LA Sheriff Urges Patience Amid Search For Fire Victims
Plus, Biden talks foreign policy legacy as Trump's cabinet noms ready for Senate hearings
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Good morning,
The Metro Richmond Zoo has launched "Poppy Cam," a livestream featuring its viral pygmy hippo, Poppy, and her mother, Iris.
The next Moo Deng? The feed provides an overhead view of Poppy’s indoor pool, as well as fun facts about pygmy hippos. It will be available to watch daily from 9 am to 5 pm ET.
Iris gave birth to her adorable daughter on Christmas Eve.
The zoo held an online poll to select her name, drawing over 116,000 votes from all 50 states and 168 countries.
Have a good one!
Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren
📌 WINDS THREATEN LA FIRE RECOVERY EFFORTS
The National Weather Service issued an extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday in Los Angeles County, expecting gusts of up to 70 mph as high Santa Ana winds return.
It comes as 92,000 people are under evacuation orders and nearly 90,000 more are under evacuation warnings.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday that about two dozen people have been found dead and 23 adults remain missing. He expects that number to rise as teams search through the devastation, asking evacuated residents to be patient as officials are “looking for the remains of your neighbors.”
ARRESTS & PRICE GOUGING
As if the fires weren’t enough, officers have made 34 arrests since last Tuesday for burglary, curfew violations, drone-related incidents, and more. Meanwhile, some landlords and businesses are attempting to profit from the crisis.
LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Monday that his office is already investigating cases of price gouging on hotel rooms, housing, and essential supplies — vowing to prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.
Under California law, prices can only increase by 10% or less during an emergency.
Hochman also warned about insurance and government benefit scams that could prey on fire victims during upcoming recovery and rebuilding efforts.
He also warned of charity scams: “These are people who are contacting people and pretending to be GoFundMe operations to help people who have suffered,” said Hochman. “I applaud anyone who wants to donate to these causes, whether with money or services, but make sure that they are going to the right operations.”
IMPACT ON KIDS
After days of classroom closures, Los Angeles Unified and other school districts reopened Monday. For nearly a week, about a half a million students were kept home, including from LAUSD, the nation’s second-largest school district.
During closures, the district offered students two free meals per day at distribution centers, and made online resources available for virtual learning.
More than 2,000 students enrolled at three schools destroyed in the fires have been displaced. Many will be relocated to different campuses later this week.
An additional 340 district staff members lost their homes in the blazes, LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho said on Sunday.
Stories from parents: A mother who evacuated with her two daughters told journalist Peter Savodnik that when she opened her 7-year-old’s backpack, it was filled with stuffed animals — no clothes, nor essentials.
Psychologists recommend being open and honest with kids impacted by the fires: give them concrete facts without graphic details.
For parents with babies: Experts urge patience and sticking to routines, if possible.
📌 BIDEN DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL FOREIGN POLICY LEGACY
On Monday, President Joe Biden reflected on his administration’s foreign policy legacy while speaking at the State Department. The one-term Democrat took office amid the worst global pandemic in a century, only to face additional global crises including the war in Ukraine and the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
BIDEN ON MIDDLE EAST
Biden stood by his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2021, fulfilling a key campaign promise to end America’s longest war.
During the chaotic withdrawal, a suicide bombing killed 13 U.S. troops and 170 Afghan civilians, and thousands of Afghans desperately crowded Kabul’s airport attempting to escape before the final U.S. aircraft left.
Days later, the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban took over.
“Critics said if we ended the war, it would damage our alliances and create threats to our homeland from foreign-directed terrorism out of a safe haven in Afghanistan,” Biden said. “Neither has occurred.”
Biden also credited American intervention and action in the Middle East with helping to make Iran “weaker than it's been in decades.”
He highlighted the U.S.’s role in curbing Iran’s attacks against Israel and contributing to the decline of its proxy group Hezbollah.
He pointed to Tehran’s struggling economy and the loss of Syria as an ally as signs of Iran’s diminished influence.
HOSTAGE DEAL HOPE
Biden also confirmed that a hostage deal in Gaza could be hours away — a sentiment echoed by a Hamas official to CNN, which reported both parties are working through their final drafts as high-level negotiations took place in Qatar on Monday.
The deal, which the Biden administration laid the framework for in May, “would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians, who have suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started” more than 15 months ago, Biden said.
According to U.S. officials, the first phase of the proposed deal would involve the release of 33 hostages over a 42-day ceasefire, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Behind the scenes: President-elect Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, reportedly held a “tense” meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend, convincing him to accept certain compromises to get the deal done before Trump takes office.
There are also reports that Hamas gave a list of living hostages to Qatari mediators yesterday – a demand Israel had been making for months.
📌 ON OUR RADAR TODAY: TRUMP TRANSITION TAKES OFF WITH HEGSETH HEARING
With less than a week until Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Senate is kicking off a blitz of confirmation hearings for his Cabinet nominees.
This week, thirteen nominees will appear before eleven Senate committees. While most are expected to have smooth confirmations, some of Trump’s more controversial picks remain without scheduled hearings.
WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
The most high-profile hearing today is for Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, who will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC).
He faces hurdles including allegations of sexual and financial misconduct in past jobs, along with concerns over his qualifications to be leader of the largest federal agency.
Only the top Democrat and Republican of the SASC have read Hegseth's FBI background check. Some Democrats are saying they need more information on him before today’s hearing.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Monday that "Mr. Hegseth's background is deeply troubling, to put it generously. We all have read reports about his radical views, his alleged excessive drinking, the allegations about sexual assault...He can expect his hearing to be tough, but respectful. Candid but fair."
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Trump plans limited inauguration festivities despite massive fundraising haul (CNBC)
📌 Judge rules that DOJ can release Jack Smith's final report on his Jan. 6 case against Trump (ABC)
📌 Gavin Newsom and California Democrats reach $50M deal to Trump-proof the state (POLITICO)
📌 Supreme Court allows Hawaii climate change lawsuit to move forward (NBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Top ICJ judge Nawaf Salam named Lebanon’s next prime minister (VOA)
📌 Tsunami advisory lifted after 6.9 magnitude earthquake rattles southwest Japan (CNN)
📌 Zelenskyy says Ukraine ready to trade captured North Koreans for Ukrainian prisoners (USA TODAY)
📌 Millions start bathing in holy rivers at India's biggest Hindu festival (BBC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Tesla CEO Elon Musk diverts Cybertruck deliveries to help in L.A. fire amid political feuding (YAHOO)
📌 Chuck Todd to exit NBC (SEMAFOR)
📌 Up to 4 in 10 people could develop dementia after 55. What you can do to lower your risk (AP)
📌 Jeff Bezos’ space company calls off debut launch of massive new rocket in final minutes of countdown (CNN)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Beyoncé makes $2.5 million donation to L.A. fire relief funds: ‘Los Angeles we stand with you’ (PEOPLE)
📌 Carrie Underwood to perform at Trump's inauguration (AXIOS)
📌 The NFL playoffs have delivered a quarterback showdown for the ages (WSJ)
📌 Leslie Charleson, longtime star of 'General Hospital,' dies at 79 (NBC)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: JANUARY 14
1952: NBC’s “Today” show premiered with Dave Garroway as the original host.
Craig Melvin took over “Today” co-hosting duties yesterday, after Hoda Kotb's departure on Friday.
1954: Baseball legend Joe DiMaggio and actress Marilyn Monroe married at San Francisco City Hall. Their brief but tumultuous marriage lasted just nine months.
1970: Diana Ross and the Supremes performed their final concert together at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas before Ross embarked on a solo career.
2013: Cyclist Lance Armstrong ended years of denial by confessing to Oprah Winfrey in a TV interview that he had used performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times.