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Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Annual climate talks have ended in Azerbaijan with an agreement that wealthy nations will pay some $300 billion a year to countries being most affected by climate change.
The deal was quickly criticized by less developed nations, which are feeling the worst effects of climate change right now. MPR's Lauren Summer, meanwhile, says one major topic at the conference was incoming President Donald Trump and what he will do about current U.S. climate policy. It's unclear because if you remember when Trump was president, he pulled the U.S. out of the major climate agreement. That's the Paris Agreement. He has not wanted the U.S. to be part of this in the past.
This year, the Biden administration says it supplied $11 billion. But, you know, even if Trump undoes the U.S. commitment, some funding could continue, like from the World Bank, which the U.S. contributes to. NPR's Lauren Sommer. Republicans who've opposed President-elect Donald Trump are regrouping after the former president's victory in the 2024 election.
As NPR's Sarah McCammon reports, outreach to disaffected Republicans was a key part of Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign strategy. Many current and former high-profile Republicans publicly opposed Trump and threw their weight behind Harris. Former Congressman Denver Riggleman was a technical advisor to the House January 6th Committee and chair of Republicans for Harris in Virginia. He thinks those efforts won over some conservative voters for Harris, but clearly not enough to make a difference. I'm an expert in this.
And even I, I think, underestimated the power of the far-right media ecosystem and how it could affect and persuade people. Riggleman says some high-profile anti-Trump Republicans now worry about facing retribution given Trump's repeated threats to go after his political rivals.
Sarah McCammon, NPR News. Supporters of so-called school choice put ballot initiatives before voters in three states this month. All three failed. Kentucky Public Radio's Sylvia Goodman reports why it failed there, where 65 percent of voters said no to sending tax dollars to private or charter schools. Kentucky teacher unions and rural voters were worried the measure could lead to the defunding of public schools, especially where private schools are rare.
And in urban areas, some voters say they want to fix the existing system before investing in a new one. But University of Arkansas education policy professor Patrick Wolf says he expects private school choice advocacy to continue. It seems like it's inevitable, right? Because right now you're a school choice donut hole. So you're sort of an island of uncertainty.
Nearly every state border in Kentucky has some way to help parents pay for private school tuition. For NPR News, I'm Sylvia Goodman in Louisville, Kentucky. Diplomats are attempting to negotiate a ceasefire this weekend as Israeli airstrikes on Beirut continue. Health officials say a strike on Saturday in central Beirut killed at least 20 people and dozens of others were also injured. Lebanon's health ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon.
You're listening to NPR News.
Venezuelan authorities say they're investigating the government's leading opponent for treason. It's the latest attempt by the government to blame popular nationwide dissent for economic sanctions levied by the U.S. and other countries. NPR's Carrie Khan reports. In a statement, Venezuela's attorney general says the latest investigation will probe whether Maria Corina Machado has been plotting with other foreign countries to conspire against the nation. Officials say Machado has committed treason after
after posting on social media support of a bell pass in the U.S. House of Representatives. It bans federal contracts with companies doing business with Venezuela's government. The U.S. slapped back sanctions on Venezuela after last July's election. President Nicolás Maduro declared victory but has yet to provide proof.
The opposition, however, collected results from 80% of voting machines showing its candidate and Mundo Gonzalez overwhelmingly won. This week, the U.S. recognized Gonzalez as Venezuela's president-elect. Carrie Khan, NPR News. Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Barcelona, Spain on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment. Barcelona is a popular tourist attraction and the average rent for an apartment has doubled in the past 10 years, according to the website Idealista.
Much of the U.S. is being pounded this weekend by either snow or rain. In California, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the Sierra Nevadas through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at higher elevations. Thousands of people around Seattle, meanwhile, are without power as a bomb cyclone system hit the region during the week and parts of the northeast and Appalachia are getting heavy rain this weekend. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.
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