NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-10-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: January 10, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jack Spear. Two of the biggest fires continuing to burn in the Los Angeles area have now grown slightly even as firefighters gain control over some smaller blazes. The death toll as a result of the fires there has now risen to at least 10, though that could go higher as crews gain access to some of the hardest hit areas. LA County Fire Chief Anthony Morrone said while the fires are not yet contained, his department is in it for the long haul. To our residents impacted by this devastating fire siege, please rest assured that we will

not stop until the fires are fully contained and we will continue to be here for you as we plan for the repopulation, recovery, and rebuilding that will be occurring. The fires have now consumed an area the size of San Francisco, destroying at least 10,000 homes and structures since Tuesday. Meanwhile, as the fires continue their NPR's Greg Allen reports, officials acknowledge an emergency evacuation alert sent yesterday by mistake created unnecessary panic. Nearly 10 million people throughout LA received an emergency alert on their phones Thursday

afternoon telling them to evacuate. The alert had been intended for a much smaller area where fire crews were battling a brush fire. Minutes later, a second message told people to disregard the first alert. Los Angeles County Emergency Manager Kevin McGowan apologized for the mistake and pleaded with Angelino's not to disable their emergency alerts. This is extremely frustrating, painful and scary but these alert tools have saved lives during this emergency. Officials are investigating the software mistake that they say led to the false alert. Greg Atwin, NPR News,

Los Angeles. President-elect Donald Trump today received an unconditional discharge of his sentence with the judge in his case declined to oppose any punishment. The only charges will stay on his record though. During his sentencing hearing, Trump, who appeared virtually, called the case against him a despicable charade. He says he'll appeal. Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to bury allegations of an affair with an adult film star. US employers added more than a quarter million jobs last month. More from NPR's Scott Horsley.

A new report card from the Labor Department shows employers added 256,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate inched down to 4.1 percent. Restaurants and retailers both added jobs last month along with health care and government. Construction companies added 8,000 jobs while manufacturers trimmed 13,000. The report shows the US job market is generally holding up well, although employers aren't having to work quite as hard to find new employees. Average wages in December were up 3.9 percent from a year ago. That's a smaller annual increase than the previous month, although still probably more than enough to outpace inflation. Scott Horsley, NPR News,

Washington. Stocks were down on Wall Street. This is NPR. The Department of Homeland Security says about 800,000 Venezuelans, Salvadorans and Ukrainians who are in the U.S. will be able to stay in the U.S. legally for another 18 months. The announcement comes a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump for his part has promised to put in place hardline immigration policies. Britain's top Treasury official is on her way to China for long-delayed economic talks as the UK tries to reset relations with Beijing. Her trip comes amid signs of economic turmoil

at home though as we hear from NPR's Lauren Frayer. The UK has been struggling with high inflation, low productivity and sluggish growth for years. But this week, the government's borrowing costs hit a 16-year high, and the British currency the pound hit a one-year low against the British currency, the pound, hit a one-year low against the US dollar. The UK has been particularly hard hit by a global bond sell-off, but this may also be delayed reaction to the UK Treasury Chief Rachel Reeves' budget unveiled in the fall and jitters over any tariffs that might be imposed by the incoming Trump administration. These economic talks with

China have been delayed since 2019. Opposition politicians demanded Reeves postpone again because of instability here, but she's gone ahead. Lauren Freyer, NPR News, London. It's New Zealand's version of a reality show, albeit featuring birds instead of people. It tracks a pair of northern royal albatrosses as they breed and raise a chick each year. Millions have tuned in to watch the 24-hour live stream of the birds, breeding season, or rugged headland on New Zealand's South Island. The show began in 2016. I'm Jack Spear, NPR News in Washington.