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Firefighters have been overwhelmed by this week’s major wildfires across Los Angeles County, the three largest erupting in less than 12 hours during a windstorm.Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said at a Wednesday, Jan. 8, news conference that there were not enough firefighters in the county to “address four separate fires of this magnitude.”Firefighters, by Tuesday night, were battling the Palisades, Eaton and Hurst fires. A fourth blaze, the much smaller Woodley fire, was burning near the Sepulveda Basin in the San Fernando Valley and by Wednesday afternoon had consumed 30 acres, according to Cal Fire.“LA County…

By ERIC TUCKER and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it intends to release special counsel Jack Smith’s findings on Donald Trump’s efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election but will keep under wraps for now the rest of the report focused on the president-elect’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.The revelation was made in a filing to a federal appeals court that was considering a defense request to block the release of the two-volume report while charges remain pending against two Trump co-defendants in the Florida case accusing the Republican former president and current…

The Ducks found themselves on the cusp of a .500 points percentage and six points back of the final wild-card berth in the West as they set out on a six-game road trip, the longest of their campaign, which will begin Thursday against the Winnipeg Jets.They have flung a few stones from their slings of late and hit some of the NHL’s goliaths squarely, including wins in both meetings with the Jets thus far, at Honda Center on Dec. 18 and north of the border on Jan. 2.“We’ve been beating some really good hockey teams, and it’s great for our…

By Bernard Condon | The Associated PressU.S. regulators have opened an investigation into 2.6 million Teslas after reports of crashes involving the use of company technology that allows drivers to remotely command their vehicle to return to them, or move to another location, using a phone app.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said Tuesday that Tesla did not report any of the accidents. Tesla is under order to report crashes on “publicly accessible roads” involving vehicles being operated through its autonomous driving technology.The new investigation follows another probe launched in October looking into the company’s “Full Self-Driving” system after…

By AMANDA SEITZWASHINGTON (AP) — A record 24 million people have signed up for insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act, former President Barack Obama’s landmark health legislation, as the program awaits an uncertain future under a Republican-controlled White House and Congress.Never have so many people enrolled in health care coverage through the government marketplace, a point of pride for many Democrats but a red flag to some Republicans.President Joe Biden has pushed an expansion of the program, signing into law billions of dollars in tax credits that expanded who qualified for the health insurance and lowered its cost. Millions…

James Royal, Ph.D. | (TNS) Bankrate.comFifty-seven percent of U.S. workers say they’re behind on their retirement savings, according to Bankrate’s 2024 Retirement Savings Survey. But no group says they’re behind more than Gen X. A whopping 68 percent of Gen X workers say they’re lagging when it comes to retirement savings.The first edge of Gen X, which ranges in age from 44 to 59, is on the cusp of retirement, and they still have time and a handful of strategies to significantly improve their savings and retirement. Here’s how Gen X — and plenty of other Americans — can turbocharge their…

A Riverside County sheriff’s motorcycle deputy died in an on-duty traffic collision on the 91 Freeway in Riverside on Wednesday, Jan. 8, Sheriff Chad Bianco said.“With immense sadness & a heavy heart, I must report that the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office has lost another deputy in a line-of-duty death,” Bianco said in a social-media post.Motorcycle officers lead a procession with the body of Riverside County sheriff’s motorcycle officer Timothy Corlew along Magnolia Avenue in Riverside en route to the Coroner’s Office in Perris on Jan. 8, 2025. Corlew died in a traffic collision on the 91 Freeway in Riverside that…

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHERWASHINGTON (AP) — Prosecutors will ask a judge on Wednesday for six years in prison for a former FBI informant whose bogus story about President Joe Biden and his son Hunter accepting bribes became central to Republicans’ impeachment effort.Alexander Smirnov will be sentenced in Los Angeles federal court after pleading guilty last month to tax evasion and lying to the FBI about the phony bribery scheme in what prosecutors say was an effort to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.Smirnov, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen, falsely claimed to his FBI handler that executives from…

Breana Noble and Luke Ramseth | (TNS) The Detroit NewsAffordability will be one of the largest challenges in 2025 for Detroit’s automakers after General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. posted their best sales year in the United States since 2019, and as Stellantis NV’s declines eased somewhat in the final months of the year.Inventories swelled in 2024 following the end of pandemic-induced vehicle and microchip shortages, as well as the United Auto Workers strikes in the fall of 2023. Although automakers have emphasized cost reductions and increased incentive spending, they’ve also sought to prioritize profit margins to fund investments…

An ongoing surge of Santa Ana winds is expected to last into early next week in much of Southern California, with the potential for critical fire weather conditions in Los Angeles County to extend into Friday.Extreme fire weather conditions and damaging northern winds will to continue into Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 8, with recorded gusts of 85 mph during the morning in the Malibu and Topanga Canyon area, where the raging Pacific Palisades fire continues to burn. High 30 to 40 mph northern winds in coastal and downtown Los Angeles are expected to drop off Wednesday evening, remaining in the 15…