NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-16-2025 8AM EST

Episode Date: January 16, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, on Korova Coleman, a vote in the Israeli cabinet to implement a ceasefire agreement in Gaza has been delayed indefinitely. Israel's prime minister claims that Hamas has gone back on several parts of the agreement at the last minute. In an online statement, Hamas denies this, saying it is committed to the agreement announced by mediators. The deal calls for a six-week ceasefire and the gradual release of hostages. And Piers Oskmahalled reports the first phase is supposed to include two

Americans. Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled,

Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, Piers Oskmahalled, P expected to begin on Sunday. The deal calls for releasing the elderly and wounded hostages first. Among the others still held by Hamas is American Edan Alexander. He was an Israeli soldier on patrol on October 7th when he was captured. Uniformed soldiers are not expected to be released until the second phase of the deal. But it's no guarantee the ceasefire will last. Under this initial deal, there's also supposed to be the release of a comparatively large number of Palestinian prisoners and a surge of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Asma Khalid, NPR News.

Several of President-elect Trump's cabinet nominees have confirmation hearings today. That includes Scott Turner, Trump's pick to head the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. NPR's pick to head the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. NPR's Jennifer Ludden has more. Jennifer Ludden, NPR's Jennifer Ludden, NPR's Jennifer Ludden, NPR's Jennifer Ludden, Turner spent nine seasons in the NFL, then was a Texas state representative. In Trump's first term, he appointed Turner to help develop distressed communities, creating what they called opportunity zones. Housing and real estate groups have publicly backed Turner, but some anti-poverty advocates have expressed concern.

Turner advises a Trump think tank that calls for restricting eligibility for public housing and strengthening work requirements for residents. He would take over the housing agency as half of all American renters struggle to pay each month, and homelessness is at a record high. Jennifer Labden, NPR News, Washington. The red flag warnings for strong winds have expired in most parts of the Los Angeles area this morning but two major wildfires remain only partially contained. The Palisades fire that's burning northwest of the city is only 21 percent contained. The Eaton fire in the Pasadena-Altadena area is nearly half contained. More than 12,000 structures in the Los Angeles region are damaged or lost. NPR's Lauren Sommer tells us some buildings in LA were adapted to resist fire, but not all.

California has tough building codes for fire prone areas that require using fire-resistant building materials, you know, like the roof or the siding. But that's only for houses that have been built since 2008, and the majority of LA's housing stock is older than that. And Pierce Lauren Summer prepared that report. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Vatican says Pope Francis has sustained an injury to his right forearm. The Vatican says he had a fall in his residence But did not suffer any fractures the pontiff is apparently wearing a sling as a precaution

The NCAA has approved a payment structure to pay women's basketball teams who play in the March Madness Tournament women's teams could eventually earn millions of dollars if they appear in the playoffs Men's collegiate basketball teams have had a payment structure like this for years. Eating red meat in larger quantities, especially processed meats, raises the risks for dementia and cognitive decline. And Pierce Maria Godoy reports that's according to a new study in the Journey, rather Journal, Neurology. The study involved more than 133,000 people

who were followed for four decades, starting in their late 40s. The researchers had detailed health information on participants, including their typical diets. They found that people who ate three fourths of an ounce of processed red meat or more per day, that's roughly equivalent to two slices of bacon, they had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia

compared to those who ate a minimal amount. Higher consumption of processed red meats was also linked to an accelerated rate of cognitive aging. Meanwhile, replacing one serving of red meat per day with nuts and legumes was linked to a 19% lower risk of dementia. Maria Godoy, NPR News. The private space company Blue Origin has launched its enormous new Glenn rocket into space. It has reached orbit.

Mission managers wanted to recover the rocket's first stage booster, but they say it was lost. Listen to this podcast sponsor free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now Plus at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.