L.A. wildfires spread and Jimmy Carter funeral: Morning Rundown

The Palisades Fire becomes the most destructive in L.A. history as firefighters battle blazes across the city. President Biden and others will honor former President Jimmy Carter at a funeral in Washington, D.C. And the end of fact-checking on Meta suggests a new era of social media is upon us.

Here’s what to know today.

As Palisades and Eaton fires keep spreading, smaller blazes add to a harrowing fight

Scenes from Los Angeles as the Palisades, Eaton and Sunset fires devastate homes on Jan. 9, 2025.AP; Getty Images

Fire crews continued to fight the destructive and deadly wildfires burning through parts of Los Angeles and raced to contain new ones that popped up elsewhere, including in the iconic Hollywood Hills. More than 100,000 people are under evacuation orders, and the two largest fires cover at least 43 square miles of the region.

The Palisades Fire grew to more than 17,200 acres as of last night, with 0% containment. At least 1,000 structures have been destroyed, making it the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history. Winds gusts of up to 60 mph are expected to continue through today, according to Cal Fire. Entire blocks in Pacific Palisades have been burnt down, with homes, schools and businesses flattened. Celebrities including Billy Crystal and Paris Hilton said their homes were gone. 

The Eaton Fire exploded to 10,600 acres as of last night, with 0% containment. Officials said at least five people have died in the blaze in Altadena and Pasadena, and 200 to 500 structures have been damaged or lost. Windy conditions are expected to continue in the area until this evening, according to Cal Fire. Some residents desperate to save their homes defied evacuation orders and stayed back to spray their houses with water to protect them against encroaching flames. 

The Hurst Fire in the San Fernando Valley near Sylmar was at 850 acres as of Wednesday, with 0% containment.

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Smaller fires add to chaos

Fire crews struggled in their efforts, contending not only with unfavorable weather conditions but also with a strained water supply. Adding to the chaos were other smaller fires that popped up throughout the day, including the Lidia Fire near Acton (350 acres and 40% containment, as of Wednesday) and the Woodley Fire in the Sepulveda Basin (30 acres, 100% contained).

Yesterday evening, the Sunset Fire broke out in the Hollywood Hills near Runyon Canyon, prompting another round of mandatory evacuations and fears that the embers could spread to populated hillside communities nearby. Calmer winds allowed crews to attack the blaze from the air. As of Wednesday night, the fire spread across 60 acres, with 0% containment. The fire is threatening landmarks, with famous music venue the Hollywood Bowl under evacuation orders.

Today’s forecast

Although the ferocious winds that have fueled the fires were expected to gradually diminish overnight, dangerous conditions are expected to persist. Red flag warnings are still in effect in parts of Southern California through at least Friday evening. Humidity levels are expected to remain low, and forecasts suggest wind speeds of up to 40 mph and wind gusts of up to 60 mph for parts of greater Los Angeles. 

Follow our live blog for updates.

More coverage of the wildfires:

• Immense demand for water to fight the fast-moving Palisades Fire led all three of the community’s water tanks — and some fire hydrants — to temporarily dry up.
• Panicked residents had only minutes to choose which of their possessions to save.
• The Watch Duty app, which posts live updates about nearby fires, has become a lifeline for residents amid rapidly changing conditions.
• President-elect Donald Trump is blaming President Biden and California Gov. Newsom for the deadly wildfires. 

A funeral for Jimmy Carter

Alex Brandon / AFP - Getty Images

Today marks a day of mourning as the nation says goodbye to former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Carter has laid in state at the U.S. Capitol since Tuesday and is in the Washington National Cathedral for today’s funeral service. President Joe Biden was asked by the Carter family to deliver a eulogy.

After the funeral, Carter will make his final journey to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he will be buried alongside his wife, Rosalynn Carter.

Follow our live blog for updates throughout the day.

Trump team considers high-profile immigration raid

The incoming Trump administration is considering conducting a raid targeting undocumented immigrants in the first days of the president-elect’s second term and perhaps as early as Inauguration Day, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The raid could target people at a workplace in the Washington, D.C., area allegedly living in the U.S. illegally, the sources said, adding that a raid could include businesses in the agriculture, construction, hospitality and health care industries.  

The transition officials’ discussions about workplace raids suggest the incoming administration is not simply focused on immigrants with criminal histories. Rather, they’re looking to make arrests and deportations on a large scale, even if migrants have committed no crimes besides entering or working in the U.S. illegally. Such raids can be logistically complicated and costly.

More politics news:

• Justice Samuel Alito said he took a phone call from Trump one day before the president-elect asked the Supreme Court to halt his upcoming sentencing but insisted they didn’t talk about the case.
• European leaders expressed their confusion and pushed back against Trump’s refusal to rule out using military force to take over Greenland. And Mexico’s president clapped back after Trump proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
• Some immigration rights groups and Democrats are pushing for new policies that would move the party to the right on the hot-button issue.

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• Tens of thousands of dockworkers reached a tentative agreement on a six-year contract with the company representing 14 major ports from Boston to Miami and along the Gulf Coast, avoiding a looming strike.
• The Biden administration has expressed optimism that Israel and Hamas could be close to reaching a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. 
• New Orleans is bringing on Bill Bratton, who has been the top cop in Boston, New York and Los Angeles, to counsel the city on its security measures after the deadly New Year’s Day attack. 
• President Joe Biden welcomed his first great-grandchild after his granddaughter Naomi Biden gave birth.

Staff Pick: What Meta’s move suggests about the direction of social media

David Zalubowski / AP file

Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that Meta would abandon traditional fact-checking for a community notes system — a move he said was inspired by Elon Musk — was largely seen as just the latest action from a tech CEO working to appeal to the incoming Trump administration. “The fact-checking program was never going to save Facebook, but it was the last bulwark to complete chaos on the platform,” said a former head of a disinformation board within the Department of Homeland Security. Senior reporter Brandy Zadrozny reports on why Zuckerberg’s decision may usher in a new unbridled era of social media. — Ben Goggin, deputy tech editor

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