AP- News
January 8, 2025
Wildfires burn out of control across Los Angeles area and kill 2 as thousands flee homes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Massive wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area left neighborhoods in ruins, killed at least two people and threatened landmarks made famous by Hollywood. Desperate residents escaped through flames, hurricane-force winds and towering columns of smoke. Three major blazes that erupted just a day earlier blanketed the city with a dangerous, thick cloud of smoke and ash and destroyed homes across the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade. One of the fires was the most destructive in the modern history of the city of LA.
Celebrities among thousands evacuated and waiting to learn their homes’ fates in Los Angeles fires
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wildfires that ripped through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles forced many Hollywood stars, including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods, to evacuate their homes. California firefighters are battling wind-whipped wildfires tearing across the area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday. The Pacific Palisades neighborhood is a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.” In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.
Body of an Israeli hostage is found in Gaza, possibly alongside his son’s remains, army says
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military says troops have recovered the body of an additional hostage from Gaza. The military said Wednesday the body of Yosef AlZayadni was recovered in an underground tunnel in southern Gaza. It said it was examining whether a second body was that of another hostage. Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier that two hostages’ bodies had been recovered. The men were taken captive during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The return of the body comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire deal that would free the remaining 100 or so hostages and would halt the fighting in Gaza. Israel believes a third of the remaining hostages are dead. However, AlZayadni was believed to still be alive before Wednesday’s announcement.
A Russian missile attack in southern Ukraine has killed at least 13 civilians, officials say
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say that a Russian missile attack in the southern Ukraine city of Zaporizhzhia has killed at least 13 civilians and injured about 30 others. Footage posted Wednesday on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel showed civilians lying in a city street littered with debris. They were being treated by emergency services and taken away on gurneys. Minutes before the attack, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov warned of a threat of high-speed missiles and glide bombs being fired at the Zaporizhzhia region. Russian has frequently launched aerial attacks on civilian areas during the almost three-year war. Thousands of civilians have been killed in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.
Biden casts doubt on his fitness to serve another four years days before term ends
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is casting doubt on his fitness to serve another four years in a new interview days before he leaves office after one term. And he maintains that he could have won reelection. The outgoing 82-year-old Democratic president told USA Today in the interview published Wednesday that he didn’t know if he would have had the vigor to serve another term, saying, “Who knows what I’m going to be when I’m 86 years old?” Concerns about Biden’s fitness abounded ever since he announced his reelection bid. But he dropped out of the race under pressure last July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. She lost to Republican Donald Trump.
Trump is heading to Capitol Hill as GOP struggles to agree on legislative strategy ahead
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is heading to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans. His visit is the first inside the U.S. Capitol since he left office four years ago. It comes as GOP leaders are struggling to come up with a strategy for launching their ambitious legislative agenda. House Speaker Mike Johnson often says he sees himself as the quarterback and Trump as the coach calling plays. But Trump has given mixed signals on his preferred approach. At stake are tax cuts, border security, money to deport immigrants, and efforts to boost oil and gas energy production. With Trump taking the oath of office on Jan. 20, they have little time to waste.
Jimmy Carter’s life intersected with slavery’s legacy. His record on Civil Rights is complicated
ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29 at the age of 100, spent his life intertwined with America’s and the world’s enduring legacy of slavery. His approach revealed a dualism in Carter that pitted his personal ambitions and political pragmatism against the idealism of his religious and social values. He was a governor, president and humanitarian who climbed the political ladder with calculated moderation, while still using his most powerful platforms to break down racial barriers and advance human rights.
