The Bulletin
WORLD IN BRIEF
- Southern California wildfire: Tens of thousands of residents in California are without power as several wildfires race through suburban areas north of Los Angeles. Read more on the raging wildfires below.
- Cybertruck explosion update: Matthew Livelsberger, a Green Beret and the main suspect in the Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas, used generative AI including ChatGPT, to help plan the attack, according to Las Vegas police on Tuesday. Get more details.
- Trump escalates attacks on Canada: President-elect Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric toward Canada, taunting America's northern neighbor by sharing maps on social media that falsely suggest that the country already belongs to the United States. Read his posts on Truth Social.
- Laken Riley Act: The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Laken Riley Act, a Republican-backed bill that seeks to curb illegal immigration by boosting border security and expanding detention powers for migrants accused of minor offenses. Here's the full list of Democrats who voted for it.
- US deploys missile-tracking aircraft: The United States deployed a second missile-tracking aircraft to an air base in the Western Pacific Ocean, following the nuclear-armed North Korea testing a hypersonic weapon. Find out more.
Hurst Fire Erupts in California as Los Angeles Battles Multiple Blazes
The rundown: Southern California is battling multiple wildfires fueled by some of the strongest Santa Ana winds in recent memory, prompting mass evacuations, infrastructure damage, and an ongoing state of emergency. Get the latest updates on containment efforts.
Why it matters: The Palisades Fire, which erupted in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday, rapidly ballooned in size to cover more than 2,900 acres with zero containment as of Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Two new blazes—the Eaton Fire near Altadena and the Hurst Fire in Sylmar—erupted late Tuesday, further straining firefighting resources. There are now at least three active wildfires in the Los Angeles area, prompting evacuations of thousands of people across the state. Around 30,000 residents of Pacific Palisades have been told to evacuate immediately.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Californians Flee Homes as Entire Neighborhood on Fire in Terrifying Video
TL/DR: The Los Angeles Fire Department urges residents to "pack all people and pets into [their] vehicle and leave the area immediately."
What happens now? A mandatory evacuation order is in place for north of 210 Freeway from Roxford to the Interstate 5 / 14 Freeway split. There is also an evacuation order in place for 5 Freeway to Woodley/Balboa to Lahey Street to Zelzah Avenue.
Deeper reading Hurst Fire Erupts in California as Los Angeles Battles Multiple Blazes
Two Death Row Inmates Want to Reject Biden's Clemency
The rundown: Two inmates on federal death row whose death sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden are asking a judge to block the clemency action. Find out why.
Why it matters: Shannon Agofsky, 53 and Len Davis, 60, are among the 37 inmates on federal death row whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole by Biden on December 23. They said in separate handwritten emergency petitions filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on December 30 that they had refused to sign the paperwork that was offered with the commutations. The men, who are inmates at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, said they had not requested a commutation and that accepting one could hinder their appeals, according to court documents reviewed by Newsweek.
Read more in-depth coverage:
The Three Death Row Sentences Joe Biden Did Not Commute
TL/DR: It came a month before President-elect Donald Trump returns to office after pledging to resume federal executions. He oversaw a run of 13 executions in the final six months of his first term.
What happens now? Both Agofsky and Davis have asked a judge to appoint a co-counsel in their requests to block their commutations.
Deeper reading Two Death Row Inmates Want to Reject Joe Biden's Clemency—Here's Why
Beef Prices Are Surging—And Could Be About to Get Even Higher
The rundown: Experts have warned that mass deportations could severely strain the United States meat industry, leading to a surge in beef prices. Find out how.
Why it matters: Experts have told Newsweek that President-elect Donald Trump's flagship immigration policy could lead to product shortages, ultimately causing supply and demand dynamics to drive up prices. Nearly half of the meat-processing workforce in the United States consists of individuals born outside the country. According to the American Immigration Council, while 17 percent of US workers across all industries are foreign-born, in the meatpacking industry this figure is considerably higher, at 45.5 percent. While a majority of meatpacking workers have legal status, a notable portion does not.
Read more in-depth coverage:
'Mass Deportations Threat Looms Over My Family and Me'—Dreamer
TL/DR: Trump has vowed to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in American history as he looks to implement an aggressive immigration crackdown.
What happens now? As prices rise, low-income families—who already spend a substantial amount of their income on food—may feel the effects most acutely.
Deeper reading Beef Prices Are Surging—And Could Be About to Get Even Higher
Russian Oil Depot Used by Putin's Nuclear Bombers on Fire After Drone Raid
The rundown: A large fire has broken out at a long-range aviation base in southern Russia housing nuclear-capable bomber aircraft after a drone attack, according to a local official and Russian sources.
Why it matters: Ukraine has doggedly targeted Russian oil facilities it says are propping up Moscow's war effort. Kyiv has also repeatedly attacked the Engels air base, also known as Engels-2. Roman Busargin, the governor of Russia's Saratov region, said early on Wednesday that the city of Saratov and the Engels airbase roughly eight miles to the east came under a "massive" drone attack overnight. The governor said there was "damage" to an unspecified industrial building. Several Russian independent and state-linked sources on Telegram reported a large fire at an oil depot close to the Engels airbase. Ukrainian media reported the oil depot belonged to Russia's federal reserves agency, responsible for storing fuel for the Engels airbase.
Read more in-depth coverage:
NATO Beefs Up Baltic Presence With Extra Ships Amid Russia Threat
TL/DR: Moscow's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that it had intercepted 32 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 11 over the Saratov region, but did not report any damage.
What happens now? Russian Telegram reports suggested the fire was still ongoing at the facility with emergency services on the scene. Ukraine, which has been successful in its high-profile targeting of Russian air bases and oil depots, will very likely continue on with its campaign of trying to cut off Moscow's resources on its own soil.
Deeper reading Russian Oil Depot Used by Putin's Nuclear Bombers on Fire After Drone Raid
Health Insurance Companies Face New Rules Across US States
The rundown: Legislators in different U.S. states are clamping down on health insurance companies' use of artificial intelligence. New rules focus on preventing AI being used to screen patient's claims and issue denials, Axios reported. Here's why.
Why it matters: Health insurance firms have been under scrutiny in recent weeks after the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with some accusing companies of treating customers unfairly. Last week, California implemented the Physicians Make Decisions Act to ensure that decisions about medical treatments are made by licensed health care providers and not solely by AI algorithms used by health insurers. While AI can improve efficiency, the use of the software to handle patient claims can raise concerns about inaccuracies and bias in health care decision making, according to California state Senator Josh Becker's website.
Read more in-depth coverage:
UnitedHealth To Pay Out Millions for Misleading Consumers on Insurance
TL/DR: California state Senator Josh Becker told Newsweek, "The U.S. spends more on health care than any other nation, yet we achieve mediocre outcomes."
What happens now? According to Bloomberg Law, insurance groups have previously argued the state proposals can go too far in regulating their decision making, but the issue is starting to reach the federal level as well.
Deeper reading Health Insurance Companies Face New Rules Across US States
The U.S. Is Up for Auction and You're Paying the Fees | Opinion
It's beginning to feel a lot like AD 193 again. That year the rich bargained in plain sight to buy the job of Roman emperor. An auction was held before the cronies who controlled it—the Praetorian Guard. Senator Titus Flavius Sulpicianus squared off against Senator Didius Julianus who won with a bid worth 10 horses per guard. Rome never quite recovered its dignity.
Can America? Elections in the United States today can seem like auctions thanks to decisions like the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizen's United v. Federal Election Commission. Overruling previous precedent, that 2010 decision rejected the notion that the government had a compelling interest in limiting the "corrosive and distorting effects of immense aggregations of wealth."
