Deadly wildfires in Southern California claimed the lives of five people, destroyed more than 1,100 structures and left 1.5 million customers without power.  |
- Deadly wildfires in Southern California claimed the lives of five people, destroyed more than 1,100 structures, and left 1.5 million customers without power.
- President Joe Biden is considering issuing more preemptive pardons.
- A grand jury in Florida that was convened to investigate COVID-19 vaccines has concluded its work by issuing no indictment despite uncovering what it described as "many acute and systemic problems."
- The grooming gangs of the United Kingdom, explained.
- This Nebraska town hosted 6 million troops during World War II. Story after the news.
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☀️ It's Thursday. Thank you for reading Morning Brief. |
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Homes and businesses sit damaged from the Palisades Fire burning near Los Angles, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) |
Wind gusts of up to 100 miles per hour, with sustained winds as high as 83 miles per hour in some places, are endangering communities in Los Angeles County as four fires are burning in the area, and the death toll continues to rise. Five people have been reported killed in the fast-moving Eaton Fire that has burned 10,600 acres in Pasadena and Altadena, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. More than 100,000 people are under evacuation orders. The National Weather Service database shows strong Santa Ana winds—dry, warm winds formed by high pressure over the Great Basin, which forces air down toward lower pressures over the Pacific Ocean—impacting cities across Southern California. Santa Ana winds are especially dangerous because humidity drops precipitously and temperatures rise, increasing the risk of fire. A new brush fire broke out on Hollywood Hills later on Wednesday. What We Know: |
- President Joe Biden canceled his trip to Italy to focus on the federal response to the wildfires.
- President-elect Donald Trump blamed the disaster on California Gov. Gavin Newsom, calling for his resignation.
- The Los Angeles School District closed all schools in the city.
- More than 1.5 million Southern California customers are without power.
- More than 1,100 structures have been destroyed by the fires.
- More than 22,000 acres have been burned by the various fires.
- Check here for live updates.
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President Joe Biden in Washington on Nov. 7, 2024. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times) |
President Joe Biden confirmed in an interview with USA Today that he is considering whether to issue more preemptive pardons. Biden had already granted a preemptive pardon to his son, Hunter Biden, for any crimes committed during the 10-year period from Jan. 1, 2014, to December 2024. White House officials have said that Biden plans to issue additional pardons and commutations before his term ends. "Some of your supporters have encouraged you to issue preemptive pardons to people like Liz Cheney and Anthony Fauci. ... Will you do that?" USA Today's Susan Page asked Biden. Fauci and Cheney have drawn criticism from President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office again on Jan. 20. In answering, Biden referenced a meeting with Trump at the White House in November last year. "I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores," Biden said. Trump did not respond directly to that advice, according to the president. "But he didn't say, 'No, I'm going to ...' You know. He didn't reinforce it. He just basically listened," Biden said. "So you haven't decided yet. You're still assessing this issue?" Page asked.
"No, I haven't," Biden responded. "A little bit of it depends on who he puts in what positions." (More)
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- Here are the seven takeaways from Biden's USA Today interview.
- Special counsel Jack Smith's report on Trump will be released to the public, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials said on Jan. 8.
- He saw it as good-natured banter when it first landed, but now Canada Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc is not laughing about Trump's repeated talk of the U.S. merging with Canada.
- "I think he has gone much further than the idea of a joke," LeBlanc said in French when speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Jan. 8 before the Liberal caucus meeting.
- Lina Khan, the departing chair of the Federal Trade Commission, said that Democrats and Republicans cooperated on some competition and consumer protection issues during her tenure, including on Big Tech.
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A grand jury in Florida convened to investigate COVID-19 vaccines has concluded its work by issuing no indictment, despite uncovering what it described as "many acute and systemic problems." The grand jury faulted Pfizer and Moderna, which have made versions of the vaccines since 2020, for unblinding their first clinical trials after they received authorization for their shots, repeatedly missing deadlines for post-authorization studies, and keeping secret information on vaccine safety. "It is frustrating to this Grand Jury, as it should be frustrating to everyone who reads this report, to know that these sponsors have taken in billions of taxpayer dollars for creating and selling their vaccines; they cannot be sued if something goes wrong with them; they have access to critical information about deaths related to a side effect of their products; and the public does not have access to that information," the grand jury stated in the 144-page report released on Jan. 7. "Instead, we are left to speculate, and the research community is left to draw inferences as one-off or two-off histopathological reports detailing the events of this death or that death that trickle into scientific journals slowly, year after year. "Somehow, withholding this valuable safety information is not a crime. It certainly should be." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis petitioned the Florida Supreme Court to impanel a grand jury to investigate COVID-19 vaccines. The Florida Supreme Court in 2022 approved the request. (More) More U.S. News |
- Private-sector hiring growth slowed in December 2024 as the U.S. labor market continued moderating.
- Oil and gas giant Exxon Mobil filed a countersuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta and several environmental groups on Monday, accusing them of colluding on a campaign of defamation against the company's plastic recycling initiatives.
- A new court filing alleges federal prosecutors have uncovered new illegal activities involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
- The state of Alaska is suing the federal government over the Department of Interior's alleged "unlawful detour" in restricting oil and gas lease auctions to about 400,000 acres within the 19.6-million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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A graphic court transcript of a rape victim from a notorious Pakistani-heritage grooming gang operating in the north of England caught the eye of U.S. readers on social media platform X recently. Billionaire Elon Musk quickly jumped onto the subject, attacking Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government and rekindling a long-smoldering debate in the United Kingdom on what is often called the "Grooming Gangs" scandal. But what exactly is the scandal? Why did it take so long for the systematic exploitation and rape of thousands of girls to be exposed? Why are Musk and others taking aim at the current prime minister, given the scandal emerged more than a decade ago? And what have investigations revealed? For decades, children, specifically poor white girls in various towns in northern England, were targeted and groomed by Pakistani-heritage men, while—as later investigations, court cases, and reporters revealed—local officials turned a blind eye to the abuse due to fears of being labeled racist or destabilizing community relations. But it took decades to come to light. In the 1990s, rumors began to emerge that men of Pakistani descent living in northern England towns were involved in raping children. Parents of the victims participated in a 2004 documentary that claimed white schoolgirls were being groomed for sex by Asian men in Bradford. The result was "Edge of the City," which was due to be screened on Channel 4. However, it was pulled hours before airing, after claims the British National Party wanted to exploit the situation and the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police saying it might trigger race riots. (More) More World News: |
- Musk's plan to host Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany's right-wing Alternative for Germany party, in a live interview on his social media platform X on Jan. 9 has sparked calls from European Union leaders for the European Commission to intervene and block the broadcast.
- The United States and the European Union are demanding that China release a Chinese human rights lawyer after his appeal against conviction was rejected by a Chinese court on Jan. 6.
- A lawyer for Chinese fashion brand Shein was accused of disrespecting British members of parliament after failing to answer questions about the origin of the company's cotton products at a hearing on Tuesday.
- Venezuela's exiled opposition candidate Edmundo González, who claims to have defeated President Nicolás Maduro in 2024's disputed election, alleged on Jan. 7 that his son-in-law was kidnapped by masked men in Caracas, Venezuela.
- An Italian journalist detained in Iran last month has been released and returned home.
- Turkey will launch a fresh military offensive in Syria against the Kurdish YPG militant group if the latter fails to disband and lay down its arms, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said.
- Shares of eBay soared by 12 percent intraday on Jan. 8 after Meta announced a pilot program allowing Facebook Marketplace users in a handful of countries to browse eBay listings directly on Facebook Marketplace and complete the transactions on eBay.
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✍️ Opinion: Trump Inherits a Deeply Damaged Economy by Jeffrey Tucker 🎤 Facts Matter: The Federal Plan to Monetize Sunlight, Bee Pollination, and Photosynthesis on Your Land (Watch) 🍿 Documentary: "A Deeper Shade of Blue" explores the profound origins of surfing and humanity's pursuit of joyful harmony with nature. (Watch free on Gan Jing World) 🍵 Health: Rocky Liao, a classical Chinese dance instructor, shares about the health benefits of stretching and how to do it right. 🎵 Music: Claude Debussy – Claire de Lune (Listen)
📷 Photo of the Day: President-elect Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump pay respects to the flag-draped casket of former President Jimmy Carter in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington on Jan. 8, 2025. 👇
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The North Platte canteen in Nebraska, where women of the area volunteered their time to prepare food for passing servicemen during World War II. (Photo Courtesy of the Lincoln County Historical Museum) |
Our story begins with a case of mistaken identity. Just after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Rae Wilson, age 26 and a store clerk, heard that her brother's National Guard Company D was due to pass through town on Dec. 17. She spread the word around North Platte, Nebraska, population 12,000, and was stunned when hundreds of people bearing gifts and food for the troops showed up at the train station. They waited eagerly for the arrival of Nebraska's Company D, only to discover, when the train arrived, that the troops aboard were Company D but of the Kansas National Guard. After a moment of confusion, the townspeople swarmed the outside of the train, passing baked goods, chewing gum, cigarettes, and other treats through the open windows to the troops inside. Having quickly realized the boost in morale this hospitality gave to the soldiers on their way to war, the next morning, Wilson wrote a letter to the local paper asking for volunteers and got permission from the railroad station to set up a canteen. Just days later, on Christmas night, five volunteers met the train and began distributing presents and food to the soldiers. With that initial act of charity, one of the most incredible home-front stories of the war was born.
Read the full story by our colleague Jeff Minick here.
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