NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-11-2025 12AM EST

Episode Date: January 11, 2025

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Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have outlined their plans to slash the federal workforce with the help of a team of quote small government crusaders. What's in store for federal workers and how are they planning for change? This January 1A's.gov series guides you through various government agencies and the people working for you. Listen to the 1A podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. Several destructive wildfires continued to burn in Los Angeles County. The Palisades Fire is the largest at over

21,000 acres, which is more than the island of Manhattan. The Eaton Fire, the second largest, has scorched nearly 14,000 acres. At least 11 people have died between the two. LAist reporter McKenna Sievertson has the latest. Officials worry that the death toll and the devastation will continue to rise. More than 10,000 structures are believed to be lost or damaged and it's still unclear how many of those or people's homes. Some communities have lost almost everything, especially in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. Forecasters say the worst of the winds that fueled the Eaton and Palisades. Forecasters say the worst of the winds that fueled the

Eaton and Palisades fires and several other blazes that sparked in Southern California this week have passed. But officials warned the area is not out of danger yet, with more red flag fire conditions expected to return next week. For NPR News, I'm McKenna Sievertson in Los Angeles. As snowstorms sweep across the southern U.S., life is ground to a halt in Tennessee, where schools, colleges, libraries and government offices were all closed today. For Member Station WPLN in Nashville, Justin Barney has more. With schools closed and cars buried in snow, one East Nashville city street transformed into a perfect hill for sledding.

The kids won't have long in this street though. Following last year's winter storm that ground the city to a halt for nearly a week, the city acquired 19 brand new snow plows that are now being put to use. Even so, this winter storm has caused some issues for the area. In Nashville's Wedgwood, Houston neighborhood, one car crashed into a power pole, knocking out power. Forecasters say it could be until early next week before the snow melts. For NPR News, I'm Justin Barney in Nashville.

President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced Friday in his New York hush money case. The sentence given out by Judge Juan Murchon gave no jail time and no fines. Mershon says the law protecting a president required the sentence, but he said it does not mean Trump avoided his felony conviction. The protections afforded the office of the president are not a mitigating factor. They do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way.

The protections are, however, a legal mandate which pursuant to the rule of law, this court must respect and follow. After the ruling, Trump quickly expressed his displeasure. This has been a very terrible experience. I think it's been a tremendous setback for New York and the New York court system. Quinn Sean Judkins ran for two touchdowns Friday night as the Ohio State Buckeyes beat Texas in the college football semi-finals. 28-14 the Buckeyes now move into the finals where they'll play Notre Dame later this month.

This is NPR News. A powerful winter storm is moving to the east after dropping heavy snow and ice across much of Texas and Oklahoma. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders mobilized the National Guard to help stranded motorists. Incoming U.S. envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has arrived in Doha, where he will assist with talks about a ceasefire in Gaza. That's according to officials in Qatar. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf has more.

Whitkoff was received by the Qatari Prime Minister, according to a statement from Qatar. They talked about the latest developments in the region, particularly about a ceasefire deal in Gaza that would release some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Mediators have been in talks in Doha about a ceasefire for many days now. Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that a deal was, quote, very close. In an interview with Israeli TV News, Witkoff said that the release of hostages is, quote,

Trump's most important mission before taking office. Witkoff has also said that he's hopeful for a, quote, good announcement about the deal by Trump's inauguration later this month. Kat Lonsdorf, NPR News, Tel Aviv. The administrator of the Panama Canal says there is no interference from China in the canal's operations, as incoming President Donald Trump has claimed several times, and he says giving special privileges to any nation would cause problems. Trump has also suggested that the U.S. should take back control of the canal, the administrator made his comments in an interview with the Associated Press. It was a down day for

Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrial is down 696 points. The Nasdaq down 317. The S&P 500 down 91 points. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.