NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-19-2025 3PM EST

Episode Date: January 19, 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 Nora Rahm. Three women kidnapped in the Hamas-led attack on Israel 15 months ago were freed today.

Here's how it sounded when their families saw a video of them taken by the Israeli military when they crossed into Israeli territory. Their release was part of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that went into effect in Gaza today. The deal also calls for Israel to release hundreds of Palestinians detained in Israel and for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Palestinians in Gaza. In his last full day in office, President Biden hailed the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. NPR's Marlaiasson reports.

President Biden is taking credit for the ceasefire deal his administration helped negotiate. After so much pain, destruction, loss of life, today the guns in Gaza have gone silent. This was the deal that I outlined for the world back in May 31st. Biden said the deal had transformed the region, leaving Israel's enemies like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad weakened or out of power. And he said Iran was in the weakest position in decades. Now he said it's up to the next administration to implement the deal, including a credible path to a Palestinian state. Mara Liason, NPR News.

Millions of Americans have had video sharing app TikTok restored to their mobile devices after it was shut down temporarily last night in response to a TikTok ban law. As NPR's Bobby Allen reports, the app is thanking President-elect Donald Trump for its return. After a roughly 14-hour blackout, TikTok is back. And it follows President-elect Donald Trump posting to Truth Social that he plans to issue an executive order to pause the ban law and provide a legal shield to companies that support TikTok.

After that, web hosting firms, including Oracle, brought TikTok back to life. The app remains unavailable in the Google and Apple app stores, so it can't be downloaded or updated, but it's running, though buggier than usual. TikTok's future is far from in the clear. Without being restored by Apple and Google, the app cannot fully function. And those companies are looking for Trump to comply with the law Congress passed, which requires a divestiture in motion before the law is paused. Bobby Allen, NPR News.

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Sung-yol was formally arrested early this morning. His supporters then stormed the courthouse where the arrest warrant had been issued, attacking police and smashing windows. Officials say nine police officers were injured and 46 protesters were arrested Yoon was impeached and has been arrested for his attempt to impose martial law in South Korea last month setting off the country's most serious political crisis in decades he faces possible imprisonment if convicted this is NPR News in Washington the inauguration of Donald Trump will be held tomorrow inside the Capitol rotunda, instead of outside on the Capitol steps, for the first time since Ronald Reagan's second term in 1985.

The coldest air of the season and in many places in several years is descending from Canada and moving eastward. NPR's Amy Held reports on the Arctic blast affecting hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. Negative windchills forecast early this week spurred the National Weather Service to issue extreme cold advisories. As far south as Texas, Alabama, and Georgia, in North Dakota there's a windchill of 55 below possible. Widespread cold that's not just a nuisance, but can be life-threatening, with frostbite and hypothermia possible. Multiple cities are opening warming centers. Along the East Coast, several inches of snow are set to fall before the bitter cold arrives by Monday. Some of the Arctic airmass is also set to reach portions of the Western U.S.

In Southern California, however, the concern is the return of fierce Santa Ana winds tomorrow. That plus low humidity create more critical fire weather risk. Amy Held and Pierre Neus. Fire crews are reporting some progress against the wildfires in and around Los Angeles that have burned since January 7th. The largest of the blazes, the Palisades Fire, is now about 52 percent contained. The Eaton Fire is about 81 percent contained. Together, the fires have burned more than 37,000 acres and destroyed more than 14,000 structures. I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.

It still feels a bit surreal to me that I got to spend an hour talking with filmmaker I'm Nora Rahm, NPR News in Washington.