Monday, January 13, 2025
It is Monday, January 13, 2025. Here are today’s top stories.
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Firefighters still battling deadly L.A. wildfires
Three wildfires in the Los Angeles area are still burning and things continue to be in a critical state with local weather forecasts of strong winds with gusts of 50 to 70 mph today through Wednesday.
Strong winds not only fan flames, they also slow down firefighters’ progress because aircraft wouldn’t be able to fly in the wind and drop water.
At least 24 people have been tragically killed and there are many who are missing. One of the deceased is a 95-year-old woman named Dalyce Curry. Her remains were found in her burned-down home that was impacted by the Eaton Fire.
Another person who died is 32-year-old Rory Callum Sykes, who is a former child actor from Australia. He is blind and has cerebral palsy. His home burned down during the Palisades Fire and his mother said she tried to help him but couldn’t.
Almost 100,000 people in the county are under evacuation orders and many others are under evacuation warnings.
Police said they’ve arrested almost 50 people suspected of looting, burglary, trespassing, or vandalism.
The NFL playoff game between the L.A. Rams and the Minnesota Vikings was supposed to take place at SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles area, but it was moved to Arizona due to the wildfires and concerns for public safety.
https://www.wdsu.com/article/former-kiddy-kapers-tv-star-died-los-angeles-wildfires/63400662
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Bezos’ rocket launch delayed
Blue Origin, the spacefight company owned by Jeff Bezos, had to call off its planned launch of a very large new rocket due to technical problems this morning. The rocket is called “New Glenn” and is 320 feet tall. AP News said the rocket was supposed to launch for the first time today from Florida and carry a satellite. When the launch was called off, the rocket’s fuel was drained. The Blue Origin team said they need some time to understand the problem before announcing a new launch date. Blue Origin is considered a competitor with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
https://apnews.com/article/rocket-launch-blue-origin-jeff-bezos-0cb070fa51356f3720c3477ca9fb670b
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Pete Hegseth to face Senate confirmation hearing process
The New York Times said this week, there are several Senate confirmation hearings scheduled for several of Donald Trump’s cabinet choices. On Tuesday, Trump’s pick for the secretary of defense, a veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, will face tough questions about whether he is qualified amid accusations of excessive drinking, sexual misconduct, and poor management of two veterans advocacy groups. Hegseth has been visiting senators’ offices in recent weeks to work hard to convince them that he’s qualified. Those who support Hegseth said he would make the military stronger and improve its readiness. We’ll get a view of Hegseth’s responses on Tuesday.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/us/politics/confirmation-hearings-trump-senate-republicans.html
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Ukraine captures two North Korean soldiers
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy posted a video that shows two captured and injured North Korean soldiers that are believed to have been fighting for Russia. One of the soldiers said he didn’t realize he was fighting a war against Ukraine and another shook his head when he was asked if his family knew where he was. Zelenskyy offered to return the two soldiers if they were exchanged with Ukrainian soldiers being held by Russia. Zelenskyy said “there should be no doubt… that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea.”
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1878502443077509588
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Progress in Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal
News reports said there is some progress in negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire and hostage deal. The U.S. have been involved in negotiations that are taking place in Qatar. A Hamas official told CNN that there are still disagreements on three key things: Israeli troops withdrawing from a narrow strip of land along the Egypt-Gaza border called the Philadelphi corridor, a bigger buffer zone between Gaza and Israel, and a permanent ceasefire rather than a temporary ceasefire. What the negotiators are working on now is on which Palestinian prisoners would be freed in exchanges and specific areas in Gaza where Israeli forces would withdraw from.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/13/middleeast/israel-hamas-deal-talks-intl/index.html
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.