The Los Angeles area is bracing for another round of strong winds as firefighters battle blazes still burning after a week. Special Counsel Jack Smith issues scathing defense of January 6 Trump investigation. And childhood vaccination rates are declining, according to a CDC report.
Here’s what you need to know today.
High winds forecast in Los Angeles 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 high winds that pose an extreme fire danger. Gusts ranging from 45 to 70 mph are expected to begin at 4 a.m. local time and persist until noon tomorrow, affecting part of the Santa Monica Mountains, where the Palisades Fire is burning, as well as other parts from Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The “particularly hazardous situation” designation given to the wind event is reserved for the most extreme situations, the NWS said.
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As of last night, the Palisades Fire was 23,713 acres and 14% contained. Crews reported “significant progress” in 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 were filed yesterday alleging that utility company Southern California Edison failed to shut down power its electrical equipment and clearing brush where a fire broke out near Pasadena.
Follow our live blog for updates.
More coverage on the Los Angeles wildfires:
- California’s Century-Old Prisoner Firefighter Program attracts new criticism as hundreds of incarcerated people were deployed to fight the fires.
- Displaced residents face rising rents for short-term accommodation. An agent put a house on the market after the fires, asking more than double the rent he was asking before.
- President-elect Donald Trump’s team discusses a trip to California to see the devastation despite his repeated criticism of the authorities’ response to the fires.
- What does it mean to “contain” a wildfire? First thing to note: this does not mean that a fire is completely out.
A special prosecutor’s biting defense of the January 6 Trump investigation
A 170-page report from special counsel Jack Smith was released today, detailing his investigation into President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to maintain power following his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
In the report, Smith fully defended his decision to file suit and asserted that the case would have ended in Trump’s conviction had he not won the election in 2024. Not only did Trump knowingly spread an objectively false narrative about electoral fraud. in the 2020 election. He also “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” on January 6, Smith wrote.
Under a longstanding Justice Department policy that prevents the sitting president from facing trial, charges in the case were dropped after Trump’s victory in November. Meanwhile, Trump said he was preparing to pardon an untold number of Jan. 6 defendants.
Read the full story for more details on 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 “public confidence in our criminal justice system,” Weiss wrote. Read more about Weiss’ report.
Hegseth facing the Senate
Members of Congress are expected to question former Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth as hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks begin. Trump chose Hegseth as defense secretary.
Allegations against Hegeth, including sexual assault, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement while leading a veterans advocacy organization — all of which he has denied — have surfaced in recent months. Sources said the FBI background check did not include interviews with one of his ex-wives or with the woman who accused him of sexual assault.
Additionally, some military officers worry that Hegseth’s criticism of the rules governing U.S. troops in combat risks undermining the fundamental principles that shape the American military. Hegseth has also been criticized for his past opposition to allowing women and openly gay people to serve in combat, positions he abandoned.
Read the full story hereAnd follow our live blog for the latest news on his hearing.
Childhood vaccination rates are falling
The percentage of kindergartners exempt from one or more vaccinations increased in the 2023-24 school year to 3.3%, the highest ever, according to CDC data, with increases in 40 States and Washington, DC. Declining vaccination rates have advocates, doctors, officials and researchers concerned that what used to be a positive point in public health, particularly in states with poor health outcomes and the expectation of life is shorter, fading as Americans’ opinions change.
A doctor in Georgia, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates, said those lower rates could be because some families don’t have access to a pediatrician, but said state policies on exemptions are also essential. Idaho, Alaska and Utah – which had the highest exemption rates – allowed children to be exempt from vaccinations for religious reasons. Mississippi and West Virginia did not allow exemptions for non-medical reasons and had higher vaccination rates. But Mississippi law changed in 2023, leading to more exemptions. West Virginia’s could soon change, too.
Read all about it
- Los Angeles Rams dominated the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 to advance in the NFL playoffs. They will next face the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Requests from two federal prisoners to overturn their death row commutations granted by President Joe Biden should be refusedargued the Justice Department.
- The risk and number of people living with dementia expected to double by 2060new research shows.
- President Joe Biden announced another round of student loan relief for more than 150,000 borrowers.
Staff choice: Fire reduces diverse enclave to rubble
Altadena is a majority-minority city in the Los Angeles area, where the black homeownership rate is more than double the national average. In fact, black and Latino families flocked to the area and kept their homes for generations, NBC News’ Curtis Bunn and contributor Claire Wang report. But the Eaton Fire left this friendly and thriving artist enclave in ruins. Adonis Jones, 66, who lived in a house for nearly 20 years, was evacuated with almost nothing. “It’s like I lost a piece of my soul,” he said. He and other community members will have to decide whether – and how – to rebuild.— Michelle Garciaeditorial director of NBC BLK
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