NPR News Now - NPR News: 01-19-2025 9AM EST

Episode Date: January 19, 2025

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Since the beginning of women's sports, there's been a struggle to define who qualifies for the women's category. Tested from NPR's Embedded podcast and CBC takes you inside that struggle. Listen to Tested, the series that was named one of the 10 best podcasts of 2024 by Apple, Vulture, and the New York Times. It's season 20 of NPR's Embedded Podcast. Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. A ceasefire came into effect across Gaza this morning, pausing more than a year of bombardment and ground combat that's killed tens of thousands

of Palestinians in flattened neighborhoods. As Israeli troops pulled back, NPR's Ayah Batraweri reports that many Palestinians rushed to assess the damage to one city in the south amid blaring car horns. NPR producer in Gaza, Anas Baba, saw people in cars and many on foot, celebrating their return to the southern city of Rafah for the first time in eight months. Mohamed Abou Mohsen was among those running to enter Rafa, the keys of his house in hand. Though it was unclear if his home was still standing, Rafa, like other areas of Gaza, has been mostly leveled by Israeli airstrikes and controlled demolitions.

There are bodies and unexploded ordnance buried in the rubble, local officials say, making recovery and rebuilding a difficult task. Israel and Hamas agreed to an initial six-week ceasefire to allow for hostages and detainees to be released. The deal also calls for a surge in needed humanitarian aid into Gaza. Eya Batraoui and Per News Dubai with reporting by Anas Baba in Gaza. There was some uncertainty about the ceasefire. It was delayed by nearly three hours after Israel said Hamas failed to hand over the names of three hostages

to be released today. Hamas said the delay was due to technical field reasons but did not elaborate. The group has since released the names of three women, 24-year-old Romy Gonen, 28-year-old Emily Domari, and 31-year-old Doron Steinbrecher. President-elect Trump's border czar, Tom Holman, says the oncoming administration is now rethinking its plans for immigration raids in Chicago after he said word of them leaked. Holman told the Washington Post in an interview this weekend that no decision has been made but Chicago officials say those early

reports of the raids are still fueling fears as Sarah Karp of member station WBEZ reports. BHS Ponce de Leon is the deputy mayor for immigration. We acknowledge that it's a range of emotions, you know, on the one hand, some surprise, on the other hand, anger, sadness, concern, but also hope because we are a city where people have protected immigrants in the past. Ponce de Leon says the city has been working to make sure departments and sister agencies, like police, parks and schools, know that the Welcoming City ordinance prohibits them

from working with immigration officials. She stressed these agencies don't know residents' legal status and won't share it. Also, she says community organizations have been holding Know Your Rights sessions across the city. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Karp in Chicago. Firefighters reporting more progress on the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. Officials now say crews have reached 49% containment thanks to low clouds and favorable humidity levels.

National Weather Service's critical fire weather will return tomorrow. This is NPR. Inspectors in California are doing damage assessment on thousands of homes affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. Some are looking at the houses that withstood the flames to see what, if anything, those homeowners did right. NPR's Lauren Sommer has more. It's a strange sight.

Dozens of homes burn to the ground and then there are a handful that are untouched. Sometimes it's just luck, but fire experts on the ground in Los Angeles are finding some of those homeowners took key precautions. A team from the nonprofit research group, the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, is looking at that. They're finding it's crucial to clear vegetation and plants away from the house, especially within five feet of the walls. Using fire-resistant siding and roofing also helped, since it can often withstand the barrage of embers that a wildfire produces.

Lauren Summer, NPR News. Thousands of National Guard troops from dozens of states in Washington, D.C., ahead of tomorrow's inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump, Major General John Andoni is the commander of the DC Guard. Right now we have 7,800 guardsmen from all across 40 states supporting this effort. They are all here with one intent and one purpose and that is to ensure a safe and successful and peaceful transition of power. General Andoni says the Guard troops will assist state and federal law enforcement and that he remains confident in security plans despite the decision to move the inauguration ceremony indoors because of the expected plunge in temperatures.

The ceremony is to be held inside the U.S. Capitol for the first time since President Ronald Reagan in 1985. I'm Joel Snyder, MPR News.