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LA area’s 2 biggest blazes burn at least 10,000 structures, while new fire leads to more evacuations– abcnews.go.com
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LOS ANGELES — The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures, officials said Thursday as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew.

The fast-moving Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees and then moved into neighboring Ventura County by the evening.

Only hours earlier officials expressed encouragement after firefighters aided by calmer winds and help from crews from outside the state saw the first signs of successfully beating back the region’s devastating wildfires that have killed 10 people so far.

Here’s How DEI-Crazed Officials Made The LA Fire More Deadly– thefederalist.com
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As relentless fires burn in Los Angeles, thousands of residents who fled their homes are just learning how poorly public officials prepared for such an event. Emergency response leaders following bad public policy have been too focused on sending firefighting equipment to Ukraine, keeping the homeless safe, protecting fish, and adopting green policies to focus on things like making sure there is enough water to feed fire hydrants and guaranteeing that the strongest, best-trained, most-skilled firefighters are leading operations.

Officials seem to believe that when fire forces you to flee your home, there is just one thing on your mind: the skin color and cultural experience of the firefighters who will bring you to safety. Will they be diverse enough to rescue you? Never mind if they are the best for the job, are they anything but straight white men?

That has been a major priority of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), which, in 2022, launched its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Bureau (DEI), purportedly “focused on ensuring a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace for all.”

In January 2022, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti checked multiple DEI boxes by appointing Kristin Crowley as fire chief, the first female, LGBT chief in Los Angeles. That year, according to LAFD data, “of the more than 6,500 applicants to LAFD, 70% were people of color and nearly 8% … were female,” which was “double the … percentage of female firefighters within the Department” at the time.

The LAFD Girls Camp is one avenue for recruitment for female firefighters, hosting girls between 14 and 18 to explore career opportunities in the department.

Capitol Police Stop Potential Trump Attacker Hours Before Senate Visit– trendingpoliticsnews.com
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A man attempting to enter the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) on Wednesday was stopped and arrested after security officers discovered a machete and multiple knives in his bag. The incident unfolded just hours before President-elect Donald Trump’s scheduled appearance on Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans, marking a dramatic moment in the otherwise routine proceedings of the day. According to a statement from the U.S. Capitol Police, the man was apprehended around 2 p.m. at the north doors of the CVC during standard security screening.

Officers monitoring the X-ray machine noticed the machete in his bag, prompting an immediate halt to the screening process. A subsequent search of the bag uncovered three additional knives, all of which were secured by police before the suspect was taken into custody. The individual, whose name has not yet been released, was charged with multiple counts of carrying a dangerous weapon.

Blinken says Trump’s push for US to take control of Greenland is ‘not going to happen’– abcnews.go.com
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PARIS — Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is advising the world “not to waste a lot of time” on what President-elect Donald Trump has been saying about Greenland.

Trump made clear again this week that he’d like the semiautonomous territory of Denmark to come under U.S. control and said he would not rule out the use of military force to make that happen.

“We need Greenland for national security purposes,” Trump said.

But Blinken said Wednesday that the incoming president’s ambitions are unlikely to amount to anything more than talk.

“The idea expressed about Greenland is obviously not a good one,” the senior U.S. diplomat said during a stop in Paris for meetings.

Hurricane force winds are fanning the flames of the Southern California wildfires. What are Santa Ana winds?– www.cbsnews.com
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At least five wildfires are ravaging Southern California, and the three largest have already killed at least five people, burned tens of thousands of acres and prompted the evacuation of an estimated 179,000 residents. Santa Ana winds coupled with dry conditions have created the perfect storm for the fires to spread.

Hurricane-force winds have fanned the flames of the Palisades Fire, currently burning on the west side of Los Angeles County in coastal communities including Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The winds are also blowing the embers of the Eaton Fire, which is impacting the cities of Pasadena and Altadena in northeast L.A. County.

Two massive fires are raging in Los Angeles, with two fatalities being reported so far and over 1,000 buildings being destroyed, many of them being homes. Tens of thousands have been evacuated so far. Two fires are currently burning, the Pacific Palisades fire and the Eaton Fire.

Los Angeles fires latest: 30,000 under evacuation order as Pacific Palisades fire spreads – ABC News– news.google.com
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  1. Los Angeles fires latest: 30,000 under evacuation order as Pacific Palisades fire spreads  ABC News
  2. Palisades Fire in Los Angeles scorches 2,921 acres, destroys homes  KTLA Los Angeles
  3. EVACUATION ORDER ISSUED FOR NORTHERN SANTA MONICA  Santa Monica Daily Press
  4. Brush fires erupt as powerful windstorm batters Southern California  ABC7 Los Angeles
  5. Live updates: 30,000 under evacuation as Palisades Fire destroys homes  NBC Los Angeles
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The EU will be without cheap Russian gas following a decision by Ukraine to no longer allow Russia’s gas transferal to occur on Ukraine soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the decision “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats.” The “Brotherhood pipeline” shutdown will allegedly cause Russian gas giant Gazprom more than $6 billion yearly.

EU on brink of gas war after Ukraine cuts off Russia’s £5bn supply | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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Ukraine will no longer allow Russian gas to pass through en route to European neighbours in a move that will hurt both the Kremlin and EU states dependent on Putin’s energy supply.

On January 1, the 2019 deal, which saw gas transit through Ukraine to states like Slovakia and Austria, expired.

President Zelensky heralded the move as “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats”, while his energy minister branded it “historic”.

The closure of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod, which is also known as the Brotherhood pipeline, will cost Russian gas company Gazprom around £5bn a year – a bitter blow for Putin’s creaking war economy.

However, it’s not just Russia that is reeling following the expiration of the gas deal. Several European states are heavily dependent on Russian gas transported through Ukraine.

Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, as well as Moldova, are reliant on the steady flow of energy through Ukraine. Now that that is no longer possible, the only route remaining into Europe from Russia is via the TurkStream pipeline and the BlueSteam pipeline, under the Black Sea.

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The Mass Mailer President Joe Biden Committee has ordered all American offshore drilling banned to help “ensure our oceans and coasts are resilient to the threats of climate change and nature loss.”  The administration believes somehow the Trump administration cannot undo this order with his own order, though legal skeptics abound.

The White House claimed, “Drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs. It is not worth the risks. As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.”

Biden bans most offshore drilling in one of his final acts of ‘political revenge on the American people’– www.theblaze.com
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President Joe Biden evidenced his desire Monday to continue burning bridges and salting the earth on his way out of office, this time announcing a ban on all new offshore oil and gas drilling along the entire U.S. Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as in Pacific waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington and in the Northern Bering Sea bordering Alaska.

While Biden has approved numerous offshore wind projects that not only can have a devastating impact on wildlife and the environment but generate a tremendous amount of pollution, the White House framed his decision to ban offshore drilling as a way to help “ensure our oceans and coasts are resilient to the threats of climate change and nature loss.”

Biden’s ban, executed under the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, applies to roughly 334 million acres of the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf running down America’s eastern flank from Canada to the southern tip of Florida; to 250 million acres of federal waters off the West Coast; and to 44 million acres of the Northern Bering Sea.

The White House suggested that Biden’s unilateral decision to prevent Americans from taking advantage of the rich and internationally coveted resources under 625 million acres of U.S. ocean would not adversely impact the nation’s energy needs.

“Drilling off these coasts could cause irreversible damage to places we hold dear and is unnecessary to meet our nation’s energy needs. It is not worth the risks,” Biden said in a statement. “As the climate crisis continues to threaten communities across the country and we are transitioning to a clean energy economy, now is the time to protect these coasts for our children and grandchildren.”

Biden blocks U.S. Steel takeover by Japan’s Nippon Steel, citing national security– www.cnbc.com
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President Joe Biden on Friday officially blocked the takeover of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel, making good on his promise to keep an industrial name that is more than a century old under domestic ownership.

Biden said the proposed $14.9 billion acquisition by Nippon would place one of the largest steel producers in the U.S. under foreign control, creating a risk for the nation’s critical supply chains.

“Today’s action reflects my unflinching commitment to utilize all authorities available to me as President to defend U.S. national security, including by ensuring that American companies continue to play a central role in sectors that are critical for our national security,” Biden said in a statement.

U.S. Steel’s stock dropped by nearly 8% in premarket trading Friday following the president’s announcement.

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Trump Takes Aim at Kamala’s ‘Illegal’ Pre-Interview Campaign Payments to Sharpton, Potentially Spelling Trouble for Comcast’s Bid To Spin Off MSNBC– freebeacon.com
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President-elect Donald Trump accused MSNBC host Al Sharpton of taking illegal donations from the Kamala Harris campaign ahead of softball interviews with the Democrat last year, potentially spelling trouble for MSNBC and its parent company Comcast ahead of a planned corporate spinoff.

In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump accused the Harris campaign of seeking to “illegally buy endorsements” from Sharpton and celebrities like Beyoncé Knowles and Oprah Winfrey prior to the election.

Trump’s remarks were based on a Washington Free Beacon report that the Harris campaign donated $500,000 to Sharpton’s nonprofit, the National Action Network, weeks before the activist interviewed Harris on his MSNBC show, PoliticsNation.

“Totally against the law,” Trump asserted.

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U.S. Capitol building encircled by security fencing in Washington, D.C. – People’s Daily
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This photo taken on Jan. 5, 2025 shows the U.S. Capitol building encircled by security fencing in Washington, D.C., the United States. After the 2020 U.S. presidential election, then-President Donald Trump, a Republican, refused to concede to his Democratic opponent Joe Biden and repeatedly claimed that there was widespread election fraud. On Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of Trump supporters violently broke into the Capitol building, and interrupted the certifying process of the 2020 presidential election, prompting hundreds of lawmakers to evacuate in panic

Michigan to Chop Down over 400 Acres of Trees to Fight ‘Global Warming’ with Chinese Solar Panels– slaynews.com
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Officials in Democrat-controlled Michigan are planning to chop down over 400 acres of trees in the state’s forestland to supposedly fight “global warming.”

A 420-acre swath of state forestland will be cleared to make way for a Chinese solar farm near Gaylord, a top state official confirmed to MLive.

The deal is under a lease agreement with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Officials with the DNR recently assessed 1,200 acres of public trust land in Otsego County near a major power transmission line to decide whether it was suitable for solar arrays.

Agency leaders ultimately decided to lease 35% of that land to accompany other adjacent solar projects already in the works.

This comes as the DNR faces dwindling revenues from hunting and fishing licenses.

The UN says more than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti last year as gangs rampage– abcnews.go.com
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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — More than 5,600 people were reported killed in Haiti last year as a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenya struggles to contain rampant gang violence, officials said Tuesday.

The number of killings increased by more than 20% compared with all of 2023, according to the U.N. Human Rights Office. In addition, more than 2,200 people were reported injured and nearly 1,500 kidnapped, it said.

“These figures alone cannot capture the absolute horrors being perpetrated in Haiti, but they show the unremitting violence to which people are being subjected,” Volker Türk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement.

Among the victims are two journalists and a police officer killed when gunmen opened fire on a crowd that gathered on Christmas Eve for the much-anticipated reopening of Haiti’s biggest public hospital, which gangs forced closed earlier this year.

“Gift to Cartels”: Biden Regime Working to BAN Cigarettes in Last Days of Presidency– wltreport.com
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The FDA underneath the Biden administration is moving forward with a new regulation that would effectively ban all cigarettes currently on the market.

The new rule would lower the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products, presumably to keep Americans from getting addicted to cigarettes.

However, many are blasting the proposed rule, saying that it could bolster cartels and lead to Americans smoking more, not less, in order to compensate for the lower amounts of nicotine.

Venezuela doubles down on intention to arrest opposition leader who claims he defeated Maduro– www.washingtontimes.com
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Venezuela’s government Sunday doubled down on its intention to arrest the opposition leader who claims he defeated President Nicolas Maduro in last year’s election in the form of a threat from the ruling party-controlled congress.

Dozens of Christians Slaughtered Christmas Day in Nigeria — and the Horror Doesn’t End There– www.cbn.com
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More than a dozen Christians were reportedly killed by armed men on Dec. 22 after a Christmas carol service in Nigeria.

The horrific event — aimed at the predominately Christian Irigwe tribe — took place at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), 22 miles from the Nigerian city of Jos.

Tragically, a 1-year-old baby named Sheba Ernest and a pregnant woman were among the 14 slain, according to persecution watchdog International Christian Concern (ICC).

Man who died in Tesla Cybertruck explosion was active-duty US Army solider, officials say– www.nydailynews.com
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person who died in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Two law enforcement officials identified the man inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck as Matthew Livelsberger. The officials spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Three U.S. officials said Livelsberger was an active-duty Army member who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command. The officials also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of his service.

The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday’s explosion but provided no other details.

Turo-rented cars were involved in 2 deadly incidents this New Year’s. Here’s what we know– abcnews.go.com
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NEW YORK — Two deadly incidents on New Year’s Day — an attack being investigated as an act of terrorism in New Orleans and an explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas — both involved vehicles that were rented on Turo, a peer-to-peer car sharing company.

Early Wednesday, 42-year-old Army veteran Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a pickup truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter — killing 14 people who were celebrating the New Year. And police fatally shot Jabbar in a following firefight. Just hours after, outside of President-elect Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas, a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives also burst into flames. The person inside, identified as active-duty U.S. Army Green Beret Matthew Livelsberger, died. Officials later said he suffered a gunshot wound to the head before the explosion.

Biden Downplays Link Between New Orleans Attack and Las Vegas Cybertruck Explosion: ‘Nothing to Report on That Score’– slaynews.com
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Authorities are investigating the possible links between an exploding Tesla Cybertruck outside President Donald Trump’s hotel in Las Vegas and the attack on New Year’s partygoers in New Orleans.

Both attackers have a direct link via the military which the FBI is investigating, the Associated Press reported.

However, President Joe Biden sought to downplay any connections, telling the press:

“There’s nothing to report on that score at this time.”

In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, a pickup truck driven by 42-year-old Islamic terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar plowed into a crowd on New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street.