Trump's conviction; Ban on TikTok; California wildfiresExBulletin

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Firefighters managed to slow the spread of wildfires in Los Angeles yesterday after Santa Ana winds calmed, allowing crews to drop water from above. Red flag warnings, which indicate that a combination of warm temperatures, low humidity and strong winds are expected to increase the risk of fires, have been extended until today. At least 10 people died and thousands of structures were destroyed in Pacific Palisades and other affected communities.

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. Ethan Swope/AP .

. Ethan Swope/AP NPR Greg Allen tells Up First he spent yesterday in the Altadena community of Los Angeles, where he spoke to Teandra Pitts, whose house caught fire. She returned to grab what she could and was shocked to find that her door had been broken down and the place had been trashed. Looters took away his family's belongings, including his son's sneaker collection. The Los Angeles sheriff has promised to crack down on looting and communities are imposing a curfew. President Biden said California Governor Gavin Newsom assured him that generators were being deployed to power water pumping stations. Jinghuan Liu Tervalon packed some souvenirs and clothes before evacuating her Altadena home, thinking her family would return the next day. Now the house is gone. Check out the before and after satellite images showing the destructive force of California's wildfires.

President-elect Donald Trump will take a short break today from his transition to power to attend his criminal sentencing in Manhattan. He was convicted last year of 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a payment to an adult film star. By a slim majority, the Supreme Court justices refused to grant Trump a last-minute reprieve. The former and future president is unlikely to be sanctioned, but he will have a criminal record that he can appeal.

NPR's Ximena Bustillo says it's key to note that Trump was one Supreme Court justice away in the vote from not having to be convicted today. He tapped several of his personal lawyers to join his next administration, including John Sauer, who appealed the case to the Supreme Court. Trump has vowed to appeal the case, but some ethical questions remain about his lawyers' ability to do so if confirmed in the executive branch.

Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether TikTok should be banned in the United States. Lawyers from the viral video app's China-based legal team and the Justice Department will present their respective arguments. The pleadings follow a law passed by Congress and signed by President Biden that sets a Jan. 19 deadline for the app to sell its U.S. operations or be banned on national security grounds.

TikTok says shutting down the media platform violates the free speech rights of the American company and the millions of Americans who use it daily, says NPR's Bobby Allyn. The app's lawyers are expected to argue that it has worked to distance itself from its parent company ByteDance. Meanwhile, the Justice Department's response should be that nothing short of a complete separation is enough. A decision is not expected today, but the court could delay the law's effective date. Allyn says the Supreme Court is trying to ensure that Americans are not silenced, but also to guard against possible covert influence from China. Here's how TikTok creators are preparing for the app's possible shutdown in the United States. 25 goals for 2025

Can't decide on a resolution for 2025? NPR's Life Kit offers expert guides to making any goal a reality. We'll share a few each week this month. Check out all 25 guides here.

Constantly aiming to make others happy can come with a high price. When one of your main priorities is to be liked, you may find that you are not in touch with what you need. Pleasing people is not just for the simple; perfectionists tend to do this too. But it’s a changeable habit. Here are some tips:

Notice how often you say yes, no, or maybe to a request. How did you feel about each request? This can reveal the types of requests you might be concerned about. Try to document your energy level and your schedule. Evaluate your time before taking on new responsibilities. Start discovering when demands align with your values ​​or make you feel good, rather than when they feel like obligations.

Life Kit has several other guides to help you navigate relationships in 2025. Check out a few here:

Weekend Picks

Ben Whitehead as Wallace in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Netflix .

switch legend Netflix

Find out what NPR is watching, reading and listening to this weekend:

Movies: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the latest film in the stop-motion animated series. Inventor Wallace and his dog Gromit deal with a robotic garden gnome, Wallace's latest invention. The adventure consists of facing an army of evil robots.

Television: Medical dramas, westerns, crime shows and documentaries are just some of the offerings at the start of the year. Here's a list of old and new series to add to your watchlist.

Books: From fiction to nonfiction, here are 10 soon-to-be-released books you might want to add to your reading list.

Music: As the Grammys approach, the Billboard charts see another big week for the usual suspects: Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. But here are some of the new faces gaining momentum on the charts.

Quiz: The quiz is back and I started the year off right with a perfect score. Do you think you can follow this dynamic? Give your best.

3 things to know before you leave

A northern yellow cardinal, likely born with a genetic mutation that affects one in a million birds, according to the National Audubon Society. Taka Yanagimoto .

. Taka Yanagimoto A cardinal with a rare mutation was photographed in St. Louis by Taka Yanagimoto, the director of photography for the St. Louis Cardinals. This male specimen displays yellow feathers instead of the typical red. (via St. Louis Public Radio) Today, after 17 years, Hoda & Jenna co-anchor and co-host Hoda Kotb will make her final appearance on NBC's Today show. Lebanon's parliament has named Joseph Aoun, the head of the armed forces, as the country's next president. The position has been vacant since October 2022.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

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