Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some urgent stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
We begin in Southern California with devastating fires, at least five people are dead, many more injured, and tens of thousands have been forced from their homes; President-elect Donald Trump issues a severe warning to Hamas leaders regarding the ongoing hostage situation in the Middle East; and the Department of Justice weighs in with its plans regarding the special counsel’s final report on the president-elect.
Also, outgoing President Joe Biden reveals his thoughts concerning a number of what’s called preemptive pardons, and a former congressman has his eyes laser-focused on another influential government leadership position.
Deadly Wildfires Devastate Southern California
President Joe Biden has just approved a major disaster declaration for California as the southern portion of the state continues to battle a substantial number of raging wildfires. The declaration allows people affected by the blaze to immediately access federal funds and resources for their recovery efforts.As of yesterday, the massive fires were zero percent contained, more than 22,000 acres have been charred, neighborhoods have been destroyed, more than 1.5 million people were without power, and at least five people have died.
Meanwhile, incredibly strong winds—some reaching 100 miles per hour—continued to fuel the destructive flames throughout the region.
Highly destructive fires were reported on the west side of Los Angeles in an area known as Pacific Palisades, as well as in an area north of downtown called Altadena, which is right next door to Pasadena.
A number of school districts, colleges, and universities throughout Los Angeles County were closed; an iconic Malibu restaurant and a Palisades public library were destroyed; and more than a thousand courageous firefighters were calling for reinforcements.
Additionally, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that none of the county’s 29 fire departments were prepared “for this type of widespread disaster,” which included at least four major brush fires.
The National Weather Service also said that as of yesterday, Southern California remained under what’s called a red flag warning, which means that strong wind gusts and low humidity continue to pose an extreme fire danger throughout the region.
It’s a story we’ll be watching very carefully here in the News Brief newsroom.
Trump Issues Severe Warning to Hamas
Trump has just repeated his warning to the terror group that the hostages they’re holding in Gaza had better be released by the time he takes office on Jan. 20 or else “all hell will break out in the Middle East.”The incoming commander-in-chief went on to say that it “will not be good” for Hamas—or anyone else in the region—if the hostages are not returned by the time he’s sworn in.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Middle East envoy says that some progress is being made regarding a deal for the hostages and that he’s heading back to Qatar, a country that has played an important role during the negotiations.
He went on to say he’s been working in tandem with Trump to save lives, and that it’s the president-elect’s reputation, along with the things that he has said, which are driving the negotiations.
The envoy also said he’s hopeful that by the time Trump is inaugurated, he’ll have some “good things to announce” on behalf of the incoming president.
Last month, Trump said that Hamas will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the history of the United States of America if they don’t agree to his terms; however, he has not said whether or not the United States would use military force to back up his threat.
DOJ Says It Will Release Special Counsel’s Report on Trump
Officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) now say that part one of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on Trump will be released to the public, following a federal judge’s recent decision to block the release of the second part of the document.They say that Smith has already given the report to Attorney General Merrick Garland, and that the court has no valid basis for interfering with the attorney general’s discretion regarding the release of part one of the report.
In case you missed it, earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon ordered the department not to release the report until a federal appeals court reviewed a motion by Trump’s co-defendants in the case.
Those two co-defendants say that Smith should be fired and that his report should not be released to the public, because he was previously found by Cannon to be unconstitutionally appointed.
However, in a new filing, DOJ lawyers said that whether or not Smith’s appointment was constitutional is irrelevant, that the issue at hand is how Garland handles the report, and that Trump’s co-defendants have no standing regarding part one of the document.
DOJ officials also say part two of the report will not be made available to the public. However, a redacted version of that document will be available for certain lawmakers to view, as long as those lawmakers agree not to publicly release any portion of that report.
Biden Confirms He’s Considering Preemptive Pardons
Biden says he’s considering whether or not to issue several preemptive pardons that would protect people from prosecution against charges that have not yet been filed.White House officials have said that before his term ends, the outgoing president plans to issue a number of additional pardons and commutations, and they haven’t provided any further information regarding the people involved.
In a recent interview with USA Today, Biden was asked specifically about preemptive pardons for both Liz Cheney and Dr. Anthony Fauci; however, he did not directly answer the question.
Instead, he referenced a recent meeting at the White House with President-elect Donald Trump, who has criticized those two individuals. Biden said he told Trump that it was “counterintuitive for his interest” to go back and try to settle old scores, and that the president-elect did not directly respond to his advice.
Also, interesting to note that another person who has been floated as a possibility for a preemptive pardon is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who mishandled confidential emails and whose campaign funded opposition research against Trump.
By the way, Biden recently pardoned 40 people, including his son, Hunter Biden, whom a jury convicted of federal gun charges and who pleaded guilty to intentionally failing to pay taxes. He also commuted the sentences of about 1,500 others, including 37 death row prisoners.
Gaetz Says He May Run for Governor of Florida
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) says he’s now thinking about running for governor next year in his home state of Florida, where current Gov. Ron DeSantis can’t run again due to term limits.Gaetz says that he has “a compelling vision” for the state, that he understands how to fix Florida’s insurance problem, and that he would be the most pro-consumer candidate on the Republican side.
You may recall that late last year, the 42-year-old stepped down from his seat in the House of Representatives after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to be U.S. attorney general. However, with a number of key senators opposing his nomination, the former congressman decided to withdraw from consideration.
Instead of trying to reenter Congress, Gaetz has gone on to take a job as a host for the One America News cable network, and is now considering a political comeback.
We should point out, however, that he could face additional scrutiny following last month’s release of a House Ethics Committee report, which contained a number of misconduct allegations.
For his part, Gaetz has consistently denied wrongdoing and he has never been charged with a crime. He says that lies have been told about him for years and that they’ve never affected his ability to win elections.
Before resigning, Gaetz represented Florida’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives for eight years.
Once again, our top story right now. Several fires continue to rage out of control in Southern California, officials tell us five people have died as a result of one of those fires, there are mass evacuations, enormous property damages, widespread power outages as well, and a state of emergency has been declared in California.
Our thoughts and good wishes are with all who are impacted by this tragic disaster.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Thursday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and we’re always on-demand.
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from Warren Buffett, who said: “Do not save what is left after spending; instead spend what is left after saving.”
Buffett is an American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
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Enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
