Fires: The high winds that quickly spread the Los Angeles wildfires are expected to return beginning today. The death toll has risen to 24 as a result of the fires. California Gov. Gavin Newsom blasted Donald Trump for threatening first responders with his criticisms of the efforts to control the fires. On the NBC program “Meet the Press,” Newsom quoted Trump as saying he is not going to support the firefighting efforts. Â
Alex Jones’ falsehood: The conservative newspaper The Wall Street Journal reported that right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones posted a false story on Elon Musk’s website X about the Los Angeles fires. The false Jones post on X supposedly had 29 million views. Jones claimed that firefighters had to use women’s handbags to carry water because firefighting equipment was shipped to Ukraine. According to Los Angeles officials, firefighters did not use women’s handbags but do routinely use large canvas bags to carry water to put out small fires because it can be more efficient than hooking up hoses.
Hegseth: CNN reports that Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s choice to become Secretary of Defense, has advocated for renaming U.S. military bases after Confederate generals who lost the Civil War. The names of nine U.S. bases were changed to remove the names of Confederate generals. For example, Hegseth said that Fort Bragg, which was renamed Fort Liberty, should again be named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg.
Vance: In what appears to be at least a slight difference with Donald Trump, Vice-President-Elect J. D. Vance in an interview on Fox News yesterday said that not all of the people convicted of federal crimes in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol should be pardoned. Unlike Trump, Vance said that people convicted of violent crimes do not deserve to be pardoned. Trump has said he’d issue pardons to the Jan. 6 rioters on his first day in office.
NSC: The Associated Press reports that career employees at the National Security Council at the White House are being questioned by members of Donald Trump’s incoming team about for whom they voted, any political contributions they’ve made, and their loyalty to Trump. Some of the career employees have already left the government; others expect to be forced out. Florida Congressman Mike Waltz, who was named as Trump’s National Security Advisor, said he wants to staff the National Security Council with Trump loyalists and doesn’t care about keeping currently employed experts.
Biden-Netanyahu: In a phone call yesterday, President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed the status of the war between Israel and Hamas. The two leaders discussed the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release deal based on the May 27, 2024, arrangement endorsed unanimously by the U.N. Security Council. They also covered the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran’s power in the region. Biden stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid.
