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

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

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What's in store for the music, TV, and film industries for 2025? We don't know, but we're making some fun, bold predictions for the new year. Listen now to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Louise Schiavone. In Los Angeles County, firefighters and local and state officials are looking at the threat of high winds fueling and spreading 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. The crews battling the blazes in the Palisades fire are currently focusing their preemptive taxes on several neighborhoods including Fernwood, Topanga Oaks, and Sylvia Parks. California Governor Gavin Newsom told NBC's Meet the Press that the state is standing by those who have lost everything. We have their back. We're going to be back. We're going to do it efficiently and effectively.

Don't turn your back. Don't walk away because we want you to come back, rebuild, and rebuild with higher quality building standards, more modern standards. We want to make sure that the associated costs with that are not disproportionate. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says its priority is aiding California in recovery efforts. NPR's Chandelise Duster has details. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday that over 24,000 people impacted by the fires have applied for disaster assistance, and that number is expected to rise.

Criswell also says President-elect Donald Trump's recent claim that FEMA is out of money is absolutely false, and the agency will help communities rebuild. We had bipartisan support with the supplemental, and we got an additional $27 billion to support the response and the recovery from these fires. Chris Wells says the agency cannot rebuild homes damaged by the fires and is advising property owners to contact their insurance agencies. However, the agency can reimburse those who have been staying in hotels because of the fires.

Chandelis Duster, NPR News. Across the nation, a new report shows that less than half of eligible seniors are enrolled in public benefits programs like SNAP. Montana Public Radio's Aaron Boldton reports the National Council on Aging wants to boost enrollment. 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 enrollment are doing to help health officials across the country boost enrollment. She hopes that'll 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 News in Washington. Snow and ice in the south are a completely different experience from the same conditions just a few states north. Weather conditions in Atlanta and across the south are still cold but calmer since a winter storm hit Friday. After a rare snowfall, Georgia remains in a state of emergency until Tuesday. Dormiah Vance has the latest from member station W-A-B-E in Atlanta. As of Sunday morning, the National Weather Service reported possible slick spots

and patches of black ice as snow melts or refreezes. Temperatures are forecast to dip below freezing into the midweek. More than two inches of snow fell in Atlanta during the storm. It was the first time since 2018 the city had seen more than an inch of snow. Thousands of flights were canceled or delayed from Hartsfield Jackson Airport starting Friday into the weekend. Meanwhile, power was restored to thousands of households that had lost it. For NPR News, I'm Dormye Vance in Atlanta. At the box office this weekend, these streets, they're different. They're old.

Den of Thieves 2, Pantera from Lionsgate, debuted in first place with a $15.5 million in ticket sales. Neighbors' numbers were lower overall, with Hollywood's attention focused on the Los Angeles fires and the closure of about 10 theaters there, the country's top box office market. The most robust box office business this weekend went to holiday holdovers like Mufasa the Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. I'm Louise Chiavone, NPR News, Washington. The Indicator is a podcast where daily economic news is about what matters to you. Workers have been feeling the sting of inflation. So as a new administration promises action

on the cost of living, taxes and home prices, the S&P 500 biggest post-election day spike ever, follow all the big changes and what they mean for you. Make America affordable again. Listen to The Indicator, the daily economics podcast from NPR.