NPR News: 01-13-2025 7PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. Fire crews in Los Angeles County have been able to increase containment on the two largest blazes, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire. But fire officials are concerned about weather in the days ahead. As NPR's Jason DeRose reports... Forecasters predict sustained winds of about 50 miles an hour Wednesday, with gusts reaching to 70 miles an hour.
The National Weather Service says that after a few quiet days, overnight and into Tuesday, winds will likely pick up dramatically. Those winds blow embers over fire breaks, sometimes across major highways and into neighborhoods. The hazard is compounded by dropping humidity. CAL FIRE warns there's still a lot of fuel out there, bone-dry trees and brush and grass. At least 9,000 firefighters are on the job from L.A. County, surrounding counties and states, as well as Canada and Mexico. Jason DeRose, NPR News, Los Angeles.
Fire officials say at least 24 people died in those fires that have left a trail of destroyed homes and businesses. Today, Governor Gavin Newsom asked state lawmakers to approve at least $2.5 billion in response to the fires. $1 billion of that would be used for emergency response, cleanup and recovery. President Biden says diplomats are on the brink of a ceasefire deal for Gaza, and he says he's pressing hard to finalize a deal before he leaves office next week. As NPR's Michelle Kellerman reports.
In a wide-ranging speech at the State Department, President Biden touched briefly on a deal he's tried to reach for months. It would get hostages held by Hamas out of Gaza and much-needed aid to Palestinians, who Biden says have gone through hell.
Palestinian people deserve peace. and the right to determine their own futures. Israel deserves peace and real security, and the hostages and their families deserve to be reunited.
Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is reaching out to mediators in Qatar and Egypt. An envoy for the incoming Trump administration has been in the region working on this too. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
Confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump's nominees get underway this week on Capitol Hill. Tomorrow, controversial military vet and Fox News host Pete Hegseth goes before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Trump nominated him to be defense secretary. But as NPR's Domenico Montanaro reports, he's facing questions about sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement and about positions he's taken regarding military policy.
Hegseth's hearing is going to probably be the one that's the most closely watched because of all the controversy around him. That includes whether women should be in combat, for example, and he's likely to face some tough questioning from several senators, including Democrat Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, who lost both of her legs in the Iraq war.
And Piers Domenico Montanaro reporting. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. A federal judge says the Justice Department can release part of special counsel Jack Smith's investigative report on President-elect Trump's 2020 election interference case. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, is the latest in the back-and-forth in a court dispute over the report. Smith prosecuted Trump in two cases that the Justice Department abandoned in November. Cannon had temporarily blocked the department from releasing the report, but today cleared the way for the release of the volume on Trump's 2020 election interference case. A temporary injunction barring the immediate release of the report remains in effect until tomorrow. On the heels of the Surgeon General's report on alcohol, many experts support revising the current guidelines for alcohol. In Pierce, Allison Aubrey reports, scientists and physicians are reviewing the evidence to better understand the risks.
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