The Los Angeles area is bracing for another round of high winds as firefighters battle flames that are still burning after a week. Special Counsel Jack Smith Releases Scathing Defense of Jan. 6 Trump Investigation. And childhood vaccination rates are declining, according to a CDC report.
Here’s what you need to know today.
Strong winds forecast in Los Angeles area as fires are fought
A week after two large wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area, the National Weather Service is warning of a wave of strong winds that pose an extreme fire risk. Gusts between 45 and 70 mph were forecast to begin at 4 a.m. local time and last until noon tomorrow, affecting part of the Santa Monica Mountains, where the Palisades Fire is burning, as well as other parts of Los Angeles counties. and Ventura. The “particularly hazardous situation” designation given to the wind event is reserved for the most extreme situations, the NWS said.
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As of last night, the Palisades Fire was at 23,713 acres and was 14% contained. Crews reported “significant progress” fighting the Palisades Fire and evacuation orders in Santa Monica were lifted.
The Eaton Fire covered 14,117 acres and was 33% contained. While investigators work to determine the cause and origin of this and other fires, two lawsuits filed yesterday allege that utility company Southern California Edison failed to de-energize its electrical equipment or clear brush where the fire broke out near Pasadena.
Follow our live blog for updates.
More coverage of the Los Angeles wildfires:
- California’s Centenary Prisoner Firefighter Program is generating new criticism while hundreds of imprisoned people have been deployed to fight the fires.
- Displaced residents face rising rents for short-term housing. One agent put a house on the market after the fires asking for more than double the rent he had previously asked.
- President-elect Donald Trump’s team is discussing a trip to California see the devastation despite his repeated criticism of officials’ response to the fires.
- What does it mean to “contain” a forest fire? The first thing to keep in mind: this does not mean that a fire is completely extinguished.
Special Counsel’s Scathing Defense of Jan. 6 Trump Investigation
A 170-page report from special counsel Jack Smith was made public earlier today, detailing his investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to maintain power after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
In the report, Smith thoroughly defended his decision to press charges and argued that the case would have ended with Trump’s conviction if he had not won the election in 2024. Trump not only knowingly spread an objectively false narrative about election fraud. in the 2020 election. He also “inspired his followers to commit acts of physical violence” on Jan. 6, Smith wrote.
Under a long-standing Justice Department policy that prevents the sitting president from being tried, charges in this case were dropped after Trump’s victory in November. Meanwhile, Trump has said he is preparing to pardon an untold number of Jan. 6 defendants.
Read the full story for more details of the report.
Yesterday, the Justice Department also released a final report from special counsel David Weiss, who charged Hunter Biden with tax and gun crimes and criticized President Joe Biden for pardoning his son. Biden’s decision undermined “public confidence in our criminal justice system,” Weiss wrote. Read more about Weiss’s report.
Hegseth faces the Senate
Members of Congress are expected to question Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army combat veteran, as hearings begin for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks. Trump has named Hegseth as his pick for defense secretary.
Allegations have emerged against Hegeth in recent months, including sexual assault, excessive alcohol consumption and financial mismanagement while running a veterans advocacy organization, all of which he has denied. Sources said the FBI background check did not include interviews with any of his ex-wives or with the woman who accused him of sexual assault.
Additionally, some military officials are concerned that Hegseth’s earlier criticism of the rules governing U.S. troops in combat risk of undermining fundamental principles that shape the American military. Hegseth has also faced criticism for his opposition in the past to allowing women and openly gay people to serve in combat, positions from which he has backed away.
Read the full story hereand follow our live blog to know the latest from your audience.
Childhood vaccination rates are falling
The percentage of kindergartners exempt from one or more vaccines increased during the 2023-24 school year to 3.3%, the highest ever reported, according to CDC data, with increases in 40 states and Washington, DC. The decline in vaccination rates has defenders, Doctors, officials and researchers worry that what was a bright spot in public health, especially in states with poor health outcomes and lower life expectancies, is fading as that change the opinions of Americans.
A doctor in Georgia, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates, said the lower rates may be because some families lack access to a pediatrician, but he said State policies on exemptions are also key.. Idaho, Alaska and Utah, which had the highest exemption rates, allowed children to be exempt from vaccines for religious reasons. Mississippi and West Virginia did not allow exemptions for non-medical reasons and recorded higher vaccination rates. But Mississippi law changed in 2023, leading to more exemptions. West Virginia’s situation could soon change as well.
read all about it
- The Los Angeles Rams dominated the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 to advance in the NFL playoffs. Next they will face the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Requests by two federal prisoners to overturn their death row commutations, granted by President Joe Biden, must be deniedargued the Department of Justice.
- The risk and number of people living with dementia expected to double by 2060shows new research.
- President Joe Biden announced another round of student loan relief for more than 150,000 borrowers.
Personnel selection: The fire reduces a diverse enclave to rubble
Altadena is a majority-minority city in the Los Angeles area, where black homeownership is more than double the national average. In fact, Black and Latino families flocked to the area and have held on to their homes for generations, NBC News’ Curtis Bunn and contributor Claire Wang report. But the Eaton fire has left the friendly, thriving artists’ enclave in ruins. Adonis Jones, 66, who lived in a house there for nearly 20 years, was evacuated with almost nothing. “It’s like I lost a piece of my soul,” he said. He and other community members will have to decide whether and how to rebuild.— Michelle Garciaeditorial director of NBC BLK
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