NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-13-2025 5PM EST

Episode Date: January 13, 2025

NPR News: 01-13-2025 5PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janene Herbst. In Los Angeles, stronger winds are in the forecast for the next 72 hours. That could complicate efforts by fire crews to contain the major fires that continue to burn throughout the LA County. Steve Futterman reports at least 24 people have been killed. It is the one thing people here do not want. The increased winds will continue for the next three days. The strongest are forecast to come late Tuesday into Wednesday. Because of the threat, fire crews are being pre-positioned in areas thought to be vulnerable.

Ryan Chadwick is in the Mandeville Canyon area. Fires obviously continuing to go, but we're keeping it contained, keeping it away from the houses. From here right now things are looking good around these homes. As strong as these winds will be, they are not expected to be nearly equal to the tremendously strong winds last week. For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, as those winds pick up, the National Weather Service issued its most severe fire warning for parts of Los Angeles critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions through Wednesday.

U.S. Supreme Court says it won't block a lawsuit in Hawaii that aims to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for damages caused by climate change. In Piers, Michael Koppeli reports, dozens of similar cases have been filed in the U.S. against the oil and gas industry. John Daulman, Reporting, The New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times Honolulu is suing fossil fuel companies and state court for allegedly misleading the public about the dangers their products pose to the Earth's climate. Honolulu says it's suffering as a result from things like flooding and more extreme storms and heat waves. Oil companies

argued the emissions causing climate change are a national matter and that lawsuits like Honolulu's belong in federal court. The Supreme Court's decision not to hear the industry's appeal allows Honolulu's case to move forward. An industry group called the American Petroleum Institute said it's disappointed by the decision and that climate change is an issue for Congress to deal with, not the courts. Michael Copley, NPR News. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says a ceasefire agreement in Gaza is close. We are close to a deal and it can get done this week. I'm not making a promise or a prediction, but it is there for the taking and we are

going to work to make it happen. U.S., Hamas and Israeli negotiators are meeting in Doha and there is pressure to have a deal by the time President-elect Trump is inaugurated next week. Negotiators have been close to a deal before to release Hamas-held hostages and Israeli-held Palestinian detainees, though it hasn't happened. But Sullivan says this time could be it. The gaps between the two sides are slowly getting removed one by one, and issues are closing. Danielle Pletka President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend, stressing the need for an immediate deal. Wall Street ended the day in mixed territory, the Dow up 358 points. This is NPR News. In Indiana, police say a man has been arrested

on a felony charge of stalking the basketball star, Kaitlyn Clark. Authorities say the man sent her harassing and threatening messages and traveled from Texas to Indiana in an attempt to see her in person. In Pierce, Becky Sullivan has more. Becky Sullivan. Prosecutors released some of the messages they say Michael Thomas Lewis sent to Clark. They include threats of sexual violence. Others suggest going to her games or driving around the Indianapolis arena where her WNBA team plays. Prosecutors say Lewis traveled from Texas to a hotel in downtown Indianapolis with the

intent to be close to Clark. When police came to the hotel to question him, Lewis said it was, quote, an imaginary relationship. But he continued to message Clark afterward. Police say Clark told them the messages had made her fear for her safety and alter her public appearances. If convicted, Lewis could face up to six years in prison. A preliminary court appearance is set for Tuesday. Becky Sullivan in PR News. Becky Sullivan Blue Origin called off its debut launch of a massive new rocket because of technical trouble. The uncrewed 320-foot New Glenn rocket was supposed to have blasted off early this morning

with a prototype satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida. But launch controllers faced an unspecified problem with the rocket in the final minutes of the countdown and called it off. The test flight already had been delayed by rough seas that posed a risk to the company's plan to land the first-stage booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic. Blue Origin is founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos. I'm Janene Herbst, and you're listening to NPR News from Washington.