Inside Battle To Contain LA Wildfires
Plus, Justices seem skeptical of TikTok's 1st Amendment arguments as ban nears
Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up!
Good morning,
Did the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory linking alcohol to cancer make you rethink your weekend drink(s)? Turns out, that trend was already in motion, especially for younger Americans who have been cutting down on booze for a while.
According to beverage industry analysis firm IWSR, U.S. alcohol sales (by volume) fell 2.8% in the first seven months of 2024.
Zoom in: Beer sales fell 3.5%, spirits by 3%, and wine took the biggest hit, down 4%.
Younger Americans are leading the charge. A 2024 Gallup poll found that the percentage of young adults who drink has declined from 65% to 59% in just five years.
Even more striking: 45% of Gen Z adults (21+) reported in 2023 that they’d never had an alcoholic drink, according to a NielsenIQ survey.
What’s behind the shift? Younger generations are embracing health-conscious lifestyles and social activities that don’t revolve around alcohol. Plus, better non-alcoholic beverage options mean skipping the booze doesn’t feel like such a sacrifice.
Have a good one!
Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📌 HIGH WINDS EXPECTED AS FIREFIGHTERS SCRAMBLE TO CONTAIN LOS ANGELES FLAMES
The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County continue to rage, having burned more than 40,000 acres (60+ square miles) — an area larger than Miami, Boston, San Francisco, and nearly 3x the size of Manhattan. Officials have confirmed at least 24 deaths, 16 people still missing, and 12,000 structures damaged or destroyed.
Firefighters have been able to make some progress: the Palisades Fire is 11% contained, while Eaton is at 27%, and Hurst 89%. The Kenneth, Sunset, and Lidia fires are all 100% contained. Note: containment doesn’t mean the fires are extinguished, but that the perimeter around the flames is controlled, so it’s not expected to spread.
On Saturday, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell announced federal officials are leading an investigation into the origins of the fires, including whether arson may have played a role in any.
Meanwhile, authorities have arrested 29 people for criminal activity related to the fires, including looters targeting evacuated homes.
There was an attempted burglary at Vice President Kamala Harris’s Brentwood home over the weekend.
With tens of thousands more buildings under threat and strong Santa Ana winds (expected to be about 60-70% of the strength of last week’s wind gusts) forecasted through Wednesday, containment efforts could be hampered in the coming days.
NO END IN SIGHT
Nearly 200,000 LA residents remain under evacuation orders or warnings. There is a lot of uncertainty until the area gets some rain, which is not in the 10-day forecast.
On Sunday, The FEMA Administrator warned on ABC's "This Week” that the situation remains dangerous and urged residents to stay alert and follow official guidance throughout the week.
Helicopters have been dropping massive amounts of fire retardant and water in an effort to contain the blazes.
FINGER POINTING CONTINUES
As Californians return to charred homes and brace this week for more destruction, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has eased environmental regulations to allow faster rebuilding in wildfire-ravaged communities, once the flames are contained. On NBC’s “Meet The Press” yesterday, Newsom slammed President-elect Trump for spreading disinformation about the fires. On Friday, the governor invited Trump to tour the destruction, as the incoming president continued to slam California officials for their response to the disaster on social media.
On Sunday, LA Mayor Karen Bass said she is in communication with and received a “positive response” from the incoming Trump administration.
With just one week left before Trump takes office, President Biden announced that the federal government will cover the full cost of LA’s wildfire recovery efforts for 180 days. That includes debris removal, temporary shelters for evacuees, and emergency response salaries.
The move appears to be an attempt to guarantee that disaster relief funding continues into the Trump administration.
📲 BAD NEWS FOR TIKTOK: SUPREME COURT JUSTICES SIGNAL SUPPORT FOR BAN UNLESS APP IS SOLD
The Supreme Court appears poised to uphold a bipartisan law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. in six days, unless its China-based parent company, ByteDance, sells the platform.
Justices posed tough questions to both sides during Friday’s high-stakes arguments over free speech and national security concerns.
KEY ARGUMENTS
Justices seemed open to the argument that TikTok could have been sold to an American entity to mitigate security risks.
TikTok's Argument: Lawyers for TikTok, as well as content creators who rely on the app, argued that banning the platform would amount to government overreach, effectively silencing 170 million American users who have benefited from TikTok’s unique algorithm — which, they said, does not prioritize prior fame or status like Facebook and Instagram.
Chief Justice John Roberts didn’t seem to buy the overreach argument, noting that “Congress doesn’t care about what’s on TikTok… [the law is] not saying TikTok has to stop. They’re saying China has to stop controlling TikTok.”
The U.S. Government’s Argument: The Biden administration presented two main justifications for the law: preventing covert disinformation from China and blocking China from collecting and exploiting Americans' private data.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh underscored the long-term intelligence risks, stating that while teen users may now post dance videos or watch cat clips, the app could eventually be used “to develop spies, to turn people, to blackmail people, people who a generation from now will be working in the F.B.I. or the C.I.A. or in the State Department.”
TikTok’s lawyer did not dispute these concerns, but argued that the U.S. government could take less drastic measures, such as showing warning labels on the app.
The U.S. Solicitor General argued that Congress anticipated ByteDance stalling the app’s sale as “a game of chicken.” If the law is upheld, she said, it would “jolt” ByteDance into serious divestment talks.
WHAT’S NEXT?
A ruling could come by the end of the week. TikTok’s lawyer warned that the app will “go dark” in the U.S. unless the Court sides with them or temporarily blocks the law to “buy everybody a little breathing space.” Some Justices noted, however, that ByteDance has had years to prepare for this scenario — in 2020, Trump signed an executive order that could have banned TikTok.
Wild card: Now the president-elect has vowed to “save TikTok.” He has a few options, but each comes with political risks:
Ignore the law: Trump could order his administration not to enforce the law, which penalizes app stores and web servers from hosting TikTok.
But, this could conflict with his “law and order” image, especially since the bill was bipartisan. Even his likely Secretary of State, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), supports the ban.
Give ByteDance an extension: The law allows the president to grant a 90-day extension if a deal is on its way.
He could also keep the ban in effect and try to broker a sale.
Bottom line: Come Jan. 19, the app won’t disappear from Americans’ phones if the court sides with the U.S. government.
The law is about future downloads and updates from app stores – same with internet hosting companies. VPN sales might grow as a workaround to gaining access.
Meanwhile, the justices are also set to hear arguments in another free speech-related case this week:
Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton challenges a 2023 Texas law requiring pornographic websites to verify users are over 18. This case will further test the Court’s stance on government-imposed restrictions on digital platforms. We’ll be listening Wednesday with up-to-date coverage on the Mo News Instagram.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Judge sentences President-elect Trump in hush-money case, but sentence carries no penalty (MO NEWS)
📌 Special counsel Jack Smith resigns from DOJ (CNN)
📌 JD Vance says violent Jan. 6 rioters shouldn't receive pardons (NBC)
📌 Biden admin to GOP: Immigration bill Laken Riley Act will cost more than $3 billion (POLITICO)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Netanyahu and Biden discuss progress in Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal talks (CNN) Trump envoy presses for Gaza ceasefire deal before Jan. 20 in Netanyahu meeting (AXIOS)
📌 Saudi Arabia presses top EU diplomats to lift sanctions on Syria after Assad’s fall (NBC)
📌 Zelensky offers exchange of North Korean soldiers (BBC)
📌 Populist incumbent sails to victory in Croatia presidential election (POLITICO)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Claims about a billionaire couple hurting efforts to fight the LA fires via their ‘control’ of the water supply are false (YAHOO)
📌 SpaceX will launch two private lunar landers this week, kicking off busy year for moon missions (SPACE)
📌 Biden admin delays enforcement of order blocking Nippon Steel, U.S. Steel deal, companies say (REUTERS)
📌 USDA report finds Boar's Head listeria outbreak was due to poor sanitation practices (NPR)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Ohio State to face Notre Dame in College Football Playoff National Championship Game (NFL)
📌 UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov escorted off airplane after dispute with crew about his seat (YAHOO)
📌 Meghan Markle delays Netflix debut of with “Love, Meghan” amid Los Angeles wildfires (PEOPLE)
📌 Rory Sykes, former child star, dead at 32 from California fires (FOX)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: JANUARY 13
1968: Amid a career slump and personal struggles, Johnny Cash performed for 2,000 inmates at Folsom Prison, California. The legendary concert, recorded live, revived his career and became one of his most iconic albums.
The next year he would preform and record at San Quentin prison.
1969: The Beatles released their tenth album, ‘Yellow Submarine’.
1990: Douglas Wilder made history as the first African American elected governor of a U.S. state, taking office as Governor of Virginia.
2021: Donald Trump became the first U.S. President impeached for a second time by the U.S. House of Representatives. It was for his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Ten Republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach him on a charge of “incitement of insurrection.” Trump was later acquitted by the Senate despite seven Republicans joining Democrats.