Thursday morning news: January 9, 2025

California fires » In greater Los Angeles this morning, massive clouds of black smoke loom over the city against orange skies, as wildfires continue to tear through the region.

Los Angeles County supervisor Kathryn Barger:

BARGER:  It is surreal. It is without words that I can even explain to you what is taking place. My heart is heavy.

Thousands of firefighters were battling at least three separate blazes … fueled by ferocious Santa Ana winds. Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristen Crowley remarked:

CROWLEY:  High, high, high winds. I've never seen the winds in my 25 year career.  

One of those, the Pacific Palisades fire, now the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles, destroying well over 10,000 acres, and more than 1,000 structures.

The flames drove residents to make desperate escapes from burning homes.

Actor Steve Guttenberg described chaos as many residents tried to evacuate:

GUTTENBERG:  They started evacuating people. But what happened was there's no way to get out. No way to get down Palisades Drive — two miles of just gridlock. So what happened was the fire got so huge and so big on both sides that they told people to abandon their cars.

The LA area wildfires are now blamed for at least five deaths.

Winter weather » Meantime, southern states are bracing for the expected arrival of freezing rain and snow today and tomorrow.

Peter Mullinax with the National Service:

MULLINAX:  There are over 23 million people that are under winter storm watches that stretch from north Texas all the way to the southern Appalachians.

That includes major cities like Dallas and Atlanta, which could both receive up to 4 inches of snow.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned residents:

ABBOTT:  Be careful. Be cautious. Make sure that you're protecting your own life. If you do get out on the road, drive safely. If you don't need to be out on the road, if you're one of the parts of the state that's going to have icy roads, stay home for the next day or so.

The weather could wreak havoc on travel, and not just on the highways. Atlanta and Dallas-Ft.Worth are home to the two busiest airports in the nation.

Trump meeting with GOP leaders » President-elect Donald Trump met with GOP lawmakers at the Capitol on Wednesday. He’s pressing Republicans to get his agenda moving in Congress.

Trump has asked Republicans to craft one giant bill to include tax cuts as well as border security and energy policy. But some have advised that Republicans could get those measures passed sooner if broken into multiple bills.

TRUMP:  We're looking at a one bill versus two bills. And, uh, whatever it is, it doesn't matter. We're going to get the result. And, uh, we're going to make America great again.

Sen. Roger Marshall said he things Republicans will build momentum on Trump’s agenda quickly.

MARSHALL:  I think that the president is practicing the art of the deal. He's listening to both sides. He's going to measure twice and cut once here. I think it will end up being one bill. I think that's the only thing that gets through the House, so we need to get this right.

Trump, along with the former and future first lady Melania, also paid tribute to the late President Jimmy Carter. His flag-draped casket lay in state in the Capitol rotunda ahead of today’s national funeral.

Trump legal » Lawyers for Donald Trump are asking the Supreme Court to call off tomorrow’s sentencing in his business fraud case in New York.

That appeal comes after state courts refused to postpone the sentencing.

George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin says for Trump, it may be more about clearing his name than anything else.

SOMIN:  I think probably it will not succeed, though I can't be sure about that, but I also think whether it succeeds or not is not going to make much difference because the judge in the case has already signaled that he's probably not actually going to inflict any, uh, any actual penalty on Trump.

A Manhattan jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. It was an unusual case involving infractions usually prosecuted as misdemeanors, if at all.

Trump maintains his innocence in the case.

Ukraine » Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in Germany today, where he’s expected to announce another $500 million dollars in US military aid to Ukraine.

The weapons will be pulled from existing stockpiles as the Biden administration works to get as much military aid to Ukraine as possible before the president leaves office.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken said that ahead of possible negotiations to end the war:

BLINKEN: We want to make sure, and I think we are making sure, that the incoming administration will be able, if it's going to oversee such a negotiation, to make sure it's doing it from a position of strength and that President Trump could get the strongest possible deal.

Defense Secretary Austin is meeting at Ramstein air base, with dozens of allies backing Ukraine against Russian invaders.

Israel latest » Tragic news in Israel.

Citizens gathered in the Israeli town of Rahat yesterday after news that one of the residents was found dead in Gaza, and his son is also likely deceased.

Israeli military said soldiers had found the body of 53-year-old Yosef AlZayadni in an underground tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Authorities are working to identify additional remains they believe to be Yosef's son, 22-year-old Hamzah.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: China’s hacking program targets US companies and the government. Plus, the rise and fall of U.S. steel.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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