Transcript
A (0:00)
Still looking for the perfect holiday gift? The NPR shop is back with the logo tee you love, the tiny desk hoodie you've been dreaming of, and new gear for everyone on your holiday gift list. Give the gift that supports independent journalism this holiday season. Shop now@shopnpr.org Live from NPR News, I'm Jeanine Herbst. President Trump today signed an executive order fast tracking the reclassification of marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug to a Schedule 3 drug. The move would pave the way for the Food and Drug Administration to study its medicinal uses. The order, though, doesn't make pot legal nationwide. Trump says his order is for those in chronic pain, not for recreational use. Meanwhile, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Today announced a series of actions that could essentially ban gender affirming care for youth all over the country. And here, Selena Simmons Duffin reports they are threatening to withhold federal funding from hospitals that provide pediatric gender affirming care.
B (1:03)
The most significant, significant actions are two proposed rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services led by Dr. Mehmet Oz. One rule says doctors and hospitals cannot get reimbursed by Medicaid for gender affirming care for youth. The other is more sweeping. It says hospitals that provide the care would be cut off from all Medicare or Medicaid funding for everything because federal funding represents so much of hospital budgets. That rule could shut down gender affirming care for youth at hospitals if finalized, the rules don't take effect right away. There's a 60 day comment period and health officials acknowledged they would face legal challenges. Selena Simmons Duffin, NPR News, Washington.
A (1:44)
Multiple media reports say there are fatalities in a business plane crash in North Carolina this morning. The FAA says a Cessna C550 crashed while landing at Statesville Regional Airport. That's about 45 miles north of Charlotte. Video shows first responders rushing to the scene as flames burn near the wreckage. That airport provides a quite corporate aviation facilities for Fortune 500 companies and NASCAR teams. President Trump's social media company Truth Social has merged with a fusion power company in a $6 billion deal. NPR's Bobby Allen reports. It marks a major bet on clean energy by the Trump administration.
C (2:23)
It was a surprise and somewhat head scratching announcement. Trump's social media and crypto company will now become one of the first ever publicly traded fusion firms to Trump Media, the parent company of Truth Social, has seen its stock drop nearly 70% this year as the social media platform struggles to find its footing. So now the company is making a huge pivot to nuclear energy backers say the Trump Company is expected to start building the world's first fusion power plant that can produce energy at the scale of a utility operator. Meanwhile, many in Silicon Valley, including OpenAI Sam Altman are big investors in nuclear. Tech leaders hope it can be a source of clean energy that can help power the intensive energy demands of AI data centers. Bobby Allen, NPR News.