Smooth Sailing For Trump's Nominees?, LA Fire Outlook, South Korea President Arrested

0:02Senators have the power of advice and consent. Republicans say they'll go heavy on the consent. The Senate's going to follow the mandate of the American people and confirm President Trump's strong nominees. Who gets a hearing today? I'm Steve Inskeep with Leila Fathol, and this is Up First from NPR News. In Los Angeles, firefighters are working to contain what remains of two wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes. Those who have homes to return to say they want to go back, but forecasters predict the Santa Ana winds will blow again. And anti-corruption authorities have arrested South Korea's president.

0:37Officials say President Yoon Song-yal is being detained for questioning the historic arrest of a sitting president comes six weeks after Yoon's failed attempt to declare martial law. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.

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1:40And you can take the time pursuing your passions. Time once spent sorting and waiting, folding and queuing, now spent challenging and innovating and pushing your way to greatness. So pick up that Irish flute or those calligraphy pens or the daunting Beef Wellington recipe card and leave the laundry to Rince. Rinse. It's time to be great. This message comes from Dell Technologies. The new Dell PC with Intel Core Ultra helps you fast forward through busy work, leaving more time for U-Time. Get a new Dell PC at dell.com slash ai dash pc. Six of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominees face confirmation hearings today.

2:22They all go before Senate committees. The Constitution and tradition give lawmakers the power of advice and consent. Supporters of President-elect Trump have pressured Republicans to consent. And the number two Senate Republican, John Barrasso, says Democrats should cooperate. Americans now have chosen a new direction. They chose this president, and the president's victory was decisive. NPR political correspondent Susan Davis joins us now to discuss. Hey, Sue. Hey, Layla. So before we get into hearings that are ahead today, what were the big takeaways from yesterday's hearing with Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth?

2:57It was certainly contentious at times under questioning from Democrats, particularly about his character and his qualification for the job. But Republicans were pleased with his performance. And after the hearing, he earned the public support of Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst, herself a military veteran. And she was one senator who had previously expressed some hesitation about the nomination. that tells me he's pretty confidently headed towards confirmation, although he might not be ready for day one as President Trump would like. But it seems like it's a matter of when and not if. It's interesting because he's seen as among the more controversial Trump picks, given his past comments on things like women serving in combat and the allegation of sexual assault, which he's denied.

3:39What did his hearing show about the path to confirmation for Trump's nominees? Will they be easy, as Senator Barrasso is calling for. For some, they certainly will. At the top of that list, I would probably put Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He's Trump's nominee for secretary of state. He's well known. He's vetted. He's well liked. He's poised to be confirmed on day one. You already have top Democrats like Dick Durbin, the number two Senate Democrats, saying they'll support his nomination. Expect a big bipartisan vote for him. I'd also put former Congressman Sean Duffy in that group. He's Trump's nominee for transportation secretary.

4:11He also seems to be on a glide path to confirmation and is also really well-liked. I also can't help but noting, Layla, that he's an alum of the MTV reality series Road Rules and his job will be helping determine the rules for the road. It is just too good to let that slide. And I'd also maybe put in there John Ratcliffe. He's Trump's nominee for CIA director. He's also expected to be confirmed because he's been confirmed before. He served as the director of national intelligence in Trump's first term, although he was confirmed on a pretty strict party line vote then, and that could be his fate again.

4:41Okay, and which nominees could get a little more pushback from senators? I think the most closely watched today is probably going to be the Senate Judiciary Committee for Pam Bondi to be Trump's attorney general. She's obviously going to have a much easier path ahead than Trump's first nominee for the job, former Congressman Matt Gaetz, who had to step down. She brings much more qualification to the job. She's a former prosecutor. She's a former attorney general for the state of Florida. But she's also one of the nominees that's going to face some of the toughest questioning from Democrats. She's a longtime Trump loyalist.

5:10She's represented him in a personal capacity. So she's going to face questions about her fidelity to the law over fidelity to Trump, as well as her role in helping Trump try to undermine the 2020 election. I'd also note that Trump's nominee for Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vogt, is likely to be pretty contentious today. He's a key architect of Trump's America First agenda, and he's going to play a big role in those decisions to remake the federal workforce, including potentially firing thousands of federal workers. Now, it's rare for the Senate to not confirm presidential picks. Do you expect all these nominees to get a green light in the end?

5:43That seems most likely, and for a couple of reasons. Senators generally believe a president deserves to have the cabinet that they want. Second, Senate rules have changed. They only need a simple majority to confirm these, and Republicans have 53 votes. So these hearings are really less about winning over Democrats and more about keeping Republicans unified. And there isn't much political interest in opposing the president, particularly as conservative groups say they could threaten a primary against any Republican senator who does. That's NPR political correspondent Susan Davis. Thank you so much.

6:12You're welcome.

6:19The winds that stoked two massive wildfires in Los Angeles last week have been calmer since yesterday. Still, forecasters are warning residents to stay on watch, and neighborhoods in fire zones remain locked down to the frustration of many homeowners. NPR's Martin Costi is in L.A., and he joins us now with the latest. Good morning, Martin. Good morning, Laila. So does it look like Los Angeles is catching a break here? Well, we're not quite past the danger yet. The wind gusts up in the hills are still predicted to pick up around sunrise Pacific time and then go throughout the morning. But the night was calmer than it had been initially feared.

6:54And there's some optimism here because the fire crews have had a relatively calm time for the last couple of days. That gave them a chance to reinforce their work on the two biggest fires here. They've used the time to layer on the fire retardant, especially in steep areas where they can't climb up to with aerial drops. And they're hoping that those big fires will not grow outside their current footprints. But this red flag warning situation right now is still in effect, at least for most of the day. And what about the neighborhoods that have already burned? Are those areas still off limits? Yeah, they are.

7:26And in fact, I'd say they're more locked down now than they were a few days ago. Yesterday, I was out in the Palisades fire area. There were police from around the city had been posted up there at key intersections. The entrance checkpoints have been beefed up with the National Guard. And that's creating some frustration, especially when people come up to that dividing line. They can see their house just up the street past the line. There's no nearby signs of active fire, and they wonder why they can't just go up there and check on things. But authorities say they're not done yet with house-to-house assessments of damage, checking for unsafe structures and hazards.

7:56And the authorities are also saying that they have to kind of make a point of securing things to prevent looting. Is looting something that's happening? Well, people are concerned about that. There have been some credible reports of opportunistic thefts, especially in those first few days. On Monday, the district attorney here made a big point of announcing felony charges against people accused of burglary and related crimes. There have been a few more arrests. But it's not clear that this is still going on now. at large scale, especially with these reinforced checkpoints. Yesterday, I was talking to James King III.

8:25He lives with his family right on the line between Pasadena and Altadena. It's outside the mandatory evacuation zone. And his house survived, but others around him burned. He describes things on the street as kind of dark and spooky, but he says people are not, as he puts it, walking around carrying torches and pitchforks. I don't see anyone trying to be any kind of vigilante. I think because the fact that the National Guard is here, that there isn't no weird, like suspicious characters in this area. So even now, it's pretty calm. Okay. So assuming Los Angeles gets through today's red flag warning without major new fires, what's in store for the next few days?

9:03Well, the big job right now is figuring out how to shelter so many people who've lost their homes. The rental market here was already super expensive. And we're hearing reports of rent increases that qualify as price gouging under state law. The city attorney is going to be on the lookout for that, she says. Mayor Karen Bass said the city is trying to make 1 ,200 more units of housing available in the next week or so. They want to streamline permitting for faster rebuilding, but it's a massive effort looming ahead of this region. Right now, I'd say the near-term hope is a forecast of maybe slightly better weather this weekend and maybe even the hope of a touch of moisture.

9:36NPR's Martin Castey. Thank you, Martin. You're welcome.

9:46South Korean police today arrested the country's impeached president, Yoon Song-yal, after a standoff with his security detail. This is the first time that police there have detained a sitting president. Every word there matters somewhere. Last month, Yoon sparked a crisis when he briefly declared martial law. NPR's Anthony Kuhn was outside the president's residence this morning, and he joins me now from Seoul. Hi, Anthony. Hey, Leila. So what's happening at the president's home? Well, it's been freezing cold the whole time, I can tell you that. Protesters knew this arrest was coming, so many of them had been there before dawn.

10:23They were at Yoon's residence, which is on a hillside next to a major street, and there were more than 3 ,000 police and anti-corruption investigators there to execute an arrest warrant, which is a lot more than their first try. There were also ruling party lawmakers there trying to block police. It got chaotic. There were some tussles, but luckily there was no serious violence. That's good to hear. You were talking to protesters out there. What'd they say? Well, today and throughout this crisis, South Korea's vibrant political protest culture has been on full display. People across the political spectrum taking to the streets to defend democracy.

10:57Just after Yoon's arrest was announced, the anti-Yoon campaign erupted in cheering. Police were keeping the pro and anti-Yoon camps apart. I spoke to a 24-year-old student named Min Seo-won, who was both elated and relieved that there was no fighting. Let's hear her now. I was really worried about such a situation, she said. I'm worried about what would happen if there was gunfire. But I'm so relieved that there was thankfully no such situation and that Yoon Sung-yeol is finally detained, although it took a long time. Now, Yoon's supporters, meanwhile, are a minority, but some recent polls show support for his party has increased and support for his impeachment has decreased, which suggests that Yoon is rallying his base.

11:41You know, we mentioned how unprecedented this is, and police did attempt to arrest Yoon before, but his security detail blocked him. What was different this time? Well, since the last attempt, Yoon's security detail fortified the residents with buses and barbed wire. Police had to scale those buses with ladders to get in, and the presidential security detail had said they'd fight to the finish. But before that, before the arrest, their leaders were charged with obstructing official duties. So in the end, they did not get in the way. There was a standoff as Yoon's lawyers negotiated with authorities.

12:13Then he was taken away for questioning. Yoon himself is a prosecutor. He remains silent under questioning. Authorities now have 48 hours to seek a formal arrest warrant for him or release him. Wow, that's quite dramatic. What's the political significance of this arrest? The significance is being hotly contested. Yoon himself said that the rule of law is now breaking down in South Korea. He says the arrest procedure was invalid, but he voluntarily went in for questioning in order to prevent bloodshed. By contrast, the opposition's parliamentary floor leader said Yoon's arrest is the first step towards restoring the rule of law.

12:50And besides the criminal charges of insurrection, there's also another process going on, which is his impeachment trial at the constitutional court. They're going to reconvene for another hearing tomorrow. And if the court rules against him, Yoon will formally be removed from office. NPR's Anthony Kuhn in Seoul. Thank you so much, Anthony. You're welcome, Layla.

13:14And that's Up First for Wednesday, January 15th. I'm Layla Faldin. And I'm Stephen Skeep. Listen to Up First all sorts of ways, including our app. You hear local coverage from the NPR station that is closest to you and stories from every place else. You also get podcast suggestions based on what you like. Download the NPR app at your app store. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Ryland Barton, Jason Breslow, Gigi Dubon, Ali Schweitzer, and Lisa Thompson. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas, Iman Mahani, and Lily Quiroz. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Stacey Abbott.

13:50Join us again tomorrow.

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