NPR News: 12-01-2025 4AM EST
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On the web at theschmidt.org. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman.
What recent events has President Trump addressed regarding military actions?
President Trump is responding to reporting by The Washington Post that says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a second strike on a drug cartel boat back in September. It came after the first strike killed all but two people who were left clinging to this side of the boat. Speaking with reporters on Air Force One Sunday, Trump says Hegseth told him the story is not true.
We'll look into it. But no, I wouldn't have wanted that, not a second strike. The first strike was very lethal. It was fine if there were two people around. But Pete said that didn't happen. I have great confidence.
Critics say that if a second strike was approved, it would amount to murder. The White House has announced a new effort to increase artificial intelligence research and innovation. They're calling it the Genesis Mission, and the plan will involve national labs, universities, and the private sector. Ampere's Deepa Shivram has our reports.
The president signed a recent executive order that launched the new AI initiative. Officials claim that by releasing federal data sets, scientific discovery and innovation with AI will happen at a much faster rate, as in what used to take years could take days. The push to innovate faster comes as the White House and some Republicans have also expressed interest in quashing state regulations on AI. Proponents of the idea say that having a patchwork of state AI laws makes commerce more difficult, but critics say that in lieu of Congress passing anything on regulating AI, states need to make their own laws to try to protect consumers and hold tech companies accountable. Deepa Shivaram, NPR News.
Indonesia says the death toll from this week's flooding on the western island of Sumatra has reached 435 people. Southeast Asia has been battered by storms in the past several weeks. Michael Sullivan reports from Thailand.
The more towns and villages the authorities in Sumatra reach, the higher the death toll climbs. Three provinces have been hardest hit by the flooding triggered by the latest tropical storm this week, cutting off roads, damaging bridges, and downing communications links. Relief teams are using helicopters and fixed-winged aircraft to deliver aid where possible to areas inaccessible by road. Hundreds of people remain missing, with nearly a quarter million displaced. In Thailand, the Ministry of Public Health says deaths related to flooding there have reached 170. Tropical storms have killed nearly 1,000 people in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia this month. For NPR News, I'm Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Asian stock shares have started the week mostly down. Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei average fell almost 2% after the release of data showing weak factory activity in November. In Seoul, meanwhile, the KOSPI slipped 0.2%, while Taiwan's TAIX lost 1%. Futures for the S&P 500, meanwhile, were down 0.7%. Dow futures were also down. This is NPR News. When the government shutdown disrupted federal food assistance, many local governments stepped in to help low-income residents. Now, one of those efforts is showing traction in Nashville, Tennessee. Tony Gonzalez with member station WPLN reports the city accelerated a program that allows qualifying residents to ride city buses for free.
When SNAP benefits were delayed by the shutdown, Nashville's public transportation agency, WeGo Transit, tried to lessen the financial strain. SNAP recipients are among those who qualify for a free bus fare program, and the city set up more enrollment tables outside its agencies, libraries, and bus stations. Riders like mother of two Antoinette Hatton says the pass will save her about $60 a month.
If you have to go to the grocery store and back and school and back and pick them up from school, I have to get off from work.
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