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Saturday

Rubble from the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which burned down in the Eaton fire.

Rubble from the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which burned down in the Eaton fire. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

Opinion

Opinion: A miracle amid the fire

NPR's Scott Simon shares the story of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which burned from the Eaton Fire. A mural was concealed behind one of the walls.

ESSAY 1-25-2025

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Wednesday

An urban search and rescue team from Mexico combs through the ruins of a beachfront house searching for victims in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday.

An urban search and rescue team from Mexico combs through the ruins of a beachfront house searching for victims in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday. Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

California Wildfires

LA fires are still raging, but forecasters expect calmer winds in the coming days

It was another day of fierce winds gusting to 65 mph in mountainous areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, but weather more conducive to firefighting operations is expected soon.

Monday

How batteries are already changing the grid

Arevon's California Flats project Arevon Energy hide caption

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Arevon Energy

The Indicator from Planet Money

How batteries are already changing the grid

Renewable energy, when it comes to solar and wind power, has always had a caveat: it can only run when the wind blows or the sun shines. The idea of a battery was floated around to make renewables available 24/7. For years, it existed as an expensive, little-used technology. And then in 2021, it took off.

How batteries are already changing the grid

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Sunday

A helicopter drops water on Mandeville Canyon as the Palisades Fire rages Saturday in Los Angeles.

A helicopter drops water on Mandeville Canyon as the Palisades Fire rages Saturday in Los Angeles. Eric Thayer/AP hide caption

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Eric Thayer/AP

California Wildfires

Why Los Angeles, America's most fire-ready city, became overwhelmed by flames

In a city prone to large natural disasters, L.A. firefighters are widely considered to be among the best in the business at knocking down urban wildfires. But in the extreme conditions lately, experts say little can be done even to slow these modern fires.

LA firefighters are overwhelmed

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Saturday

Cedric Meadows (left), director of outreach, and Anthony Conley, director of support services, at the nonprofit shelter Covenant House California.

Cedric Meadows (left), director of outreach, and Anthony Conley, director of support services, at the nonprofit shelter Covenant House California. Elise Hu/NPR hide caption

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Elise Hu/NPR

California Wildfires

An army of community volunteers springs into action as LA fires rage

"It's wild. There's people out here that have just created a chain," said one woman who showed up to volunteer at a YMCA in Los Angeles' Koreatown neighborhood.

KOREATOWN MUTUAL AID

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Friday

Firefighters tend to people after a plane crashed through the roof of a building near Fullerton airport on Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif.

Firefighters tend to people after a plane crashed through the roof of a building near Fullerton airport on Jan. 2, 2025, in Fullerton, Calif. Jeff Gritchen/AP/The Orange County Register hide caption

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Jeff Gritchen/AP/The Orange County Register

National

2 dead and several injured in Southern California plane crash

Two people died and 18 were injured Thursday when a small plane crashed through the roof of a furniture manufacturing building in Southern California, police said.

Monday

Trucks move past cargo containers at a port in Bayonne, N.J., in 2021. The state is adopting California's Advanced Clean Trucks rules, which require at least 7% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission for model year 2025. Dealers are petitioning for a delay, so far unsuccessfully.

Trucks move past cargo containers at a port in Bayonne, N.J., in 2021. The state is adopting California's Advanced Clean Trucks rules, which require at least 7% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission for model year 2025. Dealers are petitioning for a delay, so far unsuccessfully. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Business

'We are not California': New Jersey dealers push back on electric truck rules

Vehicle dealers are pushing back on rules that would increase the number of electric trucks sold in New Jersey. It could be a preview of a brewing fight over state rules about cars.

STATES DEBATE CLEAN TRUCKS

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Friday

Thursday

Thursday

A life-size bear costume, including a head and claw tools.

The California Department of Insurance says detectives found this bear costume at the home of the suspects accused of orchestrating fake bear attacks on their vehicles. California Department of Insurance hide caption

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California Department of Insurance

Strange News

They told insurers a bear damaged their car. But it was actually a person in a costume

Four LA residents allegedly defrauded multiple insurance companies of over $141,000. A wildlife expert who reviewed footage of the incidents said that the culprit was "clearly a human in a bear suit."

Thursday

Thursday

Children gather at the sign for one of the farm worker communities.

Children gather at the sign for one of the farm worker communities. Library of Congress hide caption

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Library of Congress

Radio Diaries

The story of the American migrant — from Dust Bowl to a new life

Pat Rush and her family left Arkansas in the wake of one of the largest migrations in U.S. history, in the hope of making a better life for themselves out west.

Radio Diaries: American Migrant

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Sunday

FILE -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB1046, a hotly contested measure that would have been the nation's strictest AI safety law. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

FILE -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed SB1046, a hotly contested measure that would have been the nation's strictest AI safety law. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File) Rich Pedroncelli/AP hide caption

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Rich Pedroncelli/AP

Technology

California Gov. Newsom vetoes AI safety bill that divided Silicon Valley

The measure, known as SB 1047, was one of the nation’s most far-reaching regulations on the booming AI industry. It would have held AI companies legally liable for harms caused by AI and enabled a "kill switch" if systems went rogue.

Newsom AI Bill

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Wednesday

California is enacting a new ban of single-use plastic bags at grocery stores and other retailers, after an earlier ban was blamed for making the waste problem worse. Here, a worker pulls a plastic bag from a conveyor belt as she sorts through materials at a recycling center in San Francisco.

California is banning single-use plastic bags at grocery stores and other retailers, after an earlier ban was blamed for making the waste problem worse. Here, a worker pulls a plastic bag from a conveyor belt as she sorts through materials at a recycling center in San Francisco. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

National

California’s first plastic bag ban made things worse. Now it’s trying again

California and other states — and some cities — have learned a lesson: Bans on plastic bags don’t always go as planned. In fact, California's original ban made things worse.

California’s first plastic bag ban made things worse. Now it’s trying again