Good morning. It's Thursday, Jan. 9, and we're covering wildfires racing across southern California, an icy island suddenly in the spotlight, and much more. First time reading? Join over 4 million intellectually curious readers. Sign up here.
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At least five people are dead, and more than 1,000 buildings were destroyed as several wildfires burned in Los Angeles County yesterday amid record-strong winds. The coastal Pacific Palisades saw restaurants, a library, schools, and more go up in flames as tens of thousands evacuated, many of whom were forced to leave their cars on the highway. Over 300,000 customers were without power.
The largest of the blazes, the Palisades Fire, has burned over 15,000 acres with zero containment as of this writing (see map). Inland northerly breezes, known as Santa Ana winds, blew over the mountains to the coast at speeds as high as 100 mph, accelerating the flames through dry brush and forest. Farther north and east, the Hurst and Eaton Fires grew to over 2,500 and 500 acres, respectively, while two more blazes were sparked late Wednesday.
LA officials sought help from nearby counties and states amid the fires' rapid pace and intensity, with reports of million-gallon fire hydrant wells running dry repeatedly. See photos of the fires here. |
Denmark’s foreign minister said yesterday Greenland could pursue independence from Danish control if desired, but the world's biggest island is unlikely to join the US. The minister's comments came as President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring the mineral-rich territory, declining to rule out potential military or economic action.
Greenland has been a part of Denmark for 600 years, though the Arctic island has been gradually moving toward greater autonomy, achieving self-rule status in 2009. Greenland's strategic significance is partly due to its mineral, oil, and gas resources. The island's location between Russia, Europe, and the US is also advantageous for defense and trade purposes, including being home to the northernmost US military base. See an overview of Greenland here.
In related news, Denmark’s king updated the country’s royal coat of arms as a symbolic response to Trump's attempts to purchase Greenland. The update includes removing a panel of crowns and enlarging a polar bear and ram to represent the importance of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, respectively. |
The semifinals of the College Football Playoff begin tonight, with No. 7 Notre Dame taking on No. 6 Penn State in the Orange Bowl (7:30 pm ET, ESPN). The winner will face either No. 5 Texas or No. 8 Ohio State, who meet tomorrow night (7:30 pm ET, ESPN) in the Cotton Bowl. All four programs are in the top seven in terms of all-time wins (see list).
Notre Dame, led by third-year coach Marcus Freeman, rides a 12-game winning streak into the matchup after a second-week upset against Northern Illinois. Penn State, entering as a slight 1.5-point underdog, features 1,000-yard rusher Kaytron Allen and Mackey Award-winning tight end Tyler Warren. Each program is chasing its first title since the 1980s (Notre Dame, 1988; Penn State, 1986).
Ohio State enters tomorrow's game, having beaten No. 9 Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon by an average of 23 points each. Texas, led by QB Quinn Ewers, beat No. 4 Arizona State in double overtime to advance.
The championship game will be held Monday, Jan. 20, in Atlanta. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Olivia Rodrigo, Luke Combs, and Tyler, the Creator among headliners tapped for 2025 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee (June 12-15); see full lineup (More) |
> NHL postpones Los Angeles Kings' game due to wildfires; NFL officials monitoring fire ahead of Monday's NFC wild-card matchup (More) |
> "Wicked" and "Shogun" lead 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations with five apiece (More) | Critics Choice Awards rescheduled for Jan. 26 due to Los Angeles wildfires (More) | Mark Hamill, Eugene Levy, and James Woods among Hollywood stars whose homes were impacted by fires (More) |
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In partnership with Motley Fool Money |
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> Researchers discover two exceptionally well-preserved, 430-million-year-old mollusk fossils with intricate spike structures; scientists name species "punk" and "emo" (More) |
> AI-powered analysis determines the best time to begin hormonal injections into eggs during the in-vitro fertilization process, leading to increased yield of mature eggs (More) | The technique that may one day replace IVF (More, w/video) |
> First large-scale assessment of its type finds roughly 25% of the world's freshwater animals are vulnerable to or at risk of extinction; such ecosystems make up 1% of the Earth's surface but support 10% of its animal populations (More) |
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> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 +0.2%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq -0.1%) after Federal Reserve's meeting minutes from December show officials support gradual pace of interest rate cuts (More) |
> EBay shares close up nearly 10% to highest level since November 2021 after Meta says it will allow some eBay listings to appear on Facebook Marketplace (More) | Quantum computing stocks, including Rigetti (-45%) and IonQ (-30%), plunge as Nvidia CEO says useful applications of the tech is 15-30 years away (More) |
> OpenAI's Sam Altman denies sexual abuse accusations from his sister, Ann, who filed a lawsuit this week alleging he abused her regularly from 1997 to 2006 (More) | OpenAI's rise to power (More, w/video) |
💸 Warren Buffett: This week's 1440 Business & Finance newsletter goes deep into the life and philosophy of the legendary investor. Email comes out at 8:30 am ET—sign up here to receive it! |
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> Justice Department to release report related to President-elect Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case, will withhold information on classified documents case (More) | CIA releases documents from 1968 to 1983 showing past surveillance of Latino civil rights groups (More) |
> Southern US braces for first major snow storm in years, beginning today through the weekend; weather warnings and advisories stretch across 10 states from Texas to Tennessee (More) | The polar vortex, explained (More, w/visual) |
> Former President Jimmy Carter's funeral to be held today in Washington, DC, concluding three days of services; Carter died last week at age 100 (More) |
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> How Multitasking Drains Your Brain
MIT | Richard Cytowic. A neurologist reveals how multitasking in the digital age is not a productivity booster but a brain drain that harms cognitive performance. (Read)
> Unveiling Iran's Secret Oil Operations
Reuters | Staff. A visual deep dive showing how Iranian company Sahara Thunder moves unsanctioned oil around the globe, reconstructed using more than 10,000 leaked emails. (Read) |
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Clickbait: No, you should not eat your Christmas tree for dinner.
Historybook: "Common Sense" published by Thomas Paine (1776); President Richard Nixon born (1913); Activist and singer-songwriter Joan Baez born (1941); Catherine, Princess of Wales born (1982); iPhone makes its debut (2007). |
"Action is the antidote to despair." |
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