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Today's headlines

A meeting of Israel's security cabinet is scheduled to vote on a ceasefire agreement with Hamas today. The agreement will end more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza. The meeting came two days after mediators announced the deal and a day after some ministers in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet postponed a vote.

• 🎧 After the cabinet vote, it still needs approval from the larger government and could still be challenged in Israel's Supreme Courtsays NPR's Kat Lonsdorf first up. It may take several days for the ceasefire to take effect. It was originally scheduled to start on Sunday, but it could be Monday. Netanyahu's office said Hamas made last-minute changes to the agreement that needed to be completed, but Hamas denies this. As a ceasefire has not yet been achieved, Israeli air strikes on Gaza continue. More than 100 Palestinians have been killed since the deal was announced late Wednesday, according to Gaza's civil defense.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the upcoming TikTok ban soon. The law banning the app nationwide passed by Congress and signed by President Biden is set to take effect in two days. TikTok users, backed by the company, want the Supreme Court to step in and say the ban is unconstitutional.

• 🎧 NPR's Bobby Allyn said when he covered the Supreme Court oral arguments last week, the justices seemed skeptical TikTok argued that the ban violated free speech. TikTok has asked the court to put the ruling on hold until President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has pledged to save the app, and he can do so in a number of ways. He could delay the ban's start date and strike a deal to sell the app, or simply tell his government to abandon the law.
• ➡️ American TikTok users are flocking to Chinese social media app RedNote. Here's what we know about it.

A polar vortex will bring frigid temperatures and life-threatening conditions to millions of Americans this weekend and next week. During the winter, the polar vortex (the area of ​​low pressure and cold air surrounding the Earth's poles) can expand. Areas unaccustomed to ice, like the South and Mid-Atlantic, won't be immune. Trump's second swearing-in on Monday will usher in the coldest air of the season in Washington, D.C. Based on historical data, it's expected to be the coldest Inauguration Day since President Ronald Reagan's inauguration in 1985, when midday temperatures reached just 7 degrees.

25 goals for 2025

Can’t decide on a 2025 goal? NPR's Life Toolkit has expert guidance to help you achieve any goal. We’ll be sharing some of them each week this month. View all 25 guides here.

When our homes are at their most messy, we feel shame. Remember, this is not a moral failure. You do not exist to serve your space; you exist to serve your space. Quite the opposite is true, says KC Davis, a practicing therapist and author of How to look after your home when you are drowning. Davis has a "five-thing decluttering method" for restoring a messy room.

• 🧽 In any space, there are only five things: Garbage, tableware, clothing, things with a place and things without a place. Process them in this order.
• 🧽 Pick up a trash bag or bin and walk around the room Collect the trash, but don’t take it out yet. Keep working until the space is habitable again.
• 🧽 Collect all the dirty dishes and find a place to stack them. It could be a sink or even a laundry basket with no holes in the bottom.
• 🧽 Collect clothing lying around. Try not to get stuck on this step and set it aside to be washed later.

Check The rest of the steps can help you declutter before cleaning.

life kit There are many more guides Helping you master the life skills of 2025. Check out some of these skills here:

Weekend Picks

look at what NPR Watching, reading, and listening this weekend:

🍿 Movie: Make room for these eight lesser-known, off-the-beaten-path films of 2024 that don't have big names, big studios and big marketing departments behind them.

📺 TV: Betty Gilpin stars as a mother determined to get herself and her son across the border in this Western drama American original. Along the way, they become embroiled in a brewing war between the federal government and Mormon militias.

📚 Books: Here are 12 books that once you've read them, all you have to do is tell others. They make a great addition to your book club lineup.

🎵 Music: In honor of Martin Luther King, pianist Laura Downs discusses how musicians are following in his footsteps. Listen to playlists featuring Bob Dylan, Odetta and Sam Cooke, among many others.

🎮 Games: Check out NPR's 25 most anticipated games launching this year.

❓ Quiz: Wow! Another week, another perfect score. Do you think you can match it?

3 things you need to know before you go

1. President Biden announces commutations for nearly 2,500 people convicted of non-violent drug crimestheir sentences were much longer than today's sentences.
2. Toyota subsidiary Hino Motors, which makes commercial trucks, admits submitting false emissions data Regulator of more than 100,000 heavy-duty trucks. The company will pay $1.6 billion in fines and penalties.
3. Conan O'Brien to receive Mark Twain Award for American Humor March. Past recipients of the award include Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg and Kevin Hart.

This newsletter is sponsored by Suzanne Newyen.