Friday Briefing: Racing to control Los Angeles fires

January 10, 2025

	By Emmett Lindner

Good morning. We’re covering developments in the Los Angeles fires and Lebanon electing a military leader as president.

Plus, rebuilding a wrecked palazzo.

A California coastline with a view of the ocean. In the foreground destroyed homes from a fire.

Loren Elliott for The New York Times

Firefighters rushed to contain the Los Angeles wildfires

Officials hoped that a drop in wind speeds yesterday would give firefighters a window to take control of the fast-moving blazes that have raged unchecked this week. At least five people have been killed, but that figure is expected to rise. Almost 180,000 people were under evacuation orders. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, along with landmarks, making the landscape unrecognizable. Follow our live coverage and our maps of fires.

The Santa Ana winds, dangerous gusts that have spread the flames, were expected to intensify overnight and through the weekend, and possibly continue into next week. Helicopters and planes dropped water from an ominous orange sky, and firefighters battled the blazes with a renewed supply of water after hydrants had gone dry in previous days.

The Hollywood Hills, home to celebrities and entertainment executives, also began to burn overnight. Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and other celebrities lost their homes.

Twenty people had been arrested and accused of looting during the chaos, with that number expected to increase, law enforcement officials said.

Context: Los Angeles, which is about the same size as two small U.S. states, can be hard to picture. Disasters or riots might occur on one end of the city while those on the opposite end are far removed from the scene. These wildfires, though, have assaulted the metropolis as a whole.

Rescue: As one resident rushed to evacuate, she sent out a plea to her Instagram followers: Could someone help evacuate her roughly 300-pound pig?

A man walking in military camouflage gear, wearing a maroon beret with an emblem.

Gen. Joseph Aoun Bilal Hussein/Associated Press

Lebanon elected a president after two years of gridlock

Lebanon’s Parliament picked Gen. Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese military, to become the next president.

Aoun won by an overwhelming majority in the second round of voting, reflecting the changing power balances at an unnerving time for Lebanon. The nation has endured a series of disasters in recent years, including an economic collapse and a war between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah.

Context: The country’s international backers, including the U.S., have hinted that financial support after the war was contingent on a successful presidential election.

Background: Aoun is considered to have U.S. backing and is widely respected in Lebanon. Since 2017 he has led the military, which is the only national institution to have cross-sectarian support.

Three men sit at a table and speak into microphones. The Ukrainian and American flags stand behind them.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, center, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III, right, in Germany. Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images

How the U.S. capitalized on supporting Ukraine

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group will meet this week for the last time under the Biden administration. The group was first formed after Russia’s invasion in 2022 to provide aid and ammunition to Ukraine. It also gave the U.S. a rare chance to undermine an old enemy.

The Biden administration turned first to U.S. allies for help, but also drew on relationships with non-NATO countries. The way the group was formed could serve as a blueprint for future administrations to use in case of major conflicts, U.S. officials said, such as a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan.

What’s next: The group’s fate is uncertain. President-elect Donald Trump is deeply skeptical of supporting Ukraine, and has openly curried favor with President Vladimir Putin. Should the U.S. back out, the Pentagon said, another nation could take over.

MORE TOP NEWS

Jimmy Carter is honored at his funeral in Washington. Amid a crowded church, his coffin is at the center, draped with an American flag.

Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Tributes: Jimmy Carter was honored in Washington, where the country’s five living presidents gathered to bid farewell to one of their own.
U.S.: A federal judge struck down President Biden’s effort to expand protections for transgender students.
South Korea: A colonel who faced insubordination and defamation charges after accusing President Yoon Suk Yeol of whitewashing his investigation into a marine’s death was acquitted.
Venezuela: The country’s popular opposition leader, María Corina Machado, was detained during an antigovernment protest in Caracas, her party said.
Tech: TikTok is facing a potential ban in the U.S., but for several years it has been waging other fights in at least 20 countries.
Finance: Big banks have been notching major victories that could allow them to avoid regulatory checks that were put in place after the U.S. financial crisis of 2008.
Economy: The average rate on the 30-year mortgage, the most popular home loan in the U.S., rose to the highest level since July.
Canada: Meet Pierre Poilievre, the combative populist politician who is the favorite to become the country’s next leader.
Climate: U.S. efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions stalled in 2024 as the demand for electricity surged, according to a recent estimate.
Politics: Elon Musk is trying to help push the far-right Alternative for Germany party through a political blockade and into the mainstream.

Sports

Soccer: The West Ham United football club has appointed Graham Potter as their new head coach until 2027.
Tennis: The 2025 Australian Open begins on Jan. 12, and will kick off with big names, including Novak Djokovic, in first-round matches.
Golf: Kevin Kisner has been tapped as NBC’s lead analyst during this year’s tour season. Our colleagues at The Athletic spoke with him about the role.

MORNING READ

A four picture grid of children in school in China.

Across China’s west, Communist Party leaders are separating hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children from their families and placing them in boarding schools, rights activists say. The schools teach in Mandarin, push party values of loyalty and patriotism, and replace the culture and Buddhist beliefs that are instilled in Tibetan homes.

Our colleagues analyzed hundreds of videos posted to social media and propaganda departments to learn how these schools operate.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A pair of grey loafer hybrid athletic shoes on a blue background.

New Balance

Frankenstein feet: The New Balance “Snoafers” are both a sneaker and a loafer. Decide for yourself whether they’re genius or hideous.
Planning ahead: A London couple dreamed of a home to rent and eventually retire to in Marrakesh. See what they considered with a budget of about 485,000 euros.
Punk rock: After scientists pieced together renderings of mollusk fossils and found they had bangs and spiky “hair,” they gave the creatures genre-fitting names.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

A room two large windows and a colorful fresco painted on the ceiling.

Anna Positano, Gaia Cambiaggi | Studio Campo

Restoring the (very) old, with a modern touch

The second floor of a 12th-century palazzo in Genoa was in total disrepair: The walls were pocked with holes and the windows rattled and leaked — it couldn’t even be classified as a residence anymore.

But two architects could still feel a palpable grandeur, and they paid 250,000 euros for the wreck. Two years and another 350,000 euros later, their efforts yielded a glorious, 1,000-square-foot one-bedroom apartment where they now live. They even found a few secrets in the walls. See more from the renovation.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Christopher Testani for The New York Times

Cook: Baked oatmeal marries a toasty top with a moist inside for a simple yet satisfying breakfast.

Tip: Did you get sick or injured abroad? Here’s what you need to know.

Watch: Netflix’s eye-catching “American Primeval” presents an Old West full of horrors.

Listen: At 59, Clare Cory thought her love story was over. Then everything changed.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Emmett

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