eNewspaper | Crosswords | Horoscopes

The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Wed Jan 15 2025

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Returning Santa Ana winds in the Los Angeles area will be capable of stoking quickly-spreading blazes. Washington will be busy on Wednesday as six of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees have hearings and President Joe Biden gives his farewell address to the nation.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. My colleague Erin Jensen is 37 and single. She persuaded USA TODAY to find her a date for Valentine's Day.

Red flag warning in Los Angeles

Wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph in the mountains and 30 to 50 mph on the coasts and valleys are forecast for Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Wednesday. Residents exhausted by days of fire face red flag warnings with the rare "particularly dangerous situation" designation issued for those counties through Wednesday afternoon.

•	The winds follow a period of eery calm. During a short-lived respite from heavy winds, firefighters cleared up smoldering hot spots and worked to tear down unstable structures that had been damaged last week by the Palisades Fire.
•	Many Californians are living in limbo amid ongoing evacuation orders. Residents remain barred from certain parts of Los Angeles, as authorities work to bring back utilities ( and worry about looting).
•	Arson? Lack of water? Power equipment? A number of theories (and misinformation) behind the causes of the concurrent fires have circulated, including one lawsuit that says a local utility company sparked the inferno that was the Eaton Fire. Meanwhile, victims of the Pacific Palisades wildfire are suing a public utility for water supply failures they say contributed to the devastation.

🛑 If you're affected by the L.A. fires: Here's how to beware of scammers looking to make money off disaster.

A view shows the remains of homes burned by the Palisades Fire, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Jan. 14, 2025.

David Ryder/REUTERS

Six cabinet nominees have big job interviews today

A number of high-profile nominees for President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet will face senators' questions on Wednesday. They include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump's Homeland Security secretary pick, and former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is Trump's U.S. attorney general nominee. Here's everyone who has a hearing — and what to expect from lawmakers.

More news to know now

•	Sen. Joni Ernst, once skeptical, says she will vote for Pete Hegseth for defense secretary.
•	WATCH: Sec. Antony Blinken said officials are on the "brink" of an Israel-Hamas cease-fire.
•	South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
•	The newest name being shared to buy TikTok? Elon Musk.
•	Princess Kate says her cancer is in remission.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Biden bids farewell

As he enters the final days of his administration, President Joe Biden is saying good-bye. As much of the capital prepares for President-elect Donald Trump's Inauguration Day next week, Biden will give parting words to Americans Wednesday evening from the Oval Office. The delivery will remark on his administration's achievements, including ushering the nation through an unprecedented pandemic, historic infrastructure legislation, a resurgence of clean-energy factories and investments in the microchip industry to catch up to China, while also renewing ties with the country's international allies. Here's how to watch the address live.

Standing in the grocery aisle studying a box of cereal?

Food manufacturers may have to put nutritional labels on the front of packaged foods within the next few years, according to a proposal the United States Food and Drug Administration announced this week. Front-of-package labels would be required for "most packaged foods" in a move that's part of the FDA's attempt to push back against the country's chronic disease and obesity crisis. Experts say the change could help grocery shoppers more easily look at information in stores to make quick informed choices about their diet.

A proposed front-of-package label the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Jan. 14, 2025.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Today's talkers

•	There's shortage of doughnuts at Dunkin'.
•	A.J. Brown is showing kids it's cool to read.
•	Stuck paying for a subscription or membership you no longer want or need?
•	Ski vacations don't have to break the bank.
•	The internet can't tell the difference between Walmart's new and old logos.

NFL top coaches are getting younger and younger

Sean McVay was two weeks shy of his 31st birthday when the Los Angeles Rams hired him in 2017, making him the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. In a league where grizzled veterans had long been the coaching archetype, the Rams' decision to hire a 30-year-old drew plenty of skepticism. But it also proved to be inspired, with McVay leading the team to the Super Bowl in just his second year on the job. As part of the NFL Coaches Project, USA TODAY reported that McVay's hiring was the start, or at least the key inflection point, of a dramatic shift in hiring across the NFL. USA TODAY found the league's coaches have gotten younger on a near-annual basis over the past decade.

Photo of the day: Furry friends find safety

Animal rescuers saved pets affected by wildfires in Southern California by flying more than 80 cats and dogs to a no-kill shelter in Utah.

Lost dogs were flown from Los Angeles County to Kanab, Utah this week.

Best Friends Animal Society

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.