NPR News: 12-26-2024 8AM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: December 26, 2024, 8 AM EST

Host: Korva Coleman | Producer: NPR
Release Date: December 26, 2024
Duration: Approximately 5 minutes

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1. Ukraine's Power Grid Under Attack

[00:17] Korva Coleman opens the episode with a report on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Russian forces launched a barrage of missiles and drones targeting Ukraine's power infrastructure.

• President Volodymyr Zelensky shared insights on the defensive efforts:
  “We were able to shoot down 50 of the 70 or so missiles launched Christmas morning by Russia. Ukraine also blocked most of those drones.” [00:33]

• Impact: Despite Ukraine's defenses, at least 20 missiles breached the system, resulting in explosions, fires, and the tragic loss of one utility worker and engineer.

Key Takeaway: The attack underscores the persistent threat to Ukraine's critical infrastructure amidst ongoing hostilities with Russia.

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2. Rising Tensions and Protests in Syria

[00:54] Korva Coleman transitions to the Middle East, where tensions are escalating in Syria.

• Dia Hadid reports from Damascus on recent protests sparked by a disturbing video circulating online. The footage allegedly shows militants desecrating an Alawite shrine and committing atrocities against workers:
  “The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the video showed gunmen torching a shrine holy to Alawites and killing five workers and mutilating their bodies.” [01:11]

• Context: These events have ignited protests in Alawite-dominated regions, posing significant security challenges for Syria's new rulers who took power after rebels overtook Damascus in early December.

• Government Stance: Syria's new information minister attributed the unrest to “hidden hands that sought to divide Syrians,” highlighting fears among minorities, especially Alawites, of potential persecution under the new regime.

Key Takeaway: The violence against the Alawite community threatens the fragile stability of Syria's governance and exacerbates sectarian tensions.

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3. Delayed Acquisition of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel

[02:02] Korva Coleman brings attention to economic developments involving Japan's Nippon Steel.

• Anthony Kuhn reports that Nippon Steel has postponed its acquisition deadline for a U.S. steel company from December to March, a deal valued at over $14 billion.

• Reason for Delay:
  “Nippon Steel said it's pushing back the deadline because President Joe Biden is still reviewing the deal as part of justice antitrust authorities.” [02:14]

• Political Implications: Both President Biden and President-elect Donald Trump have expressed opposition, citing national security concerns over a foreign firm's control of a significant U.S. industry.

• Public Sentiment: The delay has stirred mixed feelings, with some Japanese nationals feeling insulted by U.S. officials who praise Japan as a key ally in certain contexts while simultaneously questioning it as a security risk.

Key Takeaway: The acquisition delay highlights the intricate balance between international business interests and national security considerations in U.S.-Japan relations.

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4. U.S. Ambassador to Panama and the Panama Canal

[02:59] Korva Coleman updates on U.S. diplomatic appointments and geopolitical assertions.

• Appointment: President-elect Trump has nominated Kevin Marina Cabrera, a Florida County Commissioner, as the new U.S. Ambassador to Panama.

• Controversial Statement: Trump continues to advocate for the U.S. to regain control of the Panama Canal, a stance firmly rejected by Panama’s president.

Key Takeaway: This development underscores ongoing tensions over sovereignty and strategic control of key international waterways.

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5. Mysterious Crash of Azerbaijani Passenger Plane

[03:31] Korva Coleman touches on a tragic aviation incident with unclear circumstances.

• Incident Details: A passenger plane from Azerbaijan crash-landed in Kazakhstan en route to Russia, resulting in over half of the passengers' deaths.

• Conflicting Explanations: Russian state TV attributes the crash to a bird strike, whereas some aviation experts speculate possible interference from Russian defense systems.

Key Takeaway: The ambiguity surrounding the plane crash raises concerns about aviation safety and potential geopolitical maneuvers.

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6. Insights into Early Earth Biodiversity

[03:50] Jessica Young delves into a scientific study exploring the diversity of early life on Earth.

• Research Overview: Led by Xuhai Xiao of Virginia Tech, the study utilizes fossil data spanning back to the pre-Cambrian era to assess species diversity over geological time.

• Methodology:
  “Kind of like in an election, right? So the pollster would take a small sample of the voters and they get an idea, you know, what the voting result will look like.” [04:05]

• Findings:

  • Boring Billion Period (1.8 billion years ago): Biodiversity remained low and stable.
  • Post-Ice Ages: Two significant ice ages were followed by rapid increases in species diversity, leading Xiao to hypothesize that ice ages may have acted as evolutionary reset points.

Key Takeaway: This study enhances our understanding of life's resilience and adaptability in response to Earth's changing climates over billions of years.

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7. Winter Storms and Power Outages in the Pacific Northwest

[04:33] Korva Coleman concludes with a domestic weather report affecting the Pacific Northwest.

• Weather Alert: Winter storm warnings and advisories are in effect from Washington state to Utah due to a series of atmospheric river events.

• Impact: The tracking site Poweroutage US reports that nearly 70 million customers in Washington and Oregon are currently without power.

Key Takeaway: The severe weather conditions are causing widespread disruptions, highlighting the region's vulnerability to extreme weather patterns.

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This summary provides an overview of the key topics discussed in the NPR News Now episode released on December 26, 2024. For detailed information, listeners are encouraged to access the full episode through NPR's platforms.

Transcript

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[Korva Coleman]

Live from NPR News In Washington, I'm Korva Coleman. Repair crews in Ukraine are working on parts of the country's power grid. It was hit yesterday by Russian missiles and drones that were carrying explosives. And NPR's Brian Mann reports from Kyiv. Russia launched scores of them at Ukraine.

[Volodymyr Zelensky]

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says they were able to shoot down 50 of the 70 or so missiles launched Christmas morning by Russia. Ukraine also blocked most of those drones. They often used electronic jammers, causing them to crash. But at least 20 of these missiles got through. There were explosions and fires across Ukraine. One utility worker and engineer was killed.

[Korva Coleman]

NPR's Brian Mann reporting. Protests erupted this week in areas of Syria dominated by the Alawite religious minority. That happened after a video spread online, apparently showing militants burning a shrine sacred to the Alawite group. NPR's Dia Hadid reports from Damascus.

[Dia Hadid]

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the video showed gunmen torching a shrine holy to Alawites and killing five workers and mutilating their bodies. As the video spread, protests erupted across Syria in areas dominated by Alawites, posing perhaps the most important security challenge yet for the country's new rulers. They assumed power after rebels overran Damascus in early December. The rebels were led by a Muslim group known as hts, leading to fears among Syrian minorities that they'd be vulnerable to persecution. That fear is particularly strong among Alawites because many view the minority as having aided the former regime of Bashar al Assad, who is also an Alawite. Syria's new information minister blamed, quote, hidden hands that sought to divide Syrians. Dear Hadid, NPR News, Damascus.

[Korva Coleman]

Japanese steel maker Nippon Steel says it'll delay its deadline to acquire U.S. steel from the end of this year to March. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports. It's valued at more than $14 billion.

[Anthony Kuhn]

Nippon Steel said it's pushing back the deadline because President Joe Biden is still reviewing the deal as our of justice antitrust authorities. It added that it hopes Biden will give the deal a fair and fact based evaluation. The Interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the US Failed to reach a consensus on the deal this week and referred the matter to President Biden, who has 15 days to decide. President Biden has publicly opposed the deal, as has President Elect Donald Trump at issue is whether a foreign firm's purchase of an important US Company amounts to a national security risk. Some Japanese are offended by US Officials praising their country as a key ally in some respects, but accusing them of being a security risk in others. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Seoul.

[Korva Coleman]

President elect Trump has named Florida County Commissioner Kevin Marina Cabrera to be his ambassador to Panama. Trump is continuing to insist the US should retake control of the Panama Canal, a statement rejected by Panama's president. You're listening to npr. There are questions about the crash of a passenger plane from Azerbaijan yesterday. It killed more than half of those aboard. The plane was headed for Russia when it was diverted far from its course. It went down in Kazakhstan, but it's not clear why. Russian state TV blames a bird strike, but some aviation experts are asking if Russian defense systems played any role in the crash. Scientists have learned more about what the biodiversity of early life on Earth might have looked like. NPR's Jessica Young reports on a study that tracks species diversity over time.

[Jessica Young]

Researchers looked as far back as the pre Cambrian period, a time with relatively few fossils. Xuhai Xiao at Virginia Tech and co author of the paper in Science, used fossil data from around the world as a sample of all existing species at different times in history.

[Xuhai Xiao]

Kind of like in an election, right? So the pollster would take a small sample of the voters and they get an idea, you know, what the voting result will look like.

[Jessica Young]

The study confirmed some scientists guesses that biodiversity during the boring billion period, which started 1.8 billion years ago, mostly remained low and stable. Plus two ice ages were followed by rapid spikes in diversity, leading Xiao to wonder if ice ages somehow reset a lot of evolution. Jessica Young, NPR News.

[Korva Coleman]

There are winter storm warnings and advisories from Washington state to Utah. Forecasters say this is due to a series of atmospheric river events happening in the Pacific Northwest. The tracking site Poweroutage US says nearly 70 million customers in Washington and Oregon are currently out of power. I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News, in Washington.

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