NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-07-2025 7PM EST

Episode Date: January 8, 2025

NPR News: 01-07-2025 7PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025? We don't know, but we're making some fun, bold predictions for the new year. Listen now to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Former President Jimmy Carter, who died at the end of December, is being honored at the U.S. Capitol today. As NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports, dozens of members of Carter's family were in attendance, as well as members of the Biden cabinet and former Carter administration cabinet. Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and House Speaker Mike

Johnson delivered eulogies that emphasize Carter's values of service and citizenship. Here's Johnson. President Carter's life, his selfless service, his fight against cancer, and his lasting contributions to his fellow man are all truly remarkable. Whether he was in the White House or in his post-presidential years. Harris detailed Carter's creation of the Departments of Education and Energy and his efforts to put people of color on the federal bench. Members of the public can pay their respects through midnight and again on Wednesday. Barbara Sprint and PR News, The Capital.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for more than 30,000 people in Los Angeles County. Cal Fire says there is an immediate threat to life. Fast-moving fire has already grown to more than 1,200 acres, fanned by gusty winds. Megan Garman had to flee her home with her daughter and was ultimately forced to abandon her car on a clogged road. She says she's never seen anything like it.

Never, never. And I've lived in Malibu my whole life and I've seen tons of fires. This is nothing. I was scared for my life. It was, it's terrifying. The evacuation order includes parts of the famed and picturesque Pacific Coast Highway and also affects everyone living in Pacific Palisades.

It includes Big Rock Beach, Tuna Canyon Park and Los Tunas County Beach. There are reports of some homes damaged by flames. President-elect Donald Trump is not ruling out the use of military force to acquire Greenland. In Buras Franco Ordonia's reports, Trump has reportedly expressed his desire to acquire the island territory, which is strategically located and is home to a US military base. During a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump was asked if he would rule out economic or military coercion to gain control of Greenland. He said he would not, calling it a necessity for American security.

You don't even need binoculars. You look outside, you have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We're not letting that happen. We're not letting it happen. He questioned whether Denmark, which has long controlled Greenland, has a, quote, legal right to the territory. Franco, Ordonez and PR News, Palm Beach.

Once again a day where what's good for Main Street went the other way for Wall Street. Stocks lost ground after a pair of reports on job openings and business activity were stronger than expected. Stocks down on concerns the good news might make the Fed less likely to cut interest rates. The Dow fell 178 points. The Nasdaq dropped 375 points today. You're listening to NPR News in Washington. Under a final rule announced today by the Biden administration, unpaid medical bills would no longer appear on credit reports where they can have a detrimental effect on the ability for consumers to obtain everything from a mortgage to a car loan.

Under a final rule announced today by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an estimated $49 billion in medical debt would no longer be shown on the credit reports of more than 15 million Americans. The CFPB estimates it could boost credit scores by an average of 20 points and allow for the approval of 22,000 more mortgages a year. NASA says it will hedge its bets and pursue two different options for an ambitious robotic mission to bring rock samples home from Mars. As NPR's Nell Greenfield-Boyce explains, the previous plan was abandoned as being too costly. The original plan had projected costs that had ballooned to around $11 billion.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson says it was unacceptable. He says instead the agency will simultaneously explore two cheaper options for getting Mars rocks home. One would use tried and true technology from past Mars missions. The other would rely on new commercial capabilities. The final decision is likely to come in 2026. He says either of these two options would cost around six to $7 billion

and would get Mars rocks back before 2040. Scientists hope that studying these pristine rock samples could reveal whether Mars has ever been home to life in any form. Nell Greenfield-Boce, NPR News. Critical futures prices moved higher, oil up 69 cents a barrel to 74.25 a barrel. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington. The Indicator is a podcast where daily economic news is about what matters to you.

Workers have been feeling the sting of inflation. So as a new administration promises action on the cost of living, taxes and home prices, the S&P 500 biggest post-election day spike ever, follow all the big changes and what they mean for you. Make America affordable again. Listen to The Indicator, the daily economics podcast from NPR.