“Record-breaking wildfires are spreading in the Los Angeles area, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Donald Trump has his sights set on Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal. And visitors to a Utah ski resort are surprised by a workers’ strike.
Here’s what you need to know today.
Fires rage out of control in Los Angeles in an “unprecedented” disaster that forces the evacuation of at least 49,000 people
Strong winds that are expected to worsen have fueled at least three wildfires in the Los Angeles area, prompting evacuations and a massive firefighter response.
The Palisades Fire has burned nearly 3,000 acres, while millions of people across Southern California are under a red flag warning. The others are the 1,000-acre Eaton Fire and the 500-acre Hurst Fire. All three are 0% contained and wind gusts of up to 100 mph are forecast.
The National Weather Service said winds should gradually weaken throughout the day, but the worst conditions were expected this morning.
No deaths have been reported so far from the fires, but Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in light of what he called “unprecedented” fires. At least 49,000 people have been ordered to evacuate and thousands more have been told to prepare to leave.
stockade fire
What started as a wildfire Tuesday around 10:30 a.m. quickly grew in size, sending clouds of smoke into the air and forcing 30,000 residents to evacuate. Roads leading away from the coastal community were paralyzed and some people, desperate to escape, abandoned their cars and fled on foot to safety. The images show how the forest fire turned the coast of Los Angeles into an “apocalyptic” sceneas one resident described it.
LAFD said a 25-year-old firefighter suffered a head injury while fighting the fire, and civilians were found with burns.
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Fire Eaton
The Eaton Fire ignited around 6:23 p.m. Tuesday in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest, near Pasadena and Altadena. Evacuations were ordered as the fire grew. The Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center was destroyedand one witness said it seemed like a “bad, bad, horrible dream.” Included in the evacuation zone was a senior living facility in the Pasadena area, where an NBC News Los Angeles crew Residents captured being loaded into vehicles. while thick smoke consumed the area.
wounded fire
A wildfire was first reported in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday night, and the Los Angeles Fire Department reported a rapid rate of spread. The fire is now reported to extend to 500 acres.
The fire is currently burning in and around the San Fernando Valley, and wind storms are spreading the fire north toward the city of Santa Clarita, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department warned early this morning.
Today’s forecast
While the National Weather Service predicted the “most significant wind event” would occur between 10 p.m. last night and 5 a.m. this morning, strong winds are still expected on Wednesday, which will complicate firefighting efforts. . As of last night, more than 300,000 homes and businesses in the Los Angeles area were without power.
Follow our live blog for updates.
Trump proposes methods to acquire Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada
President-elect Donald Trump is just under two weeks away from taking office, but he is already setting his sights on how to increase the size of the United States and, as he claims, strengthen its “national security.” In a free press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump suggested he could use military force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal and “economic force” to acquire Canada.
Trump has previously floated the idea of purchasing Greenland, the self-governing territory under Danish control, and reiterated his ambitions yesterday when his son Donald Trump Jr. visited the Arctic island. At his news conference, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Denmark at “a very high level” if it thwarted the island’s efforts to seek independence or join the United States.
Historians believe Trump and the United States will have a fight on their hands if they decide to attack Greenland. A great clue: The Danish king’s alteration to 500 years of history. in an adjustment to the royal coat of arms.
Regarding the Panama Canal, Trump stated that the United States has been “overcharged” for the passage of its ships through the canal compared to other countries and that Panama is in “violation” of an agreement with the United States, although It is unclear which deal Trump is referring to. Trump also suggested that “China is basically taking over the country,” a claim that Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino rejected.
And the idea of the United States taking over Canada? “That would be really important,” Trump said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to resign has plunged the country into political uncertainty. Trump joked that it should become the 51st state and said he joked with Canadian hockey legend Wayne Gretzky about becoming “governor.” But Canada’s distinctive political culture makes Trump’s rhetorical dreams much more complicated in reality.
Read the full story here.
More political coverage:
- The body of former President Jimmy Carter arrived at the United States Capitol to lie in state after a memorial service in the rotunda. A funeral is planned for tomorrow.
- A New York Court of Appeals Judge denied Trump’s request to stop sentencing scheduled for Friday in his hush money case.
- U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who oversaw the classified Trump documents case, temporarily blocked the launch from special prosecutor Jack Smith’s report on his investigation.
- The Republican-led House approved its first bill of the new Congress – a strict border measure called the Laken Riley Act.
- The pentagon reached a historic agreement That may affect more than 35,000 LGBTQ veterans discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and other similar policies.
- How the Republican Party loses its grip on the so-called trifecta of the White House, House and Senate is not a question of “if” but “when,” writes NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd. But “how” we will get to that point is still unknown. Read the full analysis here.
Driver in Las Vegas Cybertruck explosion used ChatGPT to plan it, authorities say
The Army soldier who authorities believe blew up a Tesla Cybertruck on New Year’s Day outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas used artificial intelligence to plan the explosion, authorities said.
Matthew Alan Livelsberg asked ChatGPT for information on how he could assemble an explosive, how quickly a round would need to be fired for the explosives found in the truck to go off, and what laws he would need to circumvent to acquire the materials. law enforcement officials said. “I believe this is the first incident that I’m aware of on American soil where ChatGPT was used to help an individual build a particular device,” said Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill.
Kenny Cooper of the ATF Field Division in San Francisco said Livelsberger’s self-inflicted gunshot could have caused the “air and fuel explosion” in the vehicle.
A spokesperson for OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT, said in a statement that the company was saddened by the revelation that its technology was used to plan the attack, adding that ChatGPT “responded with information that was already publicly available on the Internet and provided warnings.” against harmful or illegal attacks.” activities.” Read the full story here.
read all about it
- Meta’s decision to end third-party fact-checking on its social media sites was received praise of some Republicans and concern of some employees. The move is the culmination of months of efforts by CEO Mark Zuckerberg. position the company for conservative pressure of the incoming Trump administration.
- Peter Yarrow, the folk singer who was one third of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at the age of 86.
- Home heating costs in the US are expected to increase by 8.7% for the season thanks to rising electricity prices and colder weather in the Midwest and Northeast.
- The eldest daughter of Ruby Franke, the once-popular family vlogger who was convicted of abusing her children, spoke about the abuse he suffered.
Personnel selection: A wave of frustration at the largest ski resort in the United States
At Park City Mountain Resort in Utah, it can cost $288 per day to ski its pristine powder runs. Some visitors, like Minnesota resident Peter Nystrom, have been saving for a long time to pay for airfare, food and lodging at America’s largest ski resort. The trip for Nystrom’s family, which included his wife, four children and in-laws, cost more than $20,000.
But those once-in-a-lifetime dreams have soured for skiers and snowboarders, caught off guard by a ski patrol union strike that began just after Christmas and forced the resort to operate at limited capacity. The situation has led to It creates lines of up to 1,000 people and waiting times of 90 minutes.. “This was not the vacation skiing and riding experience anyone wanted,” said the resort’s director of operations. — Amanda Covarrubias, news editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Made Easy
We search on the Internet this week’s best sales. Plus, select editors spoke to jewelers to find the best way to clean your goldsilver and more.
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