NPR News: 01-14-2025 2PM EST

Summary

NPR News Now: January 14, 2025, 2 PM EST

Host: Lakshmi Singh
Release Date: January 14, 2025
Description: The latest news in five minutes. Updated hourly.

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Senate Confirmation Hearing for Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth

Timestamp: [00:13]

NPR's Lakshmi Singh reports on the Senate confirmation hearing for President Elect Donald Trump's first cabinet nominee for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth. During the hearing, members of the Armed Services Committee expressed their positions, with a significant focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs within the military.

Key Highlights:

• Criticism of DEI Programs:
  Senator Eric Schmidt of Missouri delivered a harsh critique of DEI initiatives, suggesting they may undermine military cohesion and effectiveness.

• Pete Hegseth's Stance on Equality:
  In response to concerns about equity versus equality, Hegseth stated:

  "[00:36] This is not a time for equity. Equity is a very different word than equality. Equality is the bedrock of our military. Men and women duty positions in uniform, black, white, doesn't matter. We treat you equally based on who you are in the image of God as an individual. And we all get the same bad haircuts."

• Allegations and Transparency Questions:
  NPR's Tom Bowman details how Hegseth faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers, particularly Democratic Senator Jack Reid, regarding serious allegations about his past behavior, including treatment of women, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement.

  • Senator Jack Reid's Concerns:

    "[01:11] There was concern that Hegseth only met with Reid and not one of the other Democrats on the panel. ... allegations of Hegseth excessive drinking, racist and sexist remarks and sexual assault were, quote, extremely alarming."

  • Hegseth's Denials:
    Hegseth firmly denied the accusations of excessive drinking and sexual assault, labeling them as "false allegations."

Wildfires Ravage Los Angeles Area Amid High Winds

Timestamp: [00:55]

Elise Hu reports from Los Angeles on the ongoing battle against destructive wildfires exacerbated by powerful winds.

Key Highlights:

• Fire Containment Efforts:
  Firefighters have achieved greater containment over the Palisades and Eaton wildfires, which have collectively burned approximately 60 square miles—comparable to the size of Washington, D.C.

• Impact of Wind:
  Powerful winds ranging between 50-70 mph continue to pose challenges. County Sheriff Robert Luna emphasized caution:

  "[02:07] I don't want people to start thinking everything's okay now. Everything's not okay yet. We'll get there. We'll get there together. But again, the wind's blowing and it's going to continue to blow."

• Safety Measures:
  A dusk-to-dawn curfew remains in effect for areas under evacuation orders to ensure public safety.

Secretary Blinken Seeks Ceasefire in Gaza Ahead of Departure

Timestamp: [02:26]

Michelle Kellerman reports on Secretary of State Antony Blinken's efforts to broker a ceasefire deal in Gaza before his tenure ends.

Key Highlights:

• Ceasefire Proposal:
  Blinken stated that the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have proposed a final ceasefire plan. The deal entails Hamas returning hostages in exchange for Israel releasing a larger number of Palestinian prisoners.

• Political Reactions:
  Both Robert Luna and Senator Jack Reid expressed optimism about the proposal's potential, stating:

  "[02:46] Robert Luna: It's right on the brink."
  "[02:47] Jack Reid: It's closer than it's ever been before."
  However, they also noted that final acceptance by Hamas is still pending.

• Protests and Opposition:
  During his speech at the Atlantic Council, Blinken was interrupted by protesters multiple times, highlighting the contentious nature of the negotiations.

Advances in Biodegradable Plastics Research

Timestamp: [03:02]

Lester Graham reports on innovative research by Canadian scientists aiming to tackle plastic pollution.

Key Highlights:

• Bacterial Degradation of Plastics:
  Researchers at the University of Waterloo have engineered bacteria commonly found in wastewater plants to break down plastics. In laboratory settings, these bacteria degraded 40% of a plastic cup lid within four days.

• Environmental Implications:
  PhD candidate Aaron Yip expressed hope that this technology could address microplastics in various environments, including wastewater treatment plants, oceans, and lakes:

  "[03:50] Aaron Yip: My hope is that this technology can be a platform to get rid of microplastics in different types of environments, so wastewater treatment plants being one of them, and perhaps in the far future in the oceans or lakes."

• Future Research:
  The next steps involve assessing the byproducts of plastic degradation to ensure they do not pose environmental risks.

Other Notable News

Timestamp: [04:16]

• Princess of Wales Announces Cancer Remission:
  Britain's Princess of Wales, Princess Kate, revealed that her cancer is in remission. She shared her news via a social media statement after visiting patients at the hospital where she received treatment last year.

• Meta Announces Workforce Layoffs:
  Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, announced layoffs affecting approximately 5% of its lowest-performing employees. CEO Mark Zuckerberg indicated that further job cuts could occur as the company aims to enhance performance management:

  "[04:03] CEO Mark Zuckerberg: ... we want to raise the bar on performance management."

Market Update

Timestamp: [03:02]

The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw an increase of nearly 200 points, marking a rise of approximately half a percent.

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Stay informed with NPR News Now for the latest updates every hour.

Transcript

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[Lakshmi Singh]

Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. A Senate confirmation hearing's now over for the first of President Elect Trump's cabinet nominees. Members of the Armed Services Committee signaled where they stood on advancing Pete Hegseth's nomination for defense secretary. Senator Eric Schmidt of Missouri had scathing criticism for DEI programs in the military in Hegseth concurred.

[Pete Hegseth]

This is not a time for equity. Equity is a very different word than equality. Equality is the bedrock of our military. Men and women duty positions in uniform, black, white, doesn't matter. We treat you equally based on who you are in the image of God as an individual. And we all get the same bad haircuts.

[Lakshmi Singh]

NPR's Tom Bowman reports. The military veteran and former FOX News host was also encountering searing questions from lawmakers, including from ranking Democratic Senator Jack Reid, about his transparency in the wake of serious allegations about his treatment of women, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement.

[Jack Reid]

There was concern that Hegseth only met with Reid and not one of the other Democrats on the panel. Senator Reid also said allegations of Hegseth excessive drinking, racist and sexist remarks and sexual assault were, quote, extremely alarming. Hegseth denied again, excessive drinking and sexual assault said they were false allegations.

[Lakshmi Singh]

NPR's Tom Bowman reporting. High winds have returned to the Los Angeles area, where crews are still working to try to contain wildly destructive wildfires. Elise Hu has the latest.

[Elise Hu]

Powerful winds are expected to be in the range of 50-70 mph. This comes as firefighters have gotten more containment over the two largest fires, the Palisades and Eaton blazes, which have burned a combined 60 square miles. That's an area nearly the size of Washington, D.C. louisiana. County Sheriff Robert Luna said the community should stay on alert.

[Robert Luna]

I don't want people to start thinking everything's okay now. Everything's not okay yet. We'll get there. We'll get there together. But again, the wind's blowing and it's going to continue to blow.

[Elise Hu]

A dusk to dawn curfew remains in effect for areas under evacuation orders. For NPR News, I'm Elise Hu in Los Angeles.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he's hopeful for a ceasefire deal for Gaza before he leaves office. Here's npr.

[Michelle Kellerman]

As Michelle Kellerman, Secretary Blinken says the us, Qatar and Egypt put forward a final proposal that would see a ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas returning hostages in exchange for Israel releasing a larger number of Palestinian prisoners.

[Robert Luna]

It's right on the brink.

[Jack Reid]

It's closer than it's ever been before.

[Robert Luna]

But right now, as we sit here, we await final word from Hamas on its acceptance.

[Michelle Kellerman]

He was speaking at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank, where he was interrupted by protesters Several Times.

[Lakshmi Singh]

That's NPR's Michelle Kellerman reporting. The Dow is up nearly 200 points, or nearly half a percent. This is NPR News. Scientists in Canada are investigating whether bacteria can be programmed to break down plastics. As Michigan Public's Lester Graham tells us, pieces and fibers of plastic that end up in wastewater plants can pass through.

[Lester Graham]

Into streams and rivers using what's known as bacterial sex. A team at Ontario's University of Water, Waterloo engineered bacteria often found in wastewater plants to try to break down plastics. In one lab experiment, the bacteria degraded 40% of a plastic cup lid in four days. PhD candidate Aaron Yip is one of the researchers.

[Aaron Yip]

My hope is that this technology can be a platform to get rid of microplastics in different types of environments, so wastewater treatment plants being one of them, and perhaps in the far future in the oceans or lakes.

[Lester Graham]

Yip says the next step is to determine what's left behind after bacteria destroy the plastic and whether it or the bacteria pose a risk to the environment. For NPR News, I'm Lester Graham.

[Lakshmi Singh]

Britain's Princess of Wales has announced that her cancer is in remission. Princess Kate released a statement on social media after visiting with patients at the hospital where she received treatment last year. Meta has announced layoffs affecting about 5% of the lowest performers on the workforce. CEO Mark Zuckerberg warns of similar job cuts in the future. According to a spokesperson, Zuckerberg says the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and other platforms wants to raise the bar on performance management. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, in Washington.

[Carvana]

Listen to this podcast sponsor, free on Amazon Music with a Prime membership or any podcast app by subscribing to NPR News Now [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.