NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-12-2025 7AM EST

Episode Date: January 12, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. California Governor Gavin Newsom is welcoming firefighters from around the country and from Canada and Mexico as Los Angeles battles to prevent the spread of devastating wildfires. We have all the western states that are providing mutual aid, nine plus states. We have 12,000 personnel working the line as we speak. Today, we got up to 1,680 National Guard. They're out patrolling the streets and providing relief for law enforcement. Nat. Josh. Newsom spoke at LAX as firefighters arrived from Mexico. He said they will likely be sent to help fight the Palisades Fire, the largest burning in and around Los Angeles. Authorities say the Palisades Fire is 11 percent contained right now, and the second largest,

the Eaton Fire, is 15 percent contained. Officials say the fire danger in Southern California will remain high through at least Wednesday because of another round of Santa Ana winds and ongoing dry conditions. More than 12,000 structures have been destroyed and the death toll has climbed to 16. The fires in LA have already threatened or destroyed parts of the city's cultural landscape and as NPR's Chloe Veltman reports, the Getty Center is among the latest landmarks

facing 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. Michael 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 Hearst, and the Zane Gray estate, home to the great western novelist Zane Gray. Chloe Valtman, NPR News. – President Biden awarded Pope Francis with the nation's highest civilian honor this weekend, the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. Francis became the first person to receive that added level of honor from Biden, in Pierce's Julianna Kim reports.

– President Biden was scheduled to travel to the Vatican this weekend to meet with Pope Francis, but canceled in order to monitor the California wildfires. The White House said the two were able to speak over the phone on Saturday. The White House says Pope Francis received the award for his commitment to serving the poor as well as advocating for world peace and the environment. President Biden is the second Catholic president in U.S. history, while Pope Francis is the third pope to receive the medal. The two have had a good rapport for many years, well before Biden took office.

Julianna Kim, NPR News. Pete Slauson And from Washington, you're listening to NPR News. Special counsel Jack Smith has resigned from the Justice Department. The department disclosed Smith's departure in a court filing this weekend saying his resignation took effect on Friday. Smith left the DOJ amid legal wrangling over the two-volume report on his cases against President-elect Donald Trump that he and his team had prepared. Ukraine's president says his soldiers have captured North Korean troops fighting for Russia. Thousands of North Korean soldiers now involved in the war as Imperial Stumenka Kisus reports. Writing on the social media app

Telegram, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two North Korean soldiers were wounded in Kursk, the Russian border region partly occupied by Ukraine. He said the soldiers are cooperating with Ukraine's domestic intelligence service and will be available to speak to journalists. A unit of Ukraine's special operations forces also released this video, complete with dramatic music showing the capture of the North Korean soldiers. In the video, one soldier appears listless as medics swab at his wounds. Zelensky shared photos of another injured soldier with bandaged arms and a striped sweater. He said the soldiers are being treated for their injuries in Kiev.

Joanna Kakissis, NPR News, Lviv. Voters in Croatia are casting ballots today in a presidential runoff election. Incumbent Zora Milanovic is favored to win. Milanovic easily won the first round of voting last month but fell short of the 50 percent he needed to claim victory over seven other candidates. Mlanovich is a critic of Western military support for Ukraine. I'm Giles Snyder, MPR News.