California’s insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, issued a one-year moratorium on non-renewals and cancellations in areas affected by the state's fires.
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.
The House Oversight Committee will hold its first hearing of the new Congress next Wednesday, focusing on prolonged telework for federal employees under pandemic-era policies.
Joseph de Soto, a newly elected delegate from West Virginia, was officially removed from office Wednesday while under house confinement. De Soto, 61, is facing charges stemming from alleged terroristic threats against several state lawmakers.
As devastating wildfires ravage California, some liberal voices have taken to social media to blame former President Donald Trump for the crisis. Sam Stein, managing editor at The Bulwark, claimed on Twitter that Trump’s past remarks about withholding federal wildfire aid were relevant to the state’s current struggles. Stein tweeted that Trump’s threats to cut wildfire relief funds “dawned on him” as fires consumed thousands of acres in Los Angeles, destroying homes and forcing evacuations.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has delayed its Oscar nominations announcement by 48 hours due to the deadly wildfires devastating Los Angeles. Originally scheduled for January 17, the announcement will now take place on January 19, the BBC reports.
Authorities are intensifying their search for Ashley Elkins, a 30-year-old hairstylist and mother of two from Warren, Michigan, who has been missing since January 2.
A federal judge has sentenced Brian DiPippa, 37, and his wife, Krystal DiPippa, 42, of Pittsburgh, to prison and probation, respectively, for their roles in a 2023 bombing attack targeting a conservative event at the University of Pittsburgh. The attack, linked to Antifa, injured several police officers and highlighted the growing domestic terrorism threat from extremist groups.
