California fires: Multiple wildfires have been raging through Los Angeles, California since Jan 7. Two major fires, the Palisades fire in western LA and the Eaton fire in northern LA, have burned more than 36,000 acres of land within 2 weeks. This destruction, exacerbated by harsh winds in the area, has led to a massive multi-state mobilization and firefighting response. 16,000+ personnel have been deployed to Los Angeles, including firefighters from Mexico and Canada, as shared in an Instagram post by California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, has issued varied executive orders aimed at rebuilding homes, preventing price gouging, and funding a swift clean up effort.
Significance: The Palisades and Eaton fires have claimed 24 human lives so far and destroyed over 12,000 structures in LA. Accuweather estimated damage at $250 billion dollars, making these fires the costliest wildfires in history. The fires are still burning, with the Palisades and Eaton fires only at 31% and 65% containment at the time of publishing, respectively. Many advocates are pointing to climate change as a primary factor in the scale of destruction. Rising global temperatures are changing weather patterns across the world, leading to more destructive, unpredictable weather events that regions are not equipped to deal with.
Trump inauguration: President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated this Monday, January 20, in a ceremony including performances, a swearing-in ceremony, a signing ceremony, and a parade. It will be hosted indoors, due to forecasted freezing temperatures from a polar vortex. The former president, recently convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, drew swaths of criticism for violent and authoritarian statements made during his recent campaign, such as claiming he will be a “dictator” during his first day in the presidency. He has continuously claimed the 2020 election was stolen, despite evidence on the contrary. Trump has laid out clear intentions for his second presidency in a platform titled Agenda 47, some of his main points include:
- Promises to cut federal funding to schools teaching “critical race theory”
- A strong anti-transgender rhetoric, including cutting federal funding to schools and hospitals that support “left wing gender insanity”
- Leaving the Paris Climate Accords for a second time
- End birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants
- Large tax cuts and a 60% tariff on imported goods from China, along with 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada
- A nationwide military-backed operation to deport 15-20 million immigrants, including undocumented immigrants and people with legal status under programs such as DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)
- Create a Department of Government Efficiency headed by billionaire and tech CEO Elon Musk and politician Vivek Ramaswamy to “drain the swamp” of government bureaucrats and lobbyists
Significance: Trump’s rhetoric has spurred nationwide protest and concern, especially as Trump has increasingly called for revenge and a fight against “the enemy from within,” referring to the “woke” press, “Marxists” in congress (including former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi), and his political rivals and critics. The structure of the United States’ judicial branch would give Trump the ability to coerce the Justice Department into investigating or prosecuting his opponents. Also, hundreds of protests are planned nationwide for the days surrounding his inauguration. Americans are polarized, with the political divide growing every day. Jan 20. will be a contentious day in American history, as President Joe Biden hands the reins off to the controversial, fiery Donald Trump.
