NPR News: 12-24-2024 6PM EST

Summary

NPR News: December 24, 2024, 6 PM EST – Detailed Summary

NPR News Now delivered a comprehensive update on December 24, 2024, covering a range of significant global and domestic issues. Below is a structured summary of the key topics discussed, enriched with notable quotes and timestamps for reference.

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1. Syrian Christians Protest in Damascus

Reporter: Adil Al Shalchi
Timestamp: [00:17]

Syrian Christians in Damascus took to the streets in response to the burning of a Christmas tree, an act that has heightened tensions among minority religious groups in the region. Protests featured pro-Christian armed individuals displaying flags and chanting slogans such as, "Raise your cross up high" (00:39). The incident has sparked fear and anger within the Christian community.

The governing group, Hayed Tahrir Hashem (HTS), which has roots in Al Qaeda and is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, responded by claiming the perpetrators were not Syrians. HTS officials assured that the burnt Christmas tree would be restored and announced that December 25th and 26th would be recognized as public holidays in Syria, aiming to alleviate concerns over the protection of minor religious sects.

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2. American Airlines Resumes Operations After Technical Glitch

Reporter: Joel Rose
Timestamp: [01:18]

American Airlines overcame a nationwide ground stop that halted all flights for approximately one hour on one of the busiest travel days of the year. The disruption was attributed to a "vendor technology issue" affecting critical flight operations. Joel Rose reports that passengers experienced delays, with boarding procedures interrupted and some aircraft returning to their gates (01:30).

The airline’s pilots explained that a software malfunction impacted calculations related to weight and balance, as well as flight planning. This technical issue resulted in delays across major hubs including Charlotte, Dallas, and Miami, potentially affecting flights nationwide throughout the day. American Airlines issued an apology to customers for the inconvenience caused.

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3. Man Accused of Attacking Woman in New York Subway

Timestamp: [02:11]

A disturbing incident occurred in a New York subway train where a woman was set on fire, and her attacker, Sebastian Zapata, manually fanned the flames with his shirt. Zapata, a 33-year-old man, was arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court. Federal immigration officials identified him as an individual who entered the United States illegally after being deported in 2018.

This case underscores ongoing concerns regarding immigration and public safety, especially in high-density urban areas like New York City.

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4. Stock Markets Rally Ahead of Christmas

Reporter: Rafael Naum
Timestamp: [02:33]

In a phenomenon often referred to as the "Santa Claus rally," stocks showed significant gains on Christmas Eve, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq increasing by over 1% each. Rafael Naum notes that despite a shorter trading day, the positive movement is encouraging for investors anticipating a strong year-end performance (02:33).

Historically, the last five trading days of the year tend to perform well, and the recent rally has restored some of the gains lost earlier in December following the election of Donald Trump in November. Investors are hopeful that this upward trend will continue, bolstering confidence in Wall Street’s year-end outlook.

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5. Stray Kids Sets Billboard Chart Record

Reporter: Stephen Thompson
Timestamp: [03:13]

K-pop group Stray Kids has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first act ever to launch their chart history with six albums, each debuting at number one on the Billboard charts (03:25). This achievement surpasses the late rapper DMX, whose chart career began with five number-one albums.

All six of Stray Kids' albums were released within the past three years, highlighting the group's remarkable consistency and popularity. This success contributes to the broader dominance of K-pop in the global music scene, with 19 different K-pop records topping the Billboard charts since 2018, including six each for Stray Kids and BTS, the genre's most prominent act.

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6. US Government Panel Rejects Nippon Steel's Acquisition of US Steel

Timestamp: [04:16]

A government panel deliberating the proposed $15 billion acquisition of US Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel failed to reach an agreement. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has submitted its report to President Biden, who has been a steadfast opponent of the merger (04:16).

Despite some federal agencies not identifying the deal as a security threat, both President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have opposed the acquisition, pledging to block it. This decision reflects ongoing tensions regarding foreign investments in critical domestic industries and concerns over national security implications.

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7. Oil Prices Rise Amid Supply and Demand Optimism

Timestamp: [04:16]

Oil futures experienced an increase of over 1%, reversing previous losses, as market sentiment brightened regarding supply and demand dynamics. Prices rose by 86 cents a barrel in New York, signaling optimism about the stability and potential growth in the oil sector.

This uptick in oil prices is influenced by factors such as geopolitical stability, production levels, and global economic indicators that suggest a balanced or increasing demand for crude oil.

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Transcript

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[Jack Spear]

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Syrian Christians took to the streets today, the capital of Damascus, after a Christmas tree was burned. It comes as the new Syrian leadership tries to assuage worries that minor religious sects will be protected under their leadership. NPR's Adil Al Shalti reports from Damascus.

[Adil Al Shalchi]

Videos posted online showed pro Christian armed men in pickup trucks waving flags and loudly honking their car horns. Raise your cross up high, they chanted. The video of a Christmas tree being set on fire in a central Syrian city went viral, stoking worry and anger among Christians. The group currently in charge of Syria is Hayed Tahrir Hashem, or hts. It has roots in Al Qaeda and is a designated terrorist organization by the United States. Local HTS officials said that the culprits were not Syrian and that the tree would be put back up. The new prime minister also announced that December 25th and 26th would be public holidays in Syria. Hadil Al Shalchi, NPR News, Damascus.

[Jack Spear]

American Airlines has resumed operations after grounding all flights earlier today. NPR's Joel Rose reports the airline suffered what it's calling a technical issue on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

[Joel Rose]

American Airlines says the nationwide ground stop has been lifted after halting all of the carriers flights for about an hour. Passengers on social media reported that boarding stopped and some planes had to return to their gates. In a statement, American blamed the problem on a, quote, vendor technology issue and apologized to customers for the inconvenience. The airline's pilots told passengers the outage was related to a software issue affecting calculations of weight and balance issues. The brief outage also affected flight planning. Hundreds of flights were delayed, particularly at airports in Charlotte, Dallas, Miami and other American Airlines hubs, and those delays could ripple across the country for the rest of the day. Joel Rose, NPR News, Washington.

[Jack Spear]

A man accused of sending a woman on fire inside a New York subway train and then fanning the flames with his shirt was arraigned today in Brooklyn Criminal Court. Federal immigration officials identifying the suspect as 33 year old Sebastian Zapata, who they say entered the country illegally after being deported in 2018. Stocks rallied today and the day before Christmas. More from NPR's Rafael Naum.

[Rafael Nam]

It was a shorter trading day, but stocks gained strongly with the S and P and the Nasdaq, up by over 1%. Stocks traditionally have done well in the last five trading sessions of the year and in the first two of the new year, hence the nickname Santa Claus rally. And now traders are hopeful we could see one this year. Stocks had surged after the election of Donald Trump in November, but they have given up some of those gains in December. The bump on Christmas Eve, though, has investors hoping for a stronger end to the year in Wall Street. Rafael Nam, NPR News.

[Jack Spear]

This is npr. This week's Billboard charts are out, and Korean pop band has done something that's never happened before. NPR's Stephen Thompson has the story.

[Stephen Thompson]

Amid the usual holiday songs topping the Billboard char, the K pop group Stray Kids has done something truly unique. It's become the first act ever to have its chart history begin with six albums that all debut at number one. The newest is titled Pop. Until this week, Stray Kids were tied with the late rapper dmx, whose chart career began with five number one albums. Remarkably, all six of Stray Kids chart toppers have come out in the past three calendar years. The success of Hop is only the latest big moment for K pop music. Since 2018, a whopping 19 different K pop records have topped the Billboard charts, including six each for Stray Kids and the biggest K pop act of them all, bts. Stephen Thompson, NPR News.

[Jack Spear]

Government panel after debating a proposed $15 billion acquisition of U.S. steel by Japan's Nippon Steel has failed to reach any kind of agreement. Committee on Foreign Investment in the US Sending its long awaited report to President Biden, who has been a longtime opponent of the deal. While some federal agencies representing the panel were skeptical that allowing the deal posed any kind of security risk, both Biden and President elect Donald Trump have opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Crude oil futures prices were up more than 1% today, reversing prior losses amid a brightening outlook on supply and demand. Oil up 86 cents a barrel to a barrel. In New York, I'm Jack Spear, NPR News, in Washington.

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