NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-12-2025 6AM EST

Episode Date: January 12, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Childe Snyder. The two largest wildfires in Southern California right now in Malibu and Los Angeles County. Fire officials say that more than 12,000 structures have been destroyed and firefighters are still working to contain the flames. Erin Stone with Member Station LAist 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 like OK. 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 MPR news I'm Erin Stone in Pasadena. The death toll from the fires is rising. Officials now say 16 people have been killed, five deaths blamed on the Palisades fire and 11 on the Eaton fire. Officials say they expect that number to rise as teams using cadaver dogs conduct searches in burned-out neighborhoods.

TikTok is waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court over a law that could ban the app by January 19th. NPR's Bobby Allen reports that lawyers for the video service say if it's shut down, lawmakers could then go after other companies. TikTok is asking the Supreme Court to pause or overturn a law prohibiting the app from operating in the U.S. unless it sheds its Chinese owner. TikTok's legal team told the court that upholding the ban will set a dangerous precedent. Lawyer Jeff Fisher, who represented creators on TikTok in the case, asked the justices

why lawmakers did not appear worried about other Chinese apps in its crackdown. What a congress really worried about these very dramatic risks leave out an e-commerce site like Temu that has 70 million Americans using it. The Justice Department says China's potential influence over TikTok makes the app a risk to Americans' data and security. President-elect Donald Trump says once in office, he will find a way to save the app. Bobby Allen in PR News, Washington. Thousands turned out in Tel Aviv Saturday for the weekly protest calling for a ceasefire deal

in Gaza that will return the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Mediators in Qatar are making a renewed push for an agreement, but protesters, including Ronnie Graff, are skeptical. We've been there before. It was closer than ever. A few months ago, a few weeks ago, over a year ago, it never came because Netanyahu doesn't want a ceasefire agreement. There is a sign of progress. So Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending a high-level

delegation to the talks in Qatar, including the director of Israel's Mossad Intelligence Agency. And you're listening to NPR News. A lawyer for South Korea's impeached president, Yoon Song-yeol, says he will not attend the first hearing of his trial to determine whether he will be removed from office. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. Yoon's lawyer is citing concerns about his safety amid a standoff with police over an arrest warrant following his failed attempt to impose martial law last month. Play has begun at the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Christina Cucullo reports that some of the top ranked US players will be on the court in Melbourne Park. More than 30 American players are set to compete in the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam for the year. The women's singles draw includes 19 American women, among them Coco Goff, Jessica Pagula, Emma Navarro and Danielle Collins. Goff, the 2023 US Open winner and ranked number three in the world, has fellow American Sophia Kennan as her first round opponent.

In the men's singles draw there are 14 Americans, including Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Francis Tiafoe. Fritz, who enters the tournament ranked number four in the world, is up against another American Jensen Brooksby in the first round. For NPR News, I'm Christina Kukola in Melbourne. The French island territory of Maillot is on red alert again. Another cyclone is heading towards the islands off Africa after making landfall in northern Madagascar yesterday. Myot still recovering from a cyclone that hit a month ago that storm is described as

the most devastating to hit Myot in nearly a century. I'm Giles Snyder. This is NPR News from Washington.