NPR News Now: Episode Summary – January 11, 2025

Release Date: January 12, 2025

1. Escalating Wildfires in Los Angeles

[00:17] Dale Willman opens the episode by reporting severe wildfires spreading across Los Angeles and its surrounding areas. The fires, which have been raging for five days, are now encroaching upon new communities.

[00:33] Elise Hu provides an in-depth look into the affected neighborhoods, including Brentwood, West LA, and Mandeville Canyon. Firefighters are employing airdrops and digging fire lines to contain the Palisades fire, the largest wildfire currently in the county.

[00:57] Anthony Maroney, LA County Fire Chief, emphasizes the ongoing threat:

"LA county fire will be prepared. These winds combined with dry air and dry vegetation will keep the fire threat in Los Angeles county high dusk to dawn."

[01:10] Elise Hu adds that curfews have been imposed in evacuation zones for the Palisades and Eaton fires, highlighting the urgent measures taken to protect residents.

2. TikTok Faces Supreme Court Decision

[01:17] Dale Willman shifts focus to TikTok, which is awaiting a pivotal Supreme Court decision that could lead to the app's ban in the United States by January 19th.

[01:32] Bobby Allen reports on TikTok's legal battle, noting that the company seeks to either pause or overturn the law that mandates the app divest from its Chinese ownership to continue operating in the U.S. He quotes Lawyer Jeff Fisher:

"Why lawmakers did not appear worried about other Chinese apps in its crackdown."

[01:52] Anthony Maroney critiques the selective scrutiny applied by Congress:

"When Congress is really worried about these very dramatic risks, they leave out an e-commerce site like Temu that has 70 million Americans using it."

[02:02] Bobby Allen further explains the Justice Department's stance, citing concerns over China's potential influence and national security risks. He also mentions President Elect Donald Trump's commitment to saving the app once in office.

3. Ukraine Captures North Korean Soldiers

[02:15] Dale Willman reports a significant development in the Ukraine-Russia conflict: Ukrainian forces have captured North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian troops.

[02:27] Volodymyr Zelensky, via Joanna Kakisis, shares details on the social media platform Telegram:

"The two North Korean soldiers were wounded in Kursk, the Russian border region partly occupied by Ukraine. They are cooperating with Ukraine's domestic intelligence service and will be available to speak to journalists."

A special operations unit released a dramatic video of the capture, showing one soldier being treated by medics and another with visible injuries. Zelensky confirmed that both soldiers are receiving medical care in Kyiv.

4. NPR Investigation Sparks Global Retractions

[03:12] Dale Willman announces a major journalistic fallout: over ten news organizations have retracted or amended stories after NPR’s investigation revealed that a man previously portrayed as a courageous Chinese dissident was actually involved in an elaborate con.

[03:35] Frank Langford details the investigation:

"Dozens of news organizations around the world covered Wang Jingyu as he presented himself as a courageous dissident standing up to China's Communist Party. But an NPR investigation linked Wang to a byzantine con that involved forged government documents and bankrupted the victims."

Wang Jingyu has denied all allegations. The affected outlets include the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, and Radio Free Asia. Ed Wasserman, former dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley, commented:

"I've never seen anything like this."

5. Resignation of Special Counsel Jack Smith & Tram Collision in Strasbourg

Resignation of Jack Smith

[04:16] Dale Willman reports that Special Counsel Jack Smith has resigned from the Justice Department after submitting his investigative report on President-Elect Donald Trump. The resignation, anticipated due to ongoing legal disputes over the report's public release, was officially announced by department officials.

Tram Collision in Strasbourg

In the same report, Willman covers a tram accident in Strasbourg, France:

"Firefighters say two trams collided in Strasbourg today, injuring about 50 people. Fortunately, none were seriously hurt. The collision occurred in a tunnel near the main train station and may have been caused by a tram backing up."

The city's mayor provided initial thoughts on the possible cause of the accident, ensuring that emergency services were promptly on the scene.

This summary encapsulates the key news stories covered in the January 11, 2025, episode of NPR News Now, providing a comprehensive overview for listeners who missed the broadcast.