Strong winds return to Los Angeles, threatening firefighters’ progress

Strong winds in fire-weary Southern California could be hazardous on Tuesday, Jan. 14, according to the National Weather Service. And nominees for prominent positions in the incoming Trump administration prepare for confirmation hearings this week. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.

Strong winds return to Southern California, threatening firefighters’ progress

Strong winds are kicking up in Southern California yet again on Tuesday, Jan. 14, as fire crews continue to battle strong infernos. The latest fire, dubbed the Auto Fire, sparked in Ventura County on Monday night, Jan. 13.

The Auto Fire has charred more than 50 acres and remains completely uncontained, according to CalFire’s latest update. Officials warned similar fires could spark in that area throughout the day Tuesday.

The National Weather Service warned that expected wind gusts of up to 65 miles per hour Tuesday make for “particularly dangerous” conditions in bone-dry areas that have not seen rain in months. 

The largest threats remain the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which have already burned more than 38,000 acres combined.

The Los Angeles County fire chief said crews are “absolutely better prepared” with water tankers and additional firefighters Tuesday than they were a week ago when hurricane-force winds whipped the flames and smoke, fueling the fires. 

Since then, at least 24 people have died and flames destroyed more than 12,000 buildings, many of them people’s homes. 

State and local politicians, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have faced heavy criticism over their response to the fires — especially after hydrants ran dry last week. 

Among the most vocal critics has been President-elect Donald Trump. Newsom, who has butted heads with Trump several times in the past and vowed to “Trump-proof” California, blasted the soon-to-be president in a letter. 

Newsom accused Trump of “politicizing” the disaster and spreading misinformation, calling on the soon-to-be president to visit the area.

“The hundreds of thousands of Americans displaced from their homes and fearful for the future deserve to see us all working together in their best interests,” Newsom said.

Trump’s team said it was engaged in conversations about making that visit. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Trump will likely visit California sometime next week, following his inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20. 

Several parts of Southern California remain under an extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, Jan. 16, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley.  

Meanwhile, there’s a danger of a different kind threatening the eastern half of the U.S. The National Weather Service forecasted a fresh arctic blast will sweep over the area, threatening to freeze pipes and put a strain on energy resources across a large part of the country. 

While it’s not expected to cause major snowstorms, meteorologists said it could bring the coldest weather of the winter so far, starting Thursday, Jan. 17. Another arctic blast was forecasted to follow. The cold air will again hit The Great Plains states this weekend to early next week, before heading east.

Trump would have been convicted if Jan. 6 case went to trial: Special counsel Jack Smith

Early Tuesday morning, the Justice Department posted special counsel Jack Smith’s investigative report into the 2020 election interference case involving President-elect Donald Trump to its website. In it, Smith said he believed there was sufficient evidence to convict Trump of trying to obstruct the 2020 election results should the case have gone to trial. 

Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges and the case was eventually dismissed after Trump’s presidential election victory in November due to the DOJ’s policy not to prosecute a sitting president. 

“The Department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind,” Smith wrote in the 137-page report.

He added, “For Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.” 

In the report, Smith said his team determined that Trump knew there was no “outcome-determinative fraud in the 2020 election” and “that many of the specific claims that he made were untrue.” Smith claimed Trump knew he had lost the election. 

Smith, who resigned from the Justice Department last week, wrote his team had no interest in affecting the presidential election, and in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland accompanying the report he wrote, “My office had one north star: to follow the facts and law wherever they led. Nothing more and nothing less.” 

The president-elect criticized the release of the report on Truth Social, calling Smith “a lamebrain prosecutor” and saying Smith “was unable to get his case tried before the election, which I won in a landslide.” 

This is just one of two volumes making up Smith’s final report. Another volume detailing his findings on Trump’s classified documents case remains confidential. A hearing is set for Friday, Jan. 17, where a judge will decide the fate of that portion of the report.

Special counsel in Hunter Biden cases responds to president’s accusations

Special Counsel David Weiss, who investigated President Joe Biden’s son Hunter, issued his final report Monday.

In the 280-page report, Weiss criticized the president for making “gratuitous and wrong” accusations that politics tainted his years-long case. Weiss charged Hunter Biden with tax and gun crimes, but the president pardoned his son this past fall.

Weiss pointed to Joe Biden’s words when pardoning Hunter, claiming Hunter was the victim of an “unfair” prosecution and a “miscarriage of justice.” Weiss said while other presidents have pardoned family members in the past, none have “taken the occasion as an opportunity to malign the public services at the Department of Justice based solely on false accusations.”

Weiss said he ignored political opinions during his investigation and that his decisions were “based on the facts and the law and nothing else.”

Confirmation hearings for Trump nominees begin

Senate confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks kick off Tuesday, starting with controversial defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth. 

Two other nominees were set to have hearings Tuesday, but both were delayed.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum’s hearing to be interior secretary was postponed to Thursday, Jan. 16, to give time for the Office of Government Ethics to complete its review.

Trump’s pick for Veterans Affairs secretary, former Rep. Doug Collins, will now have his hearing in one week in order for the FBI to complete its background check.

Straight Arrow News Political Correspondent Ray Bogan has a preview of what you can expect from the upcoming hearings here.

Hamas expected to release dozens of hostages: Israeli officials

Hamas is expected to release 33 hostages during the first phase of a ceasefire agreement that negotiators are working to finalize, Israeli officials said Tuesday. They have expressed cautious optimism that an end to the ongoing war might be in sight after 15 months of fighting destabilized the Middle East and devastated Gaza. 

The agreement would allow for more aid into the Palestinian enclave and ensure the return of dozens of hostages held by Hamas since the militant group attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The Israeli government said Hamas and its allies still hold 94 of the 251 hostages taken from Israel, at least 34 of whom are dead. 

A senior Israeli official said Monday that most of the 33 hostages to be released in the first phase of the deal are alive, but the bodies of dead captives will also likely be among those released. The first phase would take place over an initial 42-day ceasefire.

Los Angeles Rams honor firefighters during ‘home game’ win in Arizona

The Los Angeles Rams’ “home” game may have been 400 miles away, but the team — forced to relocate due to the deadly wildfires — made sure to honor its city and first responders Monday night. 

Rams players and staff, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Coach Sean McVay wore special shirts and hats Monday night to show support for Los Angeles firefighters on the front lines. 

Retired Rams star offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth, who helped the team win the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, spoke to fans watching at home and to the crowd in Glendale, Arizona, saying, “We are strong. We will not be defined by this devastation. We will rebuild L.A., hand in hand together for as long as it takes and whatever it takes. We will build it together.” 

A moment of silence was held before kickoff in honor of all those displaced by the wildfires.

The Rams went on to defeat the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 in its first playoff victory since winning Super Bowl LVI. The Rams will head to Philadelphia on Sunday, Jan. 19, to take on the Eagles in the divisional round. 

Although it was not a usual home game for the Rams, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said more than 45,000 fans traveled from California to Arizona to see their team win.