NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-11-2025 9PM EST

Episode Date: January 12, 2025

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OK, so does this sound like you? You love NPR's podcasts, you wish you could get more of all your favorite shows, and you want to support NPR's mission to create a more informed public. If all that sounds appealing, then it is time to sign up for the NPR Plus bundle. Learn more at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in New York City, I'm Dwahleesai Caltel. The two largest wildfires in Southern California are in the neighborhoods of Malibu and Los Angeles. Both blazes are less than 15% contained, and Cal Fire shows more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed.

Erin Stone with Member Station LAS reports. Officials say fire danger will remain high at least through Wednesday due to another round of Santa Ana winds and ongoing dry conditions. In the community of Altadena, hundreds of homes have been leveled by the Eaton fire. Altadena resident Anna Martinez still has a home, but her neighbor and multiple family and friends have lost theirs. My heart feels very heavy. I feel guilty at the same time. I don't know how to explain it. I can't be really happy because there's people who are suffering, you know?

Firefighting crews have come from all over the country to help fight LA's fires, as tens of thousands remain under evacuation orders. For NPR News, I'm Erin Stone in Pasadena. The fires in Los Angeles have threatened and destroyed parts of the city's cultural landscape. And Paris Chloe Veltman reports the Getty Center is among the latest landmarks in danger. The Getty Center issued evacuation orders on Friday. The famed art museum is currently open only to emergency staff. So far the property remains undamaged and the personnel safe. Trees and vegetation burned on Tuesday at the Centre's coastal sister museum, the Getty Villa. Collections

and staff are unharmed. Micah Rogers is the Getty's director of facilities. We have a strong culture of safety within the institution. We think about emergencies and preparedness constantly. Other cultural landmarks have already been destroyed in these fires. The casualties include the actor Will Rogers' 1920s ranch home at Will Rogers' State Historic Park, the Topanga Ranch Motel, once owned by William Randolph Hurst, and the Zane Gray estate, home to the great western novelist Zane Gray. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. A new study is raising concerns about the hundreds of US hospitals controlled by private equity firms.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School find patient satisfaction declined. For Member Station WBUR Priyanka, Thayel McCluskey reports. Many patients said their experience at hospitals worsened after private equity takeovers and they've reported staff were less responsive. Dr. Rishi Wadhera co-authored the study and says it adds to a growing body of evidence pointing in the same direction. When private equity takes over a hospital things generally get worse for patients. He says as private equity grows there really is an urgent need for greater transparency, monitoring and regulatory oversight.

Lawmakers are paying attention. The Senate Budget Committee this week published a bipartisan report saying private equity investors are making millions on hospital deals while patients suffer. For NPR News, I'm Priyanka Deolmukhleski in Baltimore. In Tel Aviv, more anti-government protests today, but there is a possible sign of progress in ceasefire negotiations as the director of Israel's Mossad Foreign Intelligence Agency, David Barnier, could soon head to Qatar for talks on the war in Gaza. A new government program rolling out this year will allow consumers to know which products

have been designed with cybersecurity in mind. NPR's Jenna McLaughlin reports internet-connected devices will be labeled with a logo that says U.S. Cyber Trustmark. While browsing the shelves in store or online for home security cameras, fitness trackers, baby monitors, and other smart devices, U.S. consumers will soon be able to look for a special cybersecurity label. That label, the U.S. Cyber Trustmark, was launched by the White House and will be administered

by the Federal Communications Commission, or the FCC. Like the Energy Star labels that help promote green and energy-efficient products, the CyberSafe label will help consumers know products have been tested using U.S. government cybersecurity standards, and companies have committed to maintaining security as new vulnerabilities are uncovered. Best Buy and Amazon have already committed to highlighting products with the special label. Jenna McLaughlin, NPR News.

In eastern France, two trams collided inside a town Saturday afternoon, injuring dozens of people near the main train station of Strasbourg. Local officials say no one was critically injured, but many were evaluated for shock or stress. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash. I'm Dua-Hli Sai Khao Tao, NPR News. The Indicator is a podcast where daily economic news is about what matters to you. I'm Duah Lee Tsai Khao Tao, NPR News.