NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-14-2025 5AM EST

Episode Date: January 14, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly. Gusty Santa Ana winds have returned to southern California where crews continue to battle wildfires in and around Los Angeles. The National Weather Service says red flag warnings are in effect through tomorrow evening, local time. The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, remain largely uncontained. The death toll stands at 24. More than 12,000 homes, businesses, and other structures have been destroyed by the flames,

according to Cal Fire. NPR's Martin Costee says authorities are again warning people not to fly drones in the areas where fires continue burning. Martin Costee, NPR News, NPR News A few days ago, a super scooper plane that dumps water on fires was damaged by a suspected drone. And the feds say they're still spotting 20 to 30 drones in restricted areas every day. Martín Estrada is the US attorney in Los Angeles. It is illegal to fly drones over restricted areas. This basically means not flying over the areas where the fires are taking place.

And be warned, you may not be arrested right away, but our investigators will continue their work. Estrada says federal investigators are combing through aerial videos posted on social media to try to identify some of the drone operators. Martin Costi, NPR News, Los Angeles. The Justice Department has released a report on Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election after Trump lost to Joe Biden.

The findings come from Jack Smith, who recently resigned as special counsel after submitting his findings to Attorney General Merrick Garland. In the report, Smith says he stands behind his decision to bring criminal charges against Trump, which he believes would have resulted in a conviction had Trump not won a second term in the White House last November. On social media, Trump reacted to the release of Smith's findings, calling the former special

counsel deranged. Prosecutors dropped the case against Trump. President Biden says two future aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy will be named for former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. As NPR's Tamara Keith reports, Biden made the announcement a week before leaving office. Construction of the nuclear-powered aircraft carriers is set to begin in the coming years and when they're done, they'll be named the USS William J. Clinton and USS George W. Bush. Biden said in a statement that when he personally delivered the news to the former presidents quote they were

deeply humbled. Biden added that both men know firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being commander-in-chief. This is just one of many honors Biden has awarded in the waning days of his presidency. Tamara Keith, NPR News. It appears significant progress is being made at Gaza ceasefire talks today in Doha. This is NPR News. Before the end of the month, the IRS says about a million Americans will be receiving special payments of up to $1,400. The COVID stimulus payments are going to taxpayers who did not claim a recovery rebate credit on their federal tax returns for the year 2021. The IRS says payments will arrive by check or direct deposit.

The funds being distributed total close to $2.5 billion. The U.S. Supreme Court is declining to hear a case out of Utah involving control of millions of acres of federal lands. As NPR's Kirk Sigler reports, the case could have allowed the transfer or sale of some of those lands. Utah's case was always considered a long shot. A litany of prior court rulings has

upheld the federal government's right to own and manage federal public lands in the west. But the current court's willingness to overturn precedent had legal experts saying Utah could have a shot. State Republican leaders who filed the suit say they're disappointed, but add they think federal land managers under the incoming Trump administration will be more favorable to the concerns of locals. Coal and oil and gas companies have accused the Biden administration of being too restrictive. Environmental groups say the Supreme Court's refusal will ensure that federal public lands in the West aren't sold off to developers. Kirk Sigler, NPR News. Blue Origin says it will try again this

week to launch its 320-foot New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The company says the earliest launch try will be Thursday. I'm Dave Mattingly, NPR News in Washington.