The Los Angeles area braces for another round of heavy winds while firefighters battle blazes still burning after a week. Special counsel Jack Smith releases a biting defense of the Trump Jan. 6 investigation. And childhood vaccination rates are slipping, a CDC report finds.
Here’s what to know today.
Heavy winds forecast in L.A. area as progress made against fires
A week after two major wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area, the National Weather Service is warning of a wave of heavy winds that pose an extreme fire risk. Gusts ranging from 45 to 70 mph were forecast to begin at 4 a.m. local time and stick around until noon tomorrow, affecting part of the Santa Monica Mountains, where the Palisades Fire is burning, as well as other parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The “particularly dangerous situation” designation given to the wind event is reserved for the most extreme situations, NWS said.
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As of last night, the Palisades Fire was 23,713 acres and 14% contained. Crews reported “significant progress” fighting the Palisades Fire, and evacuation orders were lifted in Santa Monica.
The Eaton Fire was 14,117 acres and 33% contained. As investigators work to determine the cause and origin of this and other fires, two lawsuits filed yesterday alleged utility company Southern California Edison failed to de-energize its power equipment and clear brush where a blaze sparked near Pasadena.
Follow our live blog for updates.
More coverage of the L.A. wildfires:
- California’s century-old prisoner firefighter program is drawing fresh criticism as hundreds of incarcerated people have been deployed to fight the fires.
- Displaced residents face spiking rents for short-term housing. One agent put a home on the market after the fires asking for more than double the rent it had been previously requesting.
- President-elect Donald Trump’s team is discussing a trip to California to view the devastation despite his repeated criticism of officials’ response to the fires.
- What does it mean to “contain” a wildfire? First thing to note: It doesn’t mean that a blaze is completely extinguished.
Special counsel’s biting defense of Trump Jan. 6 probe
A 170-page report from special counsel Jack Smith was made public early 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 delivered a full-throated defense of his decision to bring charges and argued that the case would have ended in Trump’s conviction, had he not won election in 2024. Not only did Trump knowingly spread an objectively false narrative about election fraud in the 2020 election. He also “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” on Jan. 6, Smith wrote.
Under a longstanding Justice Department policy that prevents the sitting president from being tried, the charges in this case were dropped upon 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 from the report.
Yesterday, the Justice Department also released a final report from special counsel David Weiss, who charged Hunter Biden with gun and tax crimes, criticizing President Joe Biden for pardoning his son. Biden’s decision undermined “the public’s confidence in our criminal justice system,” Weiss wrote. Read more about Weiss’ report.
Hegseth faces the Senate
Members of Congress are expected to grill Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army combat veteran, as hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks get underway. Trump has named Hegseth as his choice for defense secretary.
Allegations against Hegeth, including sexual assault, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement when he ran a veterans’ advocacy organization — all of which he has denied — have come up in recent months. Sources said the FBI’s background check did not include interviews with either of his ex-wives or the woman who accused him of sexual assault.
In addition, some military officers worry that Hegseth’s past criticisms of the rules governing U.S. troops in combat risk undermining core principles that shape the American military. Hegseth has also faced criticism for past opposition to allowing women and openly gay people to serve in combat, positions he has walked back.
Read the full story here, and follow our live blog for the latest from his hearing.
Childhood vaccination rates are slipping
The percentage of kindergarteners exempted from one or more vaccinations rose during the 2023-24 school year to 3.3.%, the highest ever reported, according to CDC data, with increases in 40 states and Washington, D.C. The decrease in vaccination rates has advocates, doctors, officials and researchers worried that what was a bright spot in public health, especially in states with poor health outcomes and shorter life expectancies, is fading as Americans’ views shift.
One doctor in Georgia, which has among the lowest vaccination rates, said that the lower rates may be because some families lack access to a pediatrician, but said state policies on exemptions are also key. Idaho, Alaska and Utah — which had the highest exemption rates — allowed children to be exempted from vaccinations for religious reasons. Mississippi and West Virginia didn’t allow exemptions for nonmedical reasons and saw higher vaccination rates. But Mississippi’s law changed in 2023, prompting more exemptions. West Virginia’s could soon change too.
Read All About It
- The Los Angeles Rams dominated the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 to advance in the NFL playoffs. They face the Philadelphia Eagles next.
- Two federal prisoners’ requests to nullify their death row commutations, granted by President Joe Biden, should be denied, the Justice Department argued.
- The risk and the number of people living with dementia is expected to double by 2060, new research shows.
- President Joe Biden announced another round of student loan relief for more than 150,000 borrowers.
Staff Pick: Fire reduces a diverse enclave to rubble
Altadena is a minority-majority town 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 onto their homes for generations, NBC News’ Curtis Bunn and contributor Claire Wang report. But the Eaton Fire has left the friendly, flourishing artist enclave in ruins. Adonis Jones, 66, who lived in one home there for nearly 20 years, evacuated with almost nothing. “It’s like I lost a piece of my soul,” he said. He and others in the community will have to decide whether — and how — to rebuild.— Michelle Garcia, NBC BLK editorial director
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