January 15, 2025

What's Happening

US News

Firefighters Race To Contain New Blazes As Warnings Intensify

What's going on: Firefighters in Los Angeles are battling challenging conditions as powerful winds threaten to fuel existing blazes and ignite new ones. It comes as the Eaton and Palisades fires are far from contained. The blazes have killed at least 25 people and scorched entire neighborhoods in the last week. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of wildfire evacuees are scrambling for temporary shelter across LA — a city already struggling with an affordable housing crisis. Many fire victims are grappling with rising rental costs and limited availability, while others are finding refuge in shelters, hotels, cars, or the homes of friends and family.

What it means: The wildfires are pushing the housing crisis in LA into uncharted territory. Mayor Karen Bass (D) issued an executive order to fast-track permits for rebuilding and approve temporary housing for displaced families. Californians were already grappling with skyrocketing insurance costs and the state’s unique insurance challenges, but the implications of these wildfires go far beyond state lines — affecting home insurance premiums nationwide, possibly even yours. Wildfires are just one piece of a larger puzzle: Climate-fueled disasters are driving up costs everywhere. “Once-in-a-generation” weather events now seem to be a common occurrence, leaving insurance companies scrambling. Many are either dropping coverage in some areas or passing rising costs onto all policyholders.

Related: They Maintained the Mansions, Now They’re Left With Nothing (LA Times)

Politics

Hegseth Grilled in a Confirmation Hearing Showdown

What's going on: President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, appeared before senators yesterday for his confirmation hearing. Democrats wasted no time questioning Hegseth’s qualifications and past remarks. As recently as November, Hegseth said “we should not have women in combat roles.” That did not go unnoticed by the women on the Senate Armed Services Committee. During the hearing, the former Fox News host said that there has been a deterioration of “standards” to accommodate women (which there is no evidence of). He also criticized DEI, saying the initiatives “divide” the armed forces. In response to questions about his reported excessive drinking and a 2017 sexual assault allegation, Hegseth dismissed them as a “coordinated smear campaign” orchestrated by the media. Still, Republican senators appeared to unite behind Trump’s nominee, with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) calling the criticisms against Hegseth “shameful.”

What it means: Hegseth still faces an uphill battle to become the next secretary of defense, despite his efforts to rebrand himself as a changed man who will bring back “warrior culture.” He needs the backing of 51 senators, and can’t afford to lose more than three Republican votes. It’s unlikely that any Democrat will back Hegseth. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the most senior Democrat on the committee, made that clear, telling Hegseth: “I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job.” The last time the Senate didn’t confirm a president-elect’s nominee was in 1989. 

Related: What Do Hegseth’s Tattoos Really Mean? (WSJ Gift Link)

Social Media

TikTok Users Eye RedNote as an Alternative

What's going on: If there’s one thing TikTokers know how to do, it’s troll. And now that’s exactly what some so-called “TikTok refugees” are doing to the US government by flocking to a new app: RedNote. (Oh, and it’s also owned by a China-based company.) The app — known in China as “Xiaohongshu” — offers shopping and entertainment videos and has now become the most-downloaded free app in the US. The Supreme Court sparked this migration by signaling it would likely uphold a law banning TikTok unless the app’s owner divests from the platform by Sunday. (Yes, time is really TikTok-ing.)

What it means: Privacy concerns and fears of control by a foreign adversary drove the original push to ban TikTok last year. But some users are showing that, actually, they couldn’t care less about those things. As one TikTok-turned-RedNote creator told The AP: “We’re here to spite our government.” Meanwhile, some users in China are criticizing those who are jumping on the RedNote bandwagon without an actual interest in learning about Chinese culture. There’s still a lot of uncertainty about how and if a ban will go through, with many hoping for an 11th-hour policy change (ideally one that will keep all their saved cooking hacks in one place).

Related: Why the SEC Just Sued Elon Musk (CNN)

Well Played

The week's sports news and culture stories, ranked.

Hang it in the Louvre: Coco Gauff is living her multiverse moment: serving Marvel superhero realness on the court and Wii Sports nostalgia on the livestream.

Winning: The Cardinals swooped in for the Rams, lending aircraft and stadium space for their playoff game after the LA wildfires. No flags on this play — just pure sportsmanship.

Chaotic: Of course, Tiger Woods walked out to this song before his golf match. But he also teed up his strut with a little something extra.

Pep Talk: “Before every game, I listen to two voicemails that my late grandmother sent me” — Ohio State QB Will Howard on THE most heartwarming pregame ritual. 

Settle This

A British restaurant is charging customers extra for adding pineapple to their pizza, as a way to express disgust for this controversial topping. How much extra?

Extra Credit

Eat

As Mary Oliver once wrote, "you only have one wild and precious life" — so why make the stuff from the box when Smitten Kitchen’s Skillet-Baked Macaroni and Cheese exists in the world? Creamy, decadent, and loaded with three types of cheese, this exceptionally unfussy, weeknight-friendly dish takes under an hour to make (you don't even have to boil the pasta) and is everything you want the classic to be and then some (two words: toasted breadcrumbs). Kraft, who?

Game Time

Looking for a crossword that’s not impossible to solve? You’re in luck. This one even offers hints when you get stuck. The faster you finish, the better your score — and the more impressed the group chat will be. Go on.