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Today’s top stories
President Biden will finish his term and leave the White House soon in a way almost no other president has. He will be replaced by the president he once replaced, marking a big factor for any assessment of his legacy.
President Biden, seen here on Dec. 10, 2024, said he plans to issue more pardons and commutations in the final weeks of his presidency.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 When announcing his campaign, Biden explicitly said in a video that he wanted Trump to be a one-term president, NPR’s Tamara Keith tells Up First. During his single term, Biden passed significant legislation including the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act. White House communications director Ben LaBolt says the administration’s legislation will have a lasting impact, long after Biden leaves office. Historian Tevi Troy told Keith that Biden’s legacy flipped from the guy who defeated Trump to the one who enabled his return.
- ➡️ If Biden holds an end-of-term press conference, here are the eight questions NPR’s White House correspondents would ask him.
The last major hospital in northern Gaza, Kamal Adwan, has been shut down with no ceasefire in sight. Israeli forces raided the hospital this past weekend and detained many of its doctors and nurses. For the past several months, the hospital has treated patients as Israeli forces conducted an offensive at Gaza’s northern edge.
- 🎧 The hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, refused to abide by Israeli evacuation orders for north Gaza, NPR’s Aya Batrawy says. Earlier this month he told NPR that the collapse of the hospital would mean the end of life in north Gaza. Israel says Hamas was using the hospital and that it detained 240 suspected militants during the latest raid. The World Health Organization is calling for the immediate release of Dr. Abu Safiya, who was also taken.
- 🎧 People in the Middle East have spent 2024 waiting on a ceasefire deal. As the year ends, Up First is reviewing the efforts made to stop the war in Gaza. Listen here.
Funeral arrangements for former President Jimmy Carter will span six days, three cities and multiple stops at locations that held significance during his life. In a release, the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region said the celebration of his life begins Saturday, Jan. 4, which is when his remains leave Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, Ga. The public will be able to pay their respects from Saturday evening to the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 7 at the Carter Presidential Center, where his remains will lie in repose. Here are the other services being held
Today’s listen
Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac 50 years ago today. Their tumultuous relationship captivated fans and inspired hit songs. But before their arrival, early Fleetwood Mac was difficult to categorize. They were popular in England and Europe and were beginning to gain traction in the U.S. as a blues rock band. At the same time, Buckingham and Nicks released an album as a duo that did not sell very well.
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Graduating students protests remarks by Washington University Chancellor Andrew Martin on May 13, at the university’s campus near Clayton, Mo. Full story here.
Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio
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Brian Munoz/St. Louis Public Radio
In 2024, photographers at NPR’s member and affiliate stations captured images of protests that unfolded on college campuses, a total solar eclipse, one of the most important Election Days in U.S. history, multiple celebrations and more. NPR compiled a selection of photos from this year showcasing their impactful photojournalism. Click here to see these photos.
3 things to know before you go
Norway’s chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen gestures during a game in the Tata Steel Chess India tournament in Kolkata on Nov. 17.
Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP via Getty Images
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Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP via Getty Images
- Magnus Carlsen, the world’s top chess player, is at the World Blitz Championship after going head-to-head with organizers over his refusal to change out of jeans to conform to a strict dress code at a tournament last week.
- A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal by President-elect Donald Trump of a 2023 jury decision that he sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll.
- The nation’s biggest transit systems are using AI-enhanced cameras to keep bus lanes clear of illegally parked cars. The technology, provided by start-up Hayden AI, helps transit agencies fine drivers who block bus lanes and stops.
This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.
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