NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-12-2025 10PM EST

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

NPR News: 01-12-2025 10PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Okay, 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 Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office says it's now investigating 24 deaths from the LA fires, 16 in the Eaton Fire and 8 in the Palisades Fire. After a small breather today, Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up speed in the coming days,

and that could fuel and spread simmering blazes. Cal Fire Operations Chief Christian Litz says the strategy will be strongly defensive. That is clearing brush, clearing the area around from the structures to make sure there's no adverse fire effect to those structures if the fire does move. A major focus will be on the Palisades fire which since Tuesday has scorched nearly 24,000 acres with 11% containment. LA County Sheriff Robert Luna says officials are not taking any chances. I know there's a lot of folks trying to get back to their houses. We are very empathetic and sensitive to those needs but your safety comes first. A lot of these areas still look like they were hit by a bomb.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced as a result of the multiple wildfires. Officials estimate at least 12,000 homes and businesses are gone. But as Elise Hue reports, as quickly as mandatory evacuations went into effect, so did community and volunteer efforts to help. Angelinos have been rolling up to this YMCA in LA's Korea town with carts of water, food, clothing, and lately much-needed microwaves. Ray Jin is the Anderson Munger YMCA director. What we're seeing as community activation coming to help the fire disaster victims in any way they can.

One evacuation center in the heart of Los Angeles was so overwhelmed with donations that they had to turn them away. The focus now is on gathering bedding and other linens. Volunteer A.K. Kim. They're literally sleeping on the floors and stuff like that, right? So if we can get more bedding, that'd be awesome. For NPR News, I'm Elise Hue in Los Angeles. Across the nation a

new report shows less than half of eligible seniors are enrolled in public benefit programs like SNAP. Montana Public Radio's Aaron Bolton reports the National Council on Aging wants that to increase. The council looked at senior enrollment in every US County for food and income assistance and a program that helps low-income seniors pay for Medicare costs. Jennifer Teague with the National Council on Aging says enrollment varies widely, even within states. Her goal is to find out why.

What is causing really high enrollment numbers in one county versus the county next door? Teague says her team will share what counties with high enrollments are doing to help health officials across the country boost enrollment. She hopes that will make a difference in states like Montana where every county is well below the national average. For NPR News, I'm Aaron Bolton in Columbia Falls, Montana. This is NPR. Sales of electric and hybrid vehicles in China increased by more than 40% last year. NPR's Owen Tsau reports that demand for these is booming amid a tough price war.

China's electric vehicle market has grown rapidly in recent years, driven in part by generous government subsidies. In 2024, nearly 11 million new energy vehicles were sold in China, making up almost half of all retail car sales, according to the China Passenger Car Association. By comparison, such vehicles accounted for just 8% of sales in the U.S. market last year, says market researcher Cox Automotive. As the world's largest EV market and producer, China's EV companies face fierce competition at home and pressure on exports. The European Union has raised concerns claiming that

extensive state support for Chinese carmakers has led to unfair competition undercutting local competitors. Al Wenzhal, NPR News, Beijing. It's become a fixture of American social media and entertainment, but TikTok, owned by China-based parent company Bytedance, could vanish from U.S. app stores by the end of the coming week. Hearing arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court Friday, justices appeared receptive to upholding a ban on TikTok in the U.S. based on the contention that the national security threat posed by the company's connections to China outweighed issues of free speech. If the app disappears from Apple and Google's app stores, people who've already downloaded it to their devices will

continue to have access, but for the most part, updates would not be available. I'm Louise Schiavone, NPR News, Washington. Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I had a clip-on tie. I wore Heelys, size 11. Matt was a medical clown. The whole of a medical clown is to reintroduce the sense of play and joy and hope and light into a space that doesn't normally inhabit. Ideas about navigating uncertainty.

That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR.