NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-16-2025 3AM EST

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

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Every weekday, Up First gives you the news you need to start your day. On the Sunday story from Up First, we slow down. We bring you the best reporting from NPR journalists around the world, all in one major story, 30 minutes or less. Join me every Sunday on the Up First podcast to sit down with the biggest stories from NPR. Live from NPR. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shae Stevens. If approved by the Israeli government, a three-part Gaza ceasefire deal will begin to take effect

in a few days. As NPR's Greg Myhre reports, the first phase of the agreement is meant to pause the most intense fighting between Israel and Hamas. It's supposed to take effect Sunday. The fighting is supposed to end in this first phase, which lasts six weeks. And during this period, the Palestinians, or Hamas rather, will release 33 hostages, some alive, some dead, from the nearly 100 they still hold. Israel is expected to release perhaps 1, thousand Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Also Israel will reduce its military presence in Gaza, but it won't end it. A full withdrawal will come in a later phase when all hostages are released. NPR's Greg Miery reporting. As fire crews gain the upper hand on historic wildfires that tore through Los Angeles, the scale of destruction is coming into view. As NPR's Elise Hugh reports, the largest recovery effort in California history is getting underway.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to expedite the work of cleanup as soon as it's safe. AccuWeather, a company that provides data on weather impacts, says the economic loss from the firestorms will reach at least $250 billion. Part of that enormous price tag accounts for the destruction in Malibu and Pacific Palisades. They are home to some of the most expensive real estate in the country. The vast majority of fire evacuees are still not allowed to return to their neighborhoods and the search for victims continues. For NPR News, I'm Ilyce Hu in Los Angeles.

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing arguments over a Texas law that requires age verification before accessing porn sites. NPR's Jacqueline Diaz has details. The Supreme Court is weighing whether a Texas law that makes adults verify their ages in order to access sexually explicit material online is unconstitutional. Opponents say the law is overly vague, violates protections for free speech, and unfairly places burdens on adults. Texas and supporters of the state law say those so-called burdens don't exist. And they say age verification tools are common and offer much needed protection for kids.

Texas passed their law in 2023. And already, more than a dozen states have their own versions of the law, some of which are facing similar legal challenges. Jacqueline Diaz, NPR News. Private space company Blue Origin has launched its massive new Glenn rocket carrying a prototype satellite from Cape Canaveral.

Its first stage booster failed to land, though. This morning's launch came days after earlier attempts were scrubbed due to technical and weather issues. This is NPR News. The Food and Drug Administration has banned the artificial coloring red dye number three in food beverages and some medications. The coloring additive has been linked to cancer in animals and was banned from cosmetics decades ago.

The FDA is giving food manufacturers two years to stop using it while dietary supplement makers have three years to comply. The FDA is proposing to limit nicotine in cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products to very low levels. As NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports, the move is aimed at making smoking a lot less addictive. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times, New York Times The idea to cap nicotine in cigarettes came up in the first Trump administration and has the backing of anti-smoking advocates like Dr. David Margolias.

He's public health director for Cleveland, which has one of the highest smoking rates at 35 percent of adults. As a result, we have one of the highest, if not the highest rates of deaths from lung cancer in the United States. And subsequently, consequently, we have a life expectancy in many of our neighborhoods that's in the mid-60s. The tobacco industry argues the measure would create an illicit market for cigarettes.

The proposal must undergo a public comment period before it is finalized. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News. Attorneys for embattled South Korean President Yoon Song Yeol says he will refuse any further questioning. Yun was arrested and detained early Wednesday as part of an investigation into his declaration of martial law in early December.

U.S. futures are higher in after-hours trading on Wall Street. This is NPR News.