News Wrap: New government in Peru suspends basic rights to quell protests

In our news wrap Wednesday, the new government in Peru declared a state of emergency and suspended basic rights to quell violent protests, a storm system reached the upper Midwest and the Deep South where tornadoes killed a woman and her eight-year-old son in Louisiana and Ukraine says its air defenses blunted the latest Russian drone attacks aimed at power and water sites.

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  • Judy Woodruff:

    The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates again, but not by as much this time.

    Today's hike was half-a-percentage point after the previous few increases of three-quarters-of-a-point. It came amid signs that inflation may be easing, but the Fed also forecast more rate increases into 2023. We will take a closer look after the news summary.

    A violent winter storm has now reached into the Upper Midwest and the Deep South of the United States. This evening, a tornado was spotted in East New Orleans. Hours earlier, tornadoes killed a woman and her 8-year-old son elsewhere in Louisiana. To the north, blizzard-like conditions closed highways across parts of the Plains states and dumped more than two feet of snow on homes.

    In Peru, the new government declared a state of emergency today and suspended basic rights in an effort to quell violent protests. The measure will be in place for 30 days. Unrest has rocked the Andean nation since the Congress ousted President Pedro Castillo last week. At least seven people have died in the clashes.

    Ukraine says that its air defenses blunted the latest Russian drone attacks today aimed at power and water sites. In Kyiv, several buildings were damaged from wreckage when drones were shot down, and some parked cars had their windows blown out.

    Meanwhile, at the Vatican, Pope Francis appealed for people to redirect their Christmas spending.

    Pope Francis, Leader of Catholic Church (through translator): Let's make a more humble Christmas with more humble gifts. And let's send what we save to the people of Ukraine, who need it. There's a lot of suffering. They're hungry. They're cold. So many die for lack of doctors and nurses around. Let's not forget them.

  • Judy Woodruff:

    Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has called for Russian troops to start withdrawing by Christmas. Today, Moscow dismissed that idea.

    China's President Xi Jinping and his ruling politburo kicked off an annual meeting today focused on jump-starting the country's economy. Prolonged COVID lockdowns have taken a toll and now infections are surging, as restrictions are eased. The meeting is being closely watched globally for any new economic stimulus.

    Another big auto recall is in the works. General Motors today recalled some 740,000 Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick and GMC cars and SUVs in the U.S., all recent year models. Their daytime running lights may not turn off when the headlights are on, and the glare could blind oncoming drivers.

    On Wall Street, stocks gave up early gains and ended lower after the Federal Reserve signaled that interest rate cuts are not in the offing. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 142 points to close at 33966. The Nasdaq fell 86 points. The S&P 500 slipped 24.

    France is headed to soccer's World Cup finals after beating Morocco 2-0. It sets up a championship match on Sunday with Argentina.

    Also today, the widow of soccer journalist Grant Wahl said that an autopsy shows he died of an aneurysm, a ruptured blood vessel. She said — quote — "There was nothing nefarious about his death."

    And the Library of Congress is out with this year's inductees into the National Film Registry. The National Film Preservation Board culled the list from thousands of titles for their artistic, cultural and historical significance.

    Jeffrey Brown reports for arts and culture series, Canvas.

  • Jeffrey Brown:

    To the romantic comedy "When Harry Met Sally," the Library of Congress said:

  • Actress:

    I will have what she's having.

  • Jeffrey Brown:

    The 1989 film written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner was cited as one of the seminal works of the rom-com genre. This year, its enduring charm featuring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan earned it a place in the National Film Registry, where it will join 24 other familiar and lesser known works from film history.

    One of the most recent, the 2008 action blockbuster starring Robert Downey Jr. as the tech genius and superhero with the title name "Iron Man."

  • Robert Downey Jr., Actor:

    I am Iron Man.

  • Jeffrey Brown:

    Directed by Jon Favreau, it was the first film that Marvel Studios independently produced.

    Other pop culture films that left a mark, Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film adaptation of Stephen King's "Carrie," Disney's 1989 return to large-scale animation with "The Little Mermaid," and an older classic, the first U.S. version of "Cyrano de Bergerac" from 1950.

  • Jose Ferrer, Actor:

    Imagine, she has asked to see me.

  • Jeffrey Brown:

    Jose Ferrer's performance clinched him an Oscar for best actor, becoming the first Hispanic actor to win.

    The picks span 124 years, going back to a 1898 documentary, "The Mardi Gras Carnival," capturing a parade in New Orleans. The silent film was long thought to be lost, and only recently rediscovered. Another groundbreaking documentary, "Titicut Follies," was noted for leading to social change. The 1967 Frederick Wiseman film exposed patient abuse at a Massachusetts hospital for what were then called the criminally insane.

    Social change of another kind is seen in films noted for spotlighting the LGBTQ+ community, including the 1977 "Word Is Out: Stories of Our Lives," the newest, 2011's "Pariah," a coming of age story written and directed by Dee Rees…

  • Actress:

    I'm not running. I'm choosing.

  • Jeffrey Brown:

    … cited as — quote — "a key film in modern queer cinema."

    The Library of Congress has selected movies every year since 1988, with a total of 850 now in the registry. Next year, 25 more films will hope to be part of that world.

    For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown.

  • Judy Woodruff:

    Some of the great ones.

    And still to come on the "NewsHour": House Majority Whip James Clyburn discusses Democrats' path forward, as Republicans come to power in Congress; Pakistan's foreign minister addresses his country's relations with the U.S.; we examine the significance and impact of France's win and Morocco's historic run at the World Cup; plus much more.

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