Swan murder case, a former Florida ballerina has been sentenced to 20 years in prison following the manslaughter conviction and the shooting death of her estranged husband. A judge in manatee county sentencing 32 year old Ashley Benefield after rejecting a request for a new trial based on allegations of juror misconduct. Benefield contended she shot and killed her 58 year old estranged husband, Doug Benefield in self defense at her home near Bradenton, Florida. The Benefields were co founders of the American National Ballet. Cruel of features. Prices took a sharp bump up today amid threats from Israel to attack the Lebanese state if a truce with Hezbollah collapses. Oil rose $1.84 a barrel to 69.94 barrel. In New York, I'm Jack Speer, NPR News, in Washington.
- [04:57]
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