NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-14-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: January 14, 2025

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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. Listen to The Indicator, the daily economics podcast from NPR. Shea Stevens.

Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Additional federal, state, and local fire resources are arriving in the Los Angeles area as another round of powerful winds threaten to spread ongoing wildfires. CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Christian Litt says crews are scouring the region for hot spots while containing and removing isolated heat sources. We always plan to keep the fire as small as possible but we always prepare for something different especially with the winds coming on. We could have change of the environment for us so we're preparing to respond to anything new. We

have resources identified that could respond quickly and keep news starts small. The fire disaster in the region has claimed at least 24 lives and destroyed thousands of homes since breaking out a week ago. Most of the blaze in Southern California were caused by the Eaton fire, still raging across more than 14,000 acres. At least two lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison amid speculation that the utility company's power lines may have sparked that blaze. And Pierce Liz Baker has more. Alleged eyewitness videos circulating on social media appear to show flames breaking out under

a Soquel Edison transmission tower in Eaton Canyon. So far, investigators from the ATF have not determined the cause of the fire or where it started, but that hasn't stopped speculation. Attorney Ali Magadas represents a plaintiff whose house burned down. He says the complaint was filed quickly to preserve evidence that might help reconstruct the scene in court. In an interview with ABC News, SoCal Edison parent company CEO Pedro Pizarro said employees monitored the lines remotely at the time of the fire and saw no indications of issues

that would cause sparking. But the fires have prevented them from getting eyes on the equipment in person. Southern California Edison and other power companies say they preemptively turned power off during the height of the winds last week. Liz Baker, NPR News, Los Angeles. President Biden says the diplomats are on the brink of a ceasefire deal for Gaza. As NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports, Biden says that he's pressing hard to finalize an agreement before he leaves office next week.

In a wide-ranging speech at the State Department, President Biden touched briefly on a deal he's tried to reach for months. It would get hostages held by Hamas out of Gaza and much-needed aid to Palestinians, who Biden says have gone through hell. Palestinian people deserve peace and the right to determine their own futures. Israel deserves peace and real security. The hostages and their families deserve to be reunited. Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is reaching out to mediators in Qatar and Egypt.

An envoy for the incoming Trump administration has been in the region working on this, too. Michelle Kelliman, NPR News, the State Department. U.S. futures are slightly higher in after-hours trading on Wall Street following Monday's mixed close. The Dow gained 358 points. The Nasdaq lost 73. This is NPR.

In his final report on the Hunter Biden investigation, special counsel David Weiss is defending his work. Weiss also criticizes President Biden for claiming that the probe was politically motivated. He says, like Biden, other presidents have pardoned family members, but he says that none used the occasion to malign public servants at the Justice Department.

Defense Attorney Abby Lowles says Weiss failed to explain why prosecutors pursued what she called wild and debunked conspiracies. Hunter Biden was convicted of felony gun charges, and in a separate case, he pleaded guilty to tax evasion charges in California. In Italy, there's an ongoing public debate over technology to keep the country's government and military communications secret. It's all centered on the relationship between the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Maloney, and billionaire Elon Musk.

Details from NPR's Ruth Sherlock in Rome. Italy is said to be in advanced discussions with Elon Musk's SpaceX business for a $1.5 billion five-year deal in which Italy would make use of the Starlink satellites. Italy would use them for secure communication in its military and diplomatic service. But the deal is dominating Italian newspapers because critics say Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Maloney's friendship with Musk blurs the lines between personal relationships and politics. Musk now stands to make a lucrative business deal at the same time as he joins the Trump administration.

Maloney has however denied the talks over this have anything to do with her friendship with Musk or with the president-elect. Ruth Sherlock, NPR News. Matt Wilson spent years doing rounds at children's hospitals in New York City. I had a clip-on tie. I wore Heelys, size 11. Matt was a medical clown. The whole of a medical clown is to reintroduce the sense of play and joy and hope and light into a space that doesn't normally inhabit. Ideas about navigating uncertainty.

That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR.