GEOFF BENNETT: And we start today's other headlines in Southern California, where thousands are under evacuation orders as a wildfire threatens parts of Malibu.

The Franklin Fire has burned more than 2,500 acres so far, fueled by winds that have topped 40 miles per hour.

Thousands of homes and other structures are at risk, and students at Pepperdine University campus were at one point forced to shelter in place.

L.A. County officials called on residents to heed instructions from authorities.

ROBERT LUNA, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department: When a deputy or another official comes to your door or you get a notification that there is a warning or specifically an order, you need to evacuate.

It saves lives and it actually impacts the lives of our first responders, because, if they have to come in to save a life, they're putting their own lives at risk.

GEOFF BENNETT: The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with a rare particularly dangerous situation designation.

These tend to occur every three to five years in California.

It's not yet clear what started the blaze.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stand for the first time today in his long-running corruption trial.

He's charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three different cases.

Netanyahu has long denied any wrongdoing and told a three-judge panel in Tel Aviv that his testimony would poke holes in the absurd accusations.

Outside the courtroom, supporters rallied for the prime minister, but so too did dozens of protesters and family members of hostages still held in Gaza.

They criticized Netanyahu's handling of the war and pointed to the International Criminal Court's push for his arrest over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

SHOHAM SMITH, Protester (through translator): We are here to express support for the rule of law, to firmly oppose the fact that we have a prime minister who is both a criminal defendant and a war criminal.

GEOFF BENNETT: The prime minister's legal challenges go back nearly a decade and have caused deep divisions within Israel.

He has rejected any calls to step down.

With just 41 days left in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden sought to shore up his economic legacy today in what could be his final speech on the subject as president.

At the Brookings Institution in Washington, the president touted his administration's policies aimed at boosting the middle class and he sounded a confident note that the economy is on firm footing.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: Most economists agree the new administration is going to inherit a fairly strong economy, at least at the moment, an economy going through fundamental transformation that's laid out a stronger foundation of sustainable, broad-based, highly productive growth.

It is my profound hope that the new administration will preserve and build on this progress.

GEOFF BENNETT: The president went on to highlight the 16 million new jobs that were created over the past four years.

That's the most of any single presidential term.

And he also touted the lowest average unemployment rate of any administration in 50 years.

Inflation also dropped from a recent peak of around 9 percent to around 2.5 percent in recent months.

But those accomplishments did little to sway voters, with high prices being cited as a reason for Democrats' losses in the November election.

U.S. wildlife officials are aiming to add monarch butterflies to the endangered species list.

A proposal out today from the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service would designate the iconic Black and orange butterfly as threatened with extinction.

It would also set aside thousands of acres in California as a protected habitat for the butterfly.

Environmentalists say climate change is threatening their migration patterns, which span from central Mexico all the way to Canada.

If the rule is finalized, the monarch would become one of the most widespread species ever protected under the landmark law.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended lower as investors wait for tomorrow's report on inflation.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended lower for a fourth straight session, dropping around 150 points.

The Nasdaq gave back around 50 points on the day.

The S&P 500 also closed in negative territory.

And the oldest complete stone tablet of the Ten Commandments is set to be auctioned later this month.

The marble block dates to the late Roman Byzantine era, making it about 1,500 years old.

It weighs 115 pounds, stands two feet tall, and is engraved with 20 lines of faded Paleo-Hebrew script.

The tablet was unearthed along the coast of Israel back in 1913, but its historical significance went unrecognized for decades.

Keen observers note that actually only nine of the Ten Commandments, as we know them, are present.

Sotheby's has set a presale estimate of between $1 million and $2 million.

Still to come on the "News Hour": President Biden considers preemptive pardons to protect critics of Donald Trump from retribution; a guide to combating a recent surge of misogyny, including among young people; and we investigate the trade of a cotton byproduct that's become key to Russia's war efforts.