NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-13-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Biden's addressing his foreign policy legacy as he prepares to leave office and President-elect Trump prepares to step back in. Biden just wrapped up a speech at the State Department. He said U.S.'s global alliances are stronger now than when he took over from the first Trump administration in 2021. Nato is more capable than it's ever been. And many more of our allies are paying their fair share. Before I took office, nine NATO allies are spending 2% of their GDP on defense. Now 23 are spending 2%. Trump has said NATO members should spend 5% of GDP on defense. He's also

raised concerns among diplomats about expansionist rhetoric involving Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal as a means of further protecting U.S. interests. As wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles, many students in the nation's second largest public school system are returning to campus. Elise Hue has this update from the Los Angeles Unified School District. District leaders say conditions have improved for a vast majority of its campuses across the LA area, but it is keeping some of its schools closed due to mandatory evacuation orders.

LA USD Superintendent Alberto Cavallo says air quality improvements were a key factor in the decision to reopen. Even the latter part of a Friday, those air quality indicators had been acceptable based on our current standards. He said schools will prioritize keeping students indoors just to be safe.

For NPR News, I'm Elise Hough in Los Angeles. The Academy of Arts and Sciences has delayed Oscars nominations for a second time because of the fires. They'll now be announced a week from Thursday. In other news, Lebanon is one step closer to forming a new government. It appointed a new prime minister today, this coming days after choosing a new president after going without one for more than two years. Here's NPR's Emily Fang. Emily Fang Lebanon's new prime minister is Nawaf Salam.

He's a Harvard trained lawyer who is currently also the head of the International Court of Justice. That's one of the multinational courts where Israel is currently being tried for genocide in Gaza. Next, Lebanon must assemble a cabinet of ministers that conforms to the informal power sharing arrangement Lebanon has for its various identity groups. For example, by convention its president is always Maronite Christian, its Prime Minister Sunni Muslim, and its Speaker of Parliament Shia Muslim. The new government will be crucial in implementing a ceasefire with Israel. It must also

contend with monthly double-digit inflation of the Lebanese pound and immense destruction from the latest war between Israel and Lebanon-based fighting group Hezbollah. Amoli Fang and Peer News, Beirut. This is NPR. Less than half of eligible seniors are enrolled in public benefit programs such as SNAP. That's according to a new map from the National Council on Aging in the U.S. Montana Public Radio's Aaron Bolton reports the council hopes this data will help boost enrollment. The council looked at senior enrollment in every U.S. 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. An earthquake struck southwestern Japan today. The US Geological Survey reports a temblor was a magnitude 6.8. Japan's agency reported a slightly higher intensity. The nighttime quake temporarily triggered a tsunami advisory for Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures, home to more than one and a half million people. The public broadcaster NHKTV had warned tsunami waves as high as three feet might have reached land within half hour of the quake. There were no immediate reports of injuries or severe damage from today's powerful earthquake.

This is NPR News.