California officials announced Friday, Jan. 31, that fire crews have fully contained the Eaton and Palisades wildfires after three weeks of fighting. At least 29 people were killed by the two fires.

According to Cal Fire, the 14,000-acre Eaton Fire was first reported on Jan. 7, in southern California. The Palisades Fire started the same day and burned more than 23,000 acres.

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What caused the fires?

Fire officials have not determined a confirmed cause of the fires. However, high winds and dry vegetation caused the fire to ignite quickly and burn large areas rapidly. The high wind also prevented helicopters and planes from assisting firefighters on the ground. 

Local authorities have made several arrests following the fires. The most notorious of the arrests was on Jan. 9, after neighbors helped arrest a man they said was trying to start fires with a blowtorch. A convicted arsonist was later arrested in Los Angeles after impersonating a firefighter. Authorities said the man and his wife were driving a fake fire truck when police found them near the Palisades Fire on Jan. 18.

What was the response to the fire like?

State officials said more than 16,000 personnel responded to the fire. They said this was the state’s biggest investment in fire response in history.

As the fire was burning, fire crews said they ran out of water to reduce the flames. Los Angeles fire officials said that during the height of the fire, some hydrants ran dry due to the high demand. They said at one point, about 1,000 buildings were simultaneously on fire. 

The issue caused some politicians to blame the state’s water policy. However, experts and officials said supply wasn’t an issue, it was just the system being overstressed during the fire.

Are Newsom and Trump cooperating?

Initially, after the fire, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold aid from California unless the state changed its water laws and implemented laws requiring an ID to vote, according to BBC News.  

“After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen,” Trump said.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom released a statement after the comment saying, “Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong.” 

President Trump also claimed that he ordered the military to go into the states and “turn on the water” so firefighters would have more water to soak the flames. However, state officials said they had to stop the Army Corps of Engineers from increasing flow to two reservoirs that were at max capacity. Before the Corps stopped, local authorities had to move equipment and notify farms in the area about potential flooding.

Trump and Newsom met as they toured the damage left behind by the fire. During the meeting, both leaders talked about helping the area rebuild.

“We wanna get it fixed. We wanna get the problem fixed,” Trump said while he and Newsom met with reporters.

“Most importantly, thank you for being here,” Newsom said to Trump. “It means a great deal to all of us. We’re gonna need your support.”

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With both major fires contained, local leaders are now working to build back the communities devastated by the fires. Officials said more than 12,000 structures were destroyed by the fires.

A new study shows President Donald Trump’s newly enacted tariffs could cost the average American family nearly $1,000 annually. Trump signed a trio of executive order imposing the new tariffs on Saturday, Feb. 1. 

How much will this cost Americans?

The new study published by the nonpartisan nonprofit Tax Foundation found that the tariffs would cost the average U.S. household $830 in 2025. The foundation also found that the tariffs could shrink the economic output of the U.S. by 0.4% and increase taxes by $1.2 trillion between 2025 and 2034.

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Who is Trump targeting in the tariffs? 

Trump on Friday announced he would sign an executive order imposing new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Canada and Mexico, two of America’s biggest trade partners, would receive a 25% tariff on goods entering the U.S. China would receive a 10%.

On Saturday, Trump changed a part of his plan to exclude Canadian energy imports from the 25% tariff. Energy exports from Canada will be a 10% tariff. The Trump administration said this change was to, “minimize any disruptive effects we might have on gasoline and home heating oil prices.”

Trump said there was little the countries could do to stop the tariffs, according to Reuters. He said the tariffs were due to the countries not doing enough to stop the influx of fentanyl and migrants over the border.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump reiterated that message, saying, “We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all.”

What will increase in price?

The tariffs will increase the price on several items, according to USA Today. Things like wood, charcoal and aluminum will increase in price due to the tariffs on Canada. Those tariffs will also increase the price of food items like cereal, flour and milk products.

Importantly, Canada is America’s biggest supplier of foreign oil. From January to November 2024, the U.S. imported $90 billion worth of crude oil from Canada, according to Reuters. This is far ahead of the second-biggest foreign oil supplier, Mexico, which only exported $11 billion to the U.S. during the same time. 

Economists predict Trump’s tariffs could raise a gallon of gas up to 70 cents more.

The tariffs on Mexico would increase the cost of goods like fertilizers, paper products and cotton. Food items like tropical fruits, coffee and raw sugar will rise due to these tariffs. 

The Chinese tariffs would likely raise the price of soaps, lubricants, waxes and candles. Foods like fish and crustaceans would likely rise, as well as, dairy products, eggs and oils. 

What has been the response to the tariffs?

Canada recently placed Black Hawk helicopters on the U.S.-Canada border after Trump previously threatened tariffs on the country. They have also said that any tariffs Trump places on Canada, Canada would place on the U.S. 

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Canada had previously said its tariffs would involve crude oil. However, recently, Canadian officials have said that may no longer be the case.

The Trump administration announced it had fired Rohit Chopra, the chief of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The administration made the announcement on Saturday.

Chopra said he expected to be fired immediately after President Donald Trump took office. However, he spent the nearly two weeks following the beginning of Trump’s second term imposing a $2 million fine on a money transmitter and releasing reports on auto lending costs. 

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Before he left, Chopra posted on X, saying how important the work of the CFPB is.

It's been an honor serving as your @CFPB Director.

Every day, Americans from across the country shared their ideas and experiences with us. You helped us hold powerful companies & their executives accountable for breaking the law, and you made our work better.

Thank you. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JD7lIcwmHa

— Rohit Chopra (@chopracfpb) February 1, 2025

“With so much power concentrated in the hands of a few, agencies like the C.F.P.B. have never been more critical,” Mr. Chopra wrote on X.

During his time as the chief of the CFPB, Chopra focused on tightening the rules governing big technology companies’ consumer payment services and the use of customer data. His efforts won praise from banking trade groups, according to The Times.

Chopra also was crucial in the Biden administration’s fight against “junk fees.” Last year, he issued a rule limiting most credit card late-payment fees to no more than $8 a month. However, banking trade groups sued and won an injunction temporarily blocking it. The bureau is currently fighting that lawsuit but a new chief could stop that. 

The CFPB will now be helmed by Deputy Director Zixta Martinez until Trump chooses a new acting leader. 

Experts believe the bureau under Trump will likely pull back its oversight. They also believe it will issue fewer regulations and freeze or rescind many of Chopra’s previous regulations. 

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Just before he left his role, Chopra said the bureau had looked at capping credit card interest rates at 10%, something President Trump endorsed on the campaign trail. Chopra said he had seen a path for enacting the proposal.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order banning Chinese-owned artificial intelligence and social media apps from all state-issued devices, citing security concerns over data harvesting. The move expands previous bans on TikTok and reflects growing tensions over foreign-owned technology in the U.S.

New executive order expands restrictions

Abbott’s order, announced Wednesday, Jan. 29, directs the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Department of Information Resources to enforce the ban. The blacklist includes DeepSeek, an AI chatbot gaining popularity among American users, as well as social media apps RedNote (also known as Xiaohongshu), Lemon8 and financial trading platforms Webull, Tiger Brokers and Moomoo.

“Texas will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate our state’s critical infrastructure through data-harvesting AI and social media apps,” Abbott said in a statement. His office declined further comment.

DeepSeek AI: A rising competitor in the industry

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, recently introduced DeepSeek-V3, an advanced AI model competing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The model has drawn attention for its capabilities, despite being developed at a fraction of the cost of its American counterparts.

Its rapid rise has triggered concerns over data privacy, particularly as U.S. lawmakers continue to scrutinize the influence of Chinese technology on American consumers and businesses.

RedNote and Lemon8 gain traction amid TikTok uncertainty

RedNote, a Chinese-owned social media platform, has also surged in popularity in the U.S., especially among users seeking an alternative to TikTok amid ongoing legal battles over its potential ban.

Lemon8, another app owned by TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, was also included in the Texas ban. Both platforms gained traction as TikTok faced legal pressure from federal regulators, leading some users to migrate to alternative Chinese-owned social apps.

Texas aligns with federal concerns over Chinese technology

Texas joins several other states and the federal government in restricting Chinese tech firms over national security concerns. The Congressional Research Service has warned that China mandates data storage and export controls on social media algorithms, raising fears that these platforms could be exploited for espionage.

In 2022, Abbott previously banned TikTok from Texas government devices, aligning with broader U.S. efforts to scrutinize foreign-owned apps. The latest move underscores escalating concerns over how Chinese-owned platforms handle American user data.

Several major media companies were told they would need to vacate their office spaces at the Pentagon, in favor of other outlets. Pentagon officials told the news agencies on Friday night.