NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-16-2025 1AM EST

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

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For every headline, there's also another story about the people living those headlines. On weekdays, Up First brings you the day's biggest news. On Sundays, we bring you closer with a single story about the people, places, and moments reshaping our world. Your news made personal. Every Sunday on the Up First Podcast from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. President Biden highlighted the Gaza ceasefire deal announced Wednesday during his farewell address to the nation. If approved

by the Israeli cabinet, the agreement would be carried out in three phases, with the first phase beginning on Sunday. Biden says it's part of a plan revealed last spring. This plan was developed and negotiated by my team, and it will be largely implemented by the incoming administration. That's why I told my team to keep the incoming administration fully informed, because that's how it should be, working together as Americans. Biden also touted his infrastructure plan and called for the careful expansion of artificial

intelligence technology. The president also warned that the U.S. is facing the threat of the very rich consolidating power and undermining the free flow of information to the masses. Evacuees in Los Angeles are starting to return to their homes as crews continue battling wind-driven wildfires. NPR's Katie Riddle reports that the rebuilding process is expected to take years. People are gathering at recovery centers to fill out FEMA paperwork and learn about any other benefits they might be eligible for. Peter Friedman and his wife are here. He says they escaped their home just in time.

Now it's gone. So all of our possessions, all our memories, we raised our children there. Everything's gone. We barely got out with our lives. Friedman says moving forward, he worries about older people like himself and his wife who lost everything. Katie Averdoll, NPR News,

Los Angeles. Katie Averdoll, NPR News, Los Angeles. Katie Averdoll, NPR News, Los Angeles. Katie Averdoll, NPR News, Los Angeles. The future of video sharing app TikTok in the United States remains uncertain. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, a law banning the platform is said to take effect in three days unless the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes. Many of the 170 million Americans on TikTok are confused about what happens next, and

it's hard to blame them. The Supreme Court is set to rule soon on whether the divest or ban law stands. The justices appear likely to uphold the law, but will the court delay the start date? That remains to be seen. Also uncertain is whether TikTok will go dark on Sunday. There are mixed reports about that. And now the Washington Post is reporting that Trump is considering an executive order to save the Chinese-owned app, but it's not clear how because that order would not override an act of Congress. In short, TikTok's future is up in the air and the service being shut down is on the table. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

The Department of Transportation is suing Southwest Airlines over flight delays. The agency says the carrier illegally operated two chronically delayed trips despite legal obligations to ensure that it posts flight schedules that are realistic. In a statement, Southwest expressed disappointment that the lawsuit focused on two incidents that occurred in 2022. Meanwhile, Tuesday, the carrier announced plans to pause hiring this year to lower costs. This is NPR. plans to pause hiring this year to lower costs. This is NPR. A complaint by the Federal Trade Commission alleges farm equipment giant Deere & Company forces farmers to visit authorized dealers for repairs.

The FTC says the Illinois-based manufacturer produces repair software that is only available to its dealers and refuses to share information with independent developers. The complaint comes as the agency steps up enforcement in the final days of the Biden administration. Following months of criticism, federal officials have withdrawn a proposal for a so-called slow zone for boats traveling along the East Coast. Eve Zuckoff from member station WCAI reports that the plan was designed to protect critically endangered right whales. The proposed rule would have required boats 35 feet or longer to travel no more than 10

knots, or about 11.5 miles per hour, during certain times of the year in areas along the East Coast. Whale experts say the lower speeds would have protected the remaining 370 North Atlantic right whales from getting hit by boats. But Brooke Moore of the Nantucket Select Board says the proposal would have curtailed ferry trips, amounting to an 11% loss to the island's economy. It's hundreds of millions of dollars of economic impact. And yes, you know, money and our economy is important, but really the social aspects of this would be devastating.

Officials say existing boat speed regulations from 2008 will remain in effect and future speed rules are up for discussion. For NPR News, I'm Eve Zuckoff in Woods Hole. U.S. futures are mixed in after hours trading on Wall Street. On Asia-Pacific markets, shares are slightly higher. This is NPR News.