A near-collision between a United Airlines flight and a Delta Air Lines flight near Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Saturday is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is under intense criticism following its handling of the Pacific Palisades fire, which has destroyed much of the area and remains uncontained more than a week later. Records reviewed by the LA Times reveal significant lapses in resource allocation, with over 1,000 available firefighters and dozens of engines left unused during the critical early hours of the fire.
A federal judge in Vermont sentenced Luis Fernando Barragan-Palacios, 29, to 18 months in prison for smuggling nearly 100 migrants across the Canadian border into the United States. Barragan-Palacios, originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, earned approximately $500,000 from the human smuggling operation over a five-month period. He is expected to be deported upon completing his sentence.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since the 2018 Yellow Vest protests, with Marine Le Pen emerging as the leading candidate to replace him. A recent Ipsos poll conducted on January 8-9 among 1,000 representative voters shows Macron’s popularity declining by two points to 21%, a stark drop for the president as his administration struggles with mounting challenges.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticized reporters for their perceived double standard in covering California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass amid the recent wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area. The fires, which have spread rapidly through Pasadena and other regions, have claimed at least five lives, destroyed hundreds of buildings, and displaced thousands of residents.
Raleigh is the only city in North Carolina to receive funding in the latest round of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure grants from the Biden administration. The $635 million in grants, part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, includes $2.4 million for the deployment of 56 EV charging ports across the city.
Hollywood icon Barbra Streisand took to social media on Thursday to blame the fierce winds fueling Los Angeles wildfires on climate change, demanding that the government take immediate action. "These horrible winds I think are the strongest we’ve ever experienced and a lot of that is due to climate change, which this coming government better address!" Streisand wrote on Bluesky, a left-leaning social platform.
