CLIMATE CHANGE AND SANTA ANA WINDS

Wildfire sparks panicked evacuations in Los Angeles suburb


By AFP
January 7, 2025


A brush fire burns near homes in upscale Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025 - Copyright AFP David Swanson

Huw GRIFFITH

A fast-moving wildfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked panic, with thousands ordered to evacuate Tuesday as “life threatening” winds whipped the region.

Frightened residents abandoned their cars on one of the only roads in and out of the upscale Pacific Palisades area, fleeing on foot from the 770-acre (310-hectare) blaze engulfing an area crammed with multi-million dollar homes in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Several buildings appeared to have burned, with footage from the scene showing flames roaring up the hillsides and palm trees ablaze.

Actor Steve Guttenberg — star of 1984 comedy “Police Academy” — said he was trying to help to get friends out of the area, but the roads were jammed.

“If you leave your car… leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there. It’s really, really important,” he told a reporter on broadcaster KTLA.

Firefighters used bulldozers to push abandoned cars out of the way and to forge a path.

Dozens of vehicles — including expensive models like BMWs and Mercedes — were shoved to one side on live television, many crumpling as they moved, with alarms going off.



– ‘Everyone panicked’ –



The fire erupted mid-morning and swelled quickly, with dozens of firefighters deployed to battle the blaze, including from the air.

Evacuation warnings were in place for a wide area, with the fire twisting and turning in the wind.

One resident, who gave his name as Gary, told KTLA hot ashes were raining down on his community of Sea Ridge.

“I’ve seen this on TV before, and I never thought wind could affect fire like this,” he said.

“There was smoke in the distance, and I was assured that it would not come over the hill… Five minutes later, it’s coming down the hill. Everyone panicked, that’s when everybody made a run and went to go and pack their houses up.”

Pacific Palisades resident Andrew Hires told AFP he got a text alerting him to the fire as his child was at the dentist about to have a tooth extracted.

“We pulled off the mask and ran to car,” he said.

“We got stuck for 20 minutes at corner of Palisades Drive and Sunset where kids were getting evacuated from Calvary School.”



– ‘Destructive, widespread’ –



The fire came as the area was being hit by seasonal Santa Ana winds that forecasters said could develop into the worst windstorm in a decade.

Gusts of up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour were expected in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the National Weather Service said.

“HEADS UP!!! A LIFE-THREATENING, DESTRUCTIVE, Widespread Windstorm is expected Tue afternoon-Weds morning across much of Ventura/LA,” the NWS said.

Red flag warnings of critical fire danger — the highest level of alert — were expected to remain in place until Thursday evening.

“This looks pretty, pretty concerning,” said meteorologist Daniel Swain.

“It’s going to be, I think, a rough night. And what’s going on now is only just the beginning, because weather conditions are going to get a lot worse.”

US President Joe Biden was in Los Angeles on Tuesday, where he had been expected to announce the creation of two new national monuments.

But the announcement was cancelled in the strong winds.

Hollywood events including a red-carpet premiere of Jennifer Lopez’s new film “Unstoppable” were also called off.

Wildfires are an expected part of life in the US West and play a vital role in the natural cycle.

But scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather patterns.

Southern California had two decades of drought that were followed by two exceptionally wet years, which has left the countryside primed to burn.

“The fire risk… is far higher given this hydro climate whiplash from very wet conditions the past two years, lots of abundant growth of what are known as herbaceous fuels, grass and brush, followed by what is now the driest start to the rainy season on record,” said Swain.

Residents Flee As Fierce Santa Ana Winds Fuel Palisades Wildfire Near Los Angeles

By Jan Wesner Childs    

less than an hour ago

At a Glance

• The Palisades Fire broke out Tuesday morning near Los Angeles.
• Evacuations were underway and at least one shelter was open.
• The fire was fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds.

F​irefighters continued to battle a fast-growing wildfire that broke out Tuesday in dangerously high Santa Ana winds and dry conditions in the Los Angeles area. Thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes as the fire grew to more than 4.5 square miles.

“This is pretty much the worst possible scenario for a firefight,” David Ortiz of the Los Angeles Fire Department told KTLA-TV.

“This is pretty much the worst possible scenario for a firefight,” David Ortiz of the Los Angeles Fire Department told KTLA-TV.

T​he fire has been dubbed The Palisades Fire.

N​ursing Home Evacuated

Staff wheeled residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the road, weaving through traffic as the Pasadena Park Healthcare & Wellness Center, a nursing home in Pasadena Park, was evacuated.

According to NBC News, embers were flying in the air and at least one patient was having trouble breathing as employees and rescue workers were trying to empty a parking lot of cars so that there was somewhere for the residents to wait. Buses, ambulances and construction vans then transported residents in bedclothes from the parking lot to safety, The AP reported.

A​bandoned Vehicles, Burning Homes

California Gov. Gavin Newsom toured the area Tuesday afternoon and said he saw "not a few — many structures already destroyed." By then the fire had burned nearly two square miles and was still growing.

People desperate to evacuate left their cars and set out on foot, according to KNBC-TV. A truck sitting in traffic reportedly burst into flames.

“We looked across and the fire had jumped from one side of the road to the other side of the road,” evacuee Kelsey Trainor, told the AP. “People were getting out of the cars with their dogs and babies and bags, they were crying and screaming. The road was just blocked, like full-on blocked for an hour.”

Ash fell around the scene.

Earlier, l​ocal news reports said multiple homes were on fire, and at least one person posted on social media that they were trapped on the road and unable to evacuate.

A woman cries as the Palisades Fire advances in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood

 of Los Angeles Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.

(AP Photo/Etienne Laurent)

V​ideo shared from an account listed as belonging to actor James Woods showed what appeared to be at least one structure burning in his neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.

Mandatory evacuations were ordered for areas including Merrimac Road, Topanga Canyon Boulevard and neighborhoods near Pacific Coast Highway. At least three schools were also evacuated.

The Highest Wind Gusts In Southern California

T​hese were among the highest recorded as of Tuesday afternoon:

• 60 to 71 mph, Santa Anas (Orange Co.)
• 72 mph, Malibu Hills west of Pacific Palisades/Topanga Canyon
• 70 to 75 mph, below Cajon Pass (I-15/Inland Empire)
• 7​8 mph, Whiteman Airport (Los Angeles)
• 79 mph, north of Pasadena (La Cañada Flintridge/Altadena)
• 80 mph, Fremont Canyon (Orange County)
• 8​6 mph, San Gabriels (Magic Mountain)

How Long Will The Danger Last?

“These strong winds will last through Wednesday afternoon or evening," weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman said Tuesday.

T​he most dangerous hours were expected to be overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. Winds during that time could gust up to 100 mph.

“This is likely to be the strongest Santa Ana this season, so far, and possibly in the last few years," Erdman said.

Get the full forecast here.

T​he National Weather Service noted extreme fire conditions and red flag warnings for much of Los Angeles and eastern Ventura counties from Tuesday into Thursday. Red flag warnings, which indicate the potential for dangerous fire weather, are also in place for inland Orange County, the Santa Ana mountains, the Inland Empire and the San Bernardino mountain foothills.W​inds this high carry a number of risks, most notably wildfires and structural damage.

"​This is a Particularly Dangerous Situation - in other words, this is about as bad as it gets in terms of fire weather," the National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned in a social media post ahead of the winds.

Heavy smoke from a brush fire in the Pacific Palisades rises over the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.

(AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)

W​hat Are Santa Ana Winds?

S​anta Ana winds happen in very specific weather conditions. The highest wind speeds are driven both by a strong pressure difference between the Great Basin and coast, as well as strong winds thousands of feet above the ground pushing down to the surface.

S​outhern California's mountains serve as a funnel for these north-to-northeast winds, forcing them to squeeze and accelerate through passes and canyons. Santa Ana winds are named after one of those canyons.

P​ower Outage Updates

S​outhern California Edison, one of the region's largest utility companies, warned customers of potential public safety power shutoffs. That's when electricity is turned off to prevent downed power lines from sparking wildfires.

“The grid is built to withstand strong winds,” Jeff Monford, a spokesperson for the utility, told The Associated Press. “The issue here is the possibility of debris becoming airborne and hitting wires ... or a tree coming down.”

M​ORE ON WEATHER.COM

-Here’s How To Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke

-​What Wildfire Smoke Does To Your Body

-Weird Ways Wildfires Are Started ​

Weather.com staff writer Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.

Photos: Palisades fire explodes, fueled by gusting Santa Ana winds

Firefighters battle a house fire off Bollinger Drive in Pacific Palisades after the Palisades fire exploded.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

By Wally Skalij, Brian van der Brug and Genaro Molina

Jan. 7, 2025 

Firefighters scrambled to corral a fast-moving wildfire in the Los Angeles hillsides dotted with celebrity homes as a “life-threatening, destructive” windstorm hit Southern California, fanning the blaze seen for miles while roads were clogged with cars as residents tried to flee.

Forecasters warned the worst may be yet to come with the windstorm predicted to last for days, producing isolated gusts that could top 100 mph in mountains and foothills.

Already the winds were toppling trees, creating dangerous surf and bringing extreme wildfire risk to areas that haven’t seen substantial rain in months.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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A house burns in the Marquez Knolls neighborhood of Pacific Palisades.

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
People evacuate near Sunset Boulevard and Palisades Drive.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
A firefighting plane makes a drop on the Palisades fire.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
Palisades resident Maggie Stokes keeps an eye on the fire from the California Incline in Santa Monica.

(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
Joy Schroeder helps fight the fire at her brother’s house in the Marquez Knolls neighborhood.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
A car is surrounded by the flames of the Pacific Palisades fire along Sunset Blvd.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
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Smoke rises over a ridgeline in Pacific Palisades.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
A firefighting plane makes a drop on a burning home.

(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)
The Palisades fire quickly consumed more than 1,200 acres, pushed by gusting Santa Ana winds.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)
A woman keeps a watchful eye on the Pacific Palisades fire that burns several miles behind the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica.



Palisades fire: Worst is ‘yet to come’ as winds gain speed, ground aircraft

2 hours ago


‘Run for your lives’: Motorists trying to flee Pacific Palisades face flames, chaos, danger

Jan. 7, 2025


Palisades residents face traffic gridlock, panic as fire blazes through community: ‘It looks grim’Jan. 7, 2025

Wally Skalij
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Wally Skalij joined the Los Angeles Times as a staff photographer in 1997.

Brian van der Brug
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Brian van der Brug has been a staff photojournalist at the Los Angeles Times since 1997.

Genaro Molina
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Genaro Molina is an award-winning staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times. He has worked in journalism for more than 35 years starting at the San Francisco Chronicle. Molina has photographed the life and death of Pope John Paul II, the tragedy of AIDS in Africa, the impact of Hurricane Katrina, and Cuba after Castro. His work has appeared in nine books and his photographs have been exhibited extensively including at the Smithsonian Institute and the Annenberg Space for Photography.

 

Marxists.orgwww.marxists.org/archive/bordiga/works/1951/murder.htm

Murder of the Dead by Amadeo Bordiga 1951

Murder of the Dead. First Published: Battaglia Comunista No. 24 1951; Source ... murderer also of the dead: “But as soon as people, whose production ...

'How about if we buy Alaska?' Canadian premier claps back at Trump

Matthew Chapman
January 7, 2025

RAW STORY

Ontario Premier Doug Ford smiles as he hosts the Fall meeting of Canada's premiers in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada December 16, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio

A right-wing Canadian politician is having none of President-elect Donald Trump's repeated demands for Canada to join the U.S. as a state if they want to avoid tariffs.

According to The Daily Beast, he's responding in kind.

“I know under my watch, in Ontario, we would never be for that at all,” said Doug Ford to reporters on CTV News. “We have the greatest country in the world. We have the greatest province anywhere.” When asked to offer more thoughts, Ford said, “How about if we buy Alaska? And we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time.”

He clarified he was speaking facetiously by adding, “You know, it’s not realistic.”

Ford, whose late brother Rob was an infamously colorful figure as the mayor of Toronto, is a member of the right-leaning Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.

ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'

However, he has grown increasingly irked with Trump's behavior from across the border; in a previous speech, he called Trump's remarks about Canada "insulting" and “like a family member stabbing you right in the heart," and he may be in a position to squeeze energy supplies that flow from Canada into the U.S.

Trump's fixation on acquiring Canada has developed as a result of his repeated threats to levy draconian tariffs on the country, along with Mexico and China.

Economists have broadly warned these tariffs would cause a massive surge in prices for energy and retail goods if Trump were to go through with them as promised on the campaign trail.

'This is not normal': Mehdi Hasan recalls 'even Bush didn’t have a transition like' Trump’s

Image via Free Malaysia Today/Creative Commons.
Maya BoddieJanuary 08, 2025

Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan shared his thoughts on Donald Trump's Tuesday declaration that he's not opposed to using military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Speaking with Hasan on the latest episode of MSNBC's The ReidOut, host Joy Reid said, "At the moment, Trump is either talking tough to make it look like he's the real boss by saying he's going to invade Panama and Greenland and Canada, and be an expansionist like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, or he's just speaking Putin and [billionaire] Elon [Musk's] desires."

She added, "I can never tell which, I just know Trump is not in charge."

READ MORE: 'Open for business': Here’s why Donald Trump Jr. is headed to Greenland

Hasan replied, "Before we go any further, Joy, let's just take a step back to your viewers and just remind ourselves, to keep ourselves sane. None of this is normal. Rght? The beginning of 2025, we should not be on live American television discussing a president-elect press conference, where he said he may invade two of our allies."

"I'm the guy who was worried about Trump attacking Iran, [or] Trump starting a war with China," Hasan continued. "I did not have it on my bingo card for war with Denmark and Panama in 2025 — from the guy, as you said, who was supposed to be the 'no more wars' president. I have leftist friends of mine — Muslim friends of mine — saying, 'Well, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been so hawkish. At least Donald Trump will be antiwar.' He's not even president yet and he saying I can't rule out military action against a fellow NATO member: Denmark."

The former MSNBC host emphasized, "The whole thing is so absurd that we have to keep reminding ourselves and pinching ourselves, that this is not normal. No other president-elect, including George W. Bush — even he didn't have a transition like this. So we have to keep reminding ourselves that we are in upside down world."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'Mexican America': President of Mexico trolls Trump with vintage map

Mexican President Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum on January 8, 2025

 (Image: Screengrab via El Universal / X)

David Badash

January 08, 2025

ALTERNET

The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, wasted no time trolling President-elect Donald Trump, posting a vintage map showing that a large portion of what is now the United States of America used to be called “Mexican America.” President Sheinbaum delivered her remarks in response to Trump’s claim that he will rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

President Sheinbaum “used her Wednesday morning news conference to show a world map dating from 1607. The map labeled North America as Mexican America and already identified the Gulf of Mexico as such, 169 years before the United States was founded,” The New York Times reports.

“Why don’t we call it Mexican America? It sounds pretty, no?” Dr. Sheinbaum said in Spanish (video below).

READ MORE: DOJ to Release Special Counsel’s J6 Report on Trump, His Lawyers Expected to Object: Report

“In response to Mr. Trump’s comment that Mexico was ‘essentially run by the cartels,’ Ms. Sheinbaum told reporters on Wednesday that, ‘with all due respect,’ the president-elect was ill-informed,” The Times also noted.

Dr. Sheinbaum, a former Mayor of Mexico City, has a PhD in energy engineering. She is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning physicist who appeared on the BBC‘s “list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2018.”

During her Wednesday press conference, President Sheinbaum also told reporters, “In Mexico, the people rule.”

“And we are going to collaborate and understand each other with the government of President Trump, I am sure of it, defending our sovereignty as a free, independent and sovereign country.”

According to The Times, she stated that her country is “very interested in stopping the entry of U.S. firearms into Mexico,” and complained about the large number of guns illegally smuggled from the U.S.

The Washington Post’s global affairs columnist Ishaan Tharoor, pointing to the Mexican President’s comments, noted, “We’re seeing some responses to Trump’s absurdity.”

Watch the video below or at this link

'It’s our gulf': Marjorie Taylor Greene unveils new bill text to rename Gulf of Mexico

Daniel Hampton
January 7, 2025 
  

Marjorie Taylor Greene. (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) took little time in following through on her vow to draw up legislation to make President-elect Donald Trump's latest antic a reality.

Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference Tuesday he wants to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."

"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring," Trump said. "That covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate. It's appropriate. And Mexico has to stop allowing millions of people to pour into our country."

Immediately following his remarks, Greene posted on X in support of the idea — and vowed to make it happen

"President Trump's second term is off to a GREAT start," she wrote. "I'll be introducing legislation ASAP to officially change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to its rightful name, the Gulf of America!"

In a follow-up post on Tuesday afternoon, Greene shared the text of the legislation and said it would be ready to file Thursday morning. She said Mexican cartels use the gulf to "traffic humans, drugs, weapons, and God knows what else" — and that the Mexican government "allows them to do it."

"The American people are footing the bill to protect and secure the maritime waterways for commerce to be conducted. Our U.S. armed forces protect the area from any military threats from foreign countries," she said. "It's our gulf. The rightful name is the Gulf of America and it's what the entire world should refer to it as."

Greene concluded: "We already have the bill written with legislative council and ready to file first thing Thursday morning. Congress has to take the Trump Agenda mandate seriously and that means acting fast to enact it."


The text specifies that "Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico shall be deemed to be a reference to the 'Gulf of America.'"

The bill calls for the Commerce secretary, acting through the administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to oversee the implementation of the renaming. Furthermore, each federal agency would have six months to update documents and maps.

See the text of the bill below or at this link

🚨 READ MY STATEMENT & BILL TEXT 🚨

Mexican cartels currently use the Gulf of Mexico to traffic humans, drugs, weapons, and God knows what else while the Mexican government allows them to do it.

The American people are footing the bill to protect and secure the maritime… pic.twitter.com/m0Nh3a6vuq
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) January 7, 2025

Hardest-core America First': Steve Bannon fantasizes about Trump annexing whole continent

Matthew Chapman
January 7, 2025 

Steve Bannon, former advisor to former U.S. President and now President-elect Donald Trump, arrives for a pre-trial conference hearing in his fraud case stemming from a fundraising effort to build a border wall, at the New York Criminal Court, in New York City, U.S., November 12, 2024. REUTERS/Kent J. Edwards


President-elect Donald Trump has lately doubled down on his obsession with annexing new territory into the United States, from his desire to buy Greenland to his ultimatum for Canada to become a U.S. state if it wants to avoid tariffs, to most recently calls to reclaim the Panama Canal Zone and turn the Gulf of Mexico into the "Gulf of America."

But even all of this wasn't enough for longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon. On his latest "War Room" episode on Tuesday speaking to far-right activist Jack Posobiec, he fantasized about Trump seizing the entirety of the North American continent.

"I say this as someone who actually served there, but you know, if these guys down in Central America or other parts of the Caribbean have an issue with the United States using their overseas bases, then why don't you go have a conversation about that with the Castro family?" said Posobiec, who was a key player in spreading the "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory. "Because they've been trying to kick us out of Guantanamo Bay since they came to power. But where is the United States' oldest overseas base? ... it's in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."

And the U.S. remains there, he said, because it's in our "geopolitical and geostrategic interest to control the sea lanes in our own backyard. The Gulf of America has to happen."

ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'

Trump is absolutely right about the Panama Canal, he added, because "clearly that is the key choke point here in this region" and "China is going on a buying frenzy" with "debt-trap diplomacy" — and he blasted what he called the same people who pushed for U.S. involvement in the Middle East and Ukraine for not wanting to control this region, when it's of much greater import to us.

"Let's put that map up," agreed Bannon, showing a picture of America controlling the entire continent of North America. "For the hardest-core America First guys, okay? If you want Fortress America, Trump's giving you Fortress America. Look at that right there, all the way up from Panama to Greenland, and he's talking about Canada."

"Can he pull any of this off?" Bannon added. "Hey, it's Donald Trump. Remember how they mocked him about being president? Remember how they mocked him and ridiculed him, when we had his back, this group in January 2021. I think that's a lot harder than what he's talking about now."

Watch the entire episode below or at the link here.

GOP senator: U.S. needs to take back Panama Canal in case of war with China

Sarah K. Burris
January 7, 2025 

RAW STORY
  

Senator Tommy Tuberville speaks on the 1st day of CPAC Washington, DC conference at Gaylord National Harbor Resort Convention on March 2, 2023. (Shutterstock.com)

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) voiced his support of President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion to use military force to regain control of the Panama Canal while speaking to Fox Business host Larry Kudlow on Tuesday.

Tuberville has long complained that China has a growing influence over the canal and that ISIS was sneaking into the United States through an unsecured border by making their way from the Middle East to Panama and then heading north to the United States.

"Over the last few years, China signed 30 contracts with the Panamanians, some of it to do with the Canal and Panamanians are now trying to get out of some of those contracts because the Chinese have breached some of those contracts, which we need as the United States of America to protect Panama because that’s how important it is to all of us," Tuberville said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in 2023.

ALSO READ: Busted: Tommy Tuberville invested in defense contractor while blocking military nominations

Tuberville went to Panama in the weeks that followed.

"We've gotta take the Panama Canal back. We've gotta do something because if we were to happen to go to war with China over Taiwan and they were to shut the Panama Canal down, we'd have to go 8 to 10,000 miles just to get things back to the war zone," said Tuberville to Kudlow.

See the video below or at the link here.
- YouTubeyoutu.be

SD congressman drafts bill to authorize Trump’s potential purchase of Panama Canal

U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, speaks with students on May 19, 2023, in Sioux Falls. (Joshua Haiar/SD Searchlight)

Seth Tupper, 

South Dakota Searchlight

January 09, 2025


U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, said Wednesday he will introduce legislation that would authorize President-elect Donald Trump to purchase the Panama Canal “if he can get a good deal.”

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not,” Johnson said, “but I do know I want to give President Trump the flexibility he needs to examine it.”

Those comments came during a Wednesday evening tele-town hall with constituents. Earlier in the day, Johnson spoke about the idea on Fox News. He will introduce the bill Friday, he said, ahead of a dinner he plans to attend Sunday with the president-elect and other guests at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida.

Trump said Tuesday during a press conference that he would not rule out using military force to take control of the canal.

The United States built the Panama Canal in the early 1900s. In 1977, in response to Panamanian demands for control of the canal, then-President Jimmy Carter signed treaties that led to a full transfer in 1999.

Carter gave a speech at the time saying the agreements would convert Panama from a “passive and sometimes deeply resentful bystander into an active and interested partner,” and would lead to “cooperation and not confrontation” between the U.S. and Panama.

A company in Hong Kong, CK Hutchison Holdings, currently operates seaports on each side of the canal. Hong Kong is a former British Colony that has maintained a separate government and economic system since being handed over to China in 1997.

Fears have risen about China’s potentially growing influence over the canal as China has exerted more influence over Hong Kong in recent years.


Johnson said that’s a problem for the United States, which sends 40% of its ocean shipping container traffic through the canal.

“Donald Trump wants to kill the trade deficit,” Johnson said. “We can’t do that if we can’t count on the Panama Canal.”


South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. South Dakota Searchlight maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seth Tupper for questions: info@southdakotasearchlight.com.

 Trump says NATO members should raise defense spending to 5% of GDP

IT WON'T MATTER COMPARED TO THE U$  1 TR

ByAFP
January 7, 2025

Donald Trump on Tuesday pushed NATO members to boost their defense spending to five percent of GDP, underlining his long-standing claims that they are underpaying for US protection.

“They can all afford it, but they should be at five percent not two percent,” the incoming US president told reporters.

“Europe is in for a tiny fraction of the money that we’re in,” Trump said. “We have a thing called the ocean in between us, right? Why are we in for billions and billions of dollars more money than Europe?”

Trump has long been skeptical of NATO, the cornerstone of security in Europe since World War II, and last month reiterated a familiar threat to leave the alliance if its members did not step up spending.

The transatlantic alliance’s 32 countries in 2023 set a minimum level for defense spending of two percent of gross domestic product, and Russia’s war in Ukraine has jolted NATO to strengthen its eastern flank and ramp up spending.

The transatlantic alliance's 32 countries in 2023 set a minimum level for defense spending of two percent of gross domestic product - Copyright AFP/File Mandel NGAN

Trump is not the only top official to call for an increase — NATO chief Mark Rutte likewise said last month that “we are going to need a lot more than two percent.”

Rutte also warned that European nations were not prepared for the threat of future war with Russia, calling on them to “turbocharge” their defense spending.

In his remarks on Tuesday, Trump claimed that President Joe Biden decided Ukraine should be able to join NATO, suggesting that this helped lead to Russia’s all-out invasion in February 2022.

“Somewhere along the line, Biden said, no, they should be able to join NATO. Well, Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I could understand their feeling about that,” Trump said.

NATO allies in reality agreed to Ukrainian membership in 2008 — when Republican president George W. Bush was in office — while the United States and Germany have more recently backed away from allowing Kyiv to join out of fear it could drag the alliance into a war with Russia.

Trump has vowed to press for a quick deal to end Russia’s war, raising concerns about the future of US military aid for Kyiv that has been key to helping it resist Moscow’s assault.

The conflict “should have never been started,” Trump said Tuesday, adding: “I guarantee you, if I were president, (the) war would have never happened








Freewheeling Trump sets out territorial ambitions


By AFP
January 7, 2025


US President-elect Donald Trump railed against Joe Biden - Copyright AFP/File Jim WATSON

Donald Trump threatened military action to secure the Panama Canal and economic force against neighboring Canada, in a meandering press conference Tuesday a day after Congress certified his election victory.

The Republican billionaire had gathered reporters in southern Florida to announce a $20 billion Emirati investment in US technology but his remarks quickly became a rally-style rant as he returned at length to many of his campaign themes.

“Since we won the election, the whole perception of the whole world is different. People from other countries have called me. They said, ‘Thank you, thank you,'” Trump said as he set out his agenda for the coming four years.

But the president-elect hammered President Joe Biden over the 2025 transition, claiming that the White House was “trying everything they can to make it more difficult.”

Trump, 78, has not acknowledged his 2020 defeat and refused to participate in the transfer of power to Biden.

On the international stage, the incoming president announced he was planning to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” and threatened the US’s southern neighbor with massive tariffs if it does not halt illegal entries across the border.

He refused to rule out using the military to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal — both of which he has long coveted — repeating his criticism of the decision to allow local control of the Central American waterway by then-president Jimmy Carter, who died in December.

Asked if he would use military force to bring Canada to heel, the incoming president said “no, economic force.”

As with many of Trump’s pronouncements, it was difficult at times to separate humor or bombast from genuine policy, but Trump said eliminating the “artificially drawn” US-Canada border would be a boon to national security.

– Inauguration –

He hammered Biden over the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and US foreign policy in Ukraine and Syria, repeating a familiar false claim that America “had no wars” in his first term.

“We defeated ISIS. We had no wars. Now I’m going into a world that’s burning with Russia and Ukraine and Israel,” Trump said.

Much of the event was focused on criticism of Biden, whom Trump baselessly accused of being behind the multiple legal challenges he faces — including the possible release of a federal report into his efforts to overturn 2020 election and sentencing set for Friday in his New York hush money case.

Trump, who returns to the White House on January 20, hit his rival on inflation and vowed to overturn the Democrat’s executive order banning offshore oil and gas development off swathes of US coastline.

The press conference came a day after Congress counted and certified Trump’s state-by-state electoral college votes, officially naming him the next president, on the fourth anniversary of the 2021 US Capitol riot by a pro-Trump mob.

Trump has promised to pardon many of his supporters who stormed Congress and was asked if that would extend to people who had assaulted police. He dodged the question and claimed falsely that the crowd at the Capitol had been unarmed.

Trump threatens tariffs for not getting Greenland — which may hit Ozempic and Lego: report

Image via Free Malaysia Today/Creative Commons.

Matthew Chapman
Raw Story

January 09, 2025


President-elect Donald Trump has now threatened to “tariff Denmark at a very high level” as retaliation for the country not surrendering the autonomous territory of Greenland to become part of the United States — a measure that could have profound consequences on a surprising range of goods Americans buy, reported The New York Times on Wednesday.

"Denmark, which has a smaller population than New York City, is not a huge trading partner for the United States," reported Ana Swanson and Jenny Gross. "The country — a U.S. ally and a NATO member — sent the United States more than $11 billion worth of goods in 2023, just a tiny slice of more than $3 trillion of imports" — as opposed to the U.S. sending $5 billion in goods that include industrial and scientific equipment, aircraft, and computers.

However, "despite its small size, Denmark, which handles Greenland’s foreign and security affairs, is home to some products that are very well-loved in America, goods that could become more expensive if Mr. Trump follows through with heavy tariffs," the report said.

One of those products is LEGO, the brick-assembly toy beloved by generations of both children and adult collectors, which has its origins in Denmark (the name LEGO itself comes from a Danish phrase meaning "play well.")

Additionally, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk produces Ozempic and Wegovy, two wildly successful weight-loss medications that have exploded in use in the United States.

"Denmark is also the leading supplier to the United States of hearing aids," continued the report. "Beyond medicines, Denmark also sends the United States medical instruments, fish fillets, pig meat, coal tar oil, petroleum and baked goods, among other products, according to the OEC."

Trump's fixation on acquiring Greenland dates back to the first term of his presidency. More broadly, proposals for the United States to purchase the island, which is rich in natural resources and a strategically important military location, have been floating around since the 1800s.

Denmark has said in no uncertain terms it is not interested in selling Greenland; that being said, treaties between Denmark and the U.S., as well as their shared membership in NATO, broadly give America the military access it needs to the island anyway.

'You're for attacking Greenland?' CNN panel gets heated as Republican defends US expansion

Daniel Hampton
January 8, 2025 

(Screengrab via CNN)

A heated debate unfolded Tuesday night on CNN over President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion that the U.S. obtain Greenland, either through economic or military force.

Trump has said the U.S. needs the massive island for "economic security." When asked Tuesday if he would consider using military or economic coercion to make the acquisition proceed, Trump replied: “I can’t assure you — you’re talking about Panama and Greenland — no, I can’t assure you on either of those two."

His escalating words became the topic of a lively discussion on CNN's NewsNight, with Josh Rogin, global opinions columnist for The Washington Post, drawing a quick retort from GOP strategist Scott Jennings, when Rogin said: "America is not an expansionist military power. Not in the 21st century."

"Why?" Jennings flatly interjected. "Why not?"

"Because that's not the world that we live in," replied Rogin.

As host Abby Philip turned to Jennings and asked him to answer his own question, a taken-aback Rogin interrupted as well: "So you're for attacking Greenland as well? Is that what you're saying? You're open to the idea of attacking Greenland?"

Jennings denied the insinuation and said the United States doesn't have to attack the island.

"We can buy it," he said, to which Rogin insisted the island is not up for sale, and cannot be bought.


"What you're saying is not true," said Rogin.

"Everything is not up for sale until it is," Jennings replied, as both men continued to ignore Philip.

Philip finally noted to Jennings the new order of the world is superpowers do not get to "take" smaller countries with military force.


"That is the era of not being in an expansionist military era," she said, asking why he feels that's "not true."

Jennings said Phillip can "think small" but Trump isn't.

"Trump's thinking big and he's thinking about U.S. interests," he said, noting the island has rare minerals and the U.S. has a facility there already.


He added: "What Donald Trump is saying is we are not a shrinking violet anymore."

Later in the discussion, as Jennings insisted Trump's unpredictability makes the rest of the world take Trump seriously, Philip said she'd had enough.

"I have to call this out because at the end of the day, this is the 21st century. Ok? The United States is not running around the world and saying, 'I must have that! We'll take it!' This is not the colonial era. Are we really in a world in which you are comfortable saying the United States is now going to be one of those countries that just takes whatever they feel like taking on the map?"

"That's what Russia does, that's what China does. We're supposed to be better than that, Scott!" shouted Rogin.

As Jennings tried to repeat that Trump is only doing what's in the country's best interest, Phillip tried to interject again.

"This doesn't have to be a hostile conversation," insisted Jennings, to which Philip pressed: "I'm not disputing the nature of the problem. The question is what is the solution? The solution that Trump has put on the table is one that does not make any sense and also abandons American principles!"

Watch the full exchange below or at this link.

Trump's Greenland stunt reminds leaders of the times they laughed at him: strategist

Sarah K. Burris
January 7, 2025 
RAW STORY

Donald Trump Jr. visits Nuuk, Greenland, on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. Donald Trump Jr. is on a private visit to Greenland. Emil Stach/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS

President-elect Donald Trump continues to be fascinated by Greenland, which he thinks the United States should acquire from Denmark. This week, Trump sent his son, Donald Trump Jr., along with far-right activist Charlie Kirk, to visit the island off the coast of Canada.

Speaking to MSNBC on Tuesday, Democratic strategist Richard Goodstein said that this likely reminds foreign leaders of Trump's ignorance of foreign affairs.

"Trump loves bullying and picking fights. Let's not forget that respecting sovereignty is a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy," said Goodstein. "It's why we are back in Ukraine; it's why we have NATO. Trump plays footsies with all these tyrants in China, Russia, and North Korea and makes a mockery of our allies."

Meanwhile, Trump is humiliating himself on the national stage for a second time, he said.

"I think people will be reminded, certainly our foreign leaders, of the time they've laughed about Trump behind his back at a NATO meeting while Trump was president after he had left because he made such a fool out of himself," Goodstein recalled. "I think that's what he's reminding these leaders of, and the American public of. How foolish he can be because he thinks in his own addled way that somehow this brings glory to him. I think that's shortsighted."

Republican strategist Susan del Percio pointed out that Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) would maintain these relationships, and she wondered how he'd navigate them given Trump's unsophisticated understanding of foreign policy.

See the video below or at the link here.

Trump Jr in Greenland on ‘tourist’ day trip as father eyes territory


By AFP
January 7, 2025


Donald Trump Jr landed in Greenland for a private visit - Copyright Ritzau Scanpix/AFP Mads Madsen Arctic Creative
Camille BAS-WOHLERT

Donald Trump Jr made a private visit to Greenland on Tuesday, just weeks after his father restated his interest in the mineral- and oil-rich Danish autonomous territory, which itself wants independence.

The US President-elect on Monday called the Arctic island “an incredible place”, promising that its people would prosper should it ever be annexed by Washington.

“We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside World. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, after reiterating before Christmas that he wanted the United States to take control.

As Trump’s son touched down on what he said was a day trip, Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen warned: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”

But Trump Jr was at pains to point out he was not there “to buy Greenland”. “I will be talking to people. I’m just going there as a tourist,” he said on the social media platform Rumble.

Greenland holds major mineral and oil reserves — though oil and uranium exploration are banned — and has a strategic location in the Arctic, already home to a US military base.

Greenlandic media have said he would only be there for several hours and no official meetings were scheduled.

“This particular trip is probably just as Trump Jr said himself, to make video content,” Ulrik Pram Gad, a Greenland expert at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told AFP.

“What’s worrying is the way Trump (Sr) is talking about international relations, and it can be even worse if he starts ‘grabbing land’.”



– Pushback –



Trump first said he wanted to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term as president, an offer immediately quashed by Greenland and Denmark.

“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede said after Trump’s Christmas message.

“Most Greenlanders will be in line with their prime minister that Greenland is not for sale but open for business,” Pram Gad said.

Aaja Chemnitz, a lawmaker who represents Greenland in the Danish parliament, rejected Trump’s offer with a firm “No thank you”.

“Unbelievable that some people can be so naive as to believe that our happiness lies in us becoming American citizens,” she wrote on Facebook, adding that she refused to be “a part of Trump’s wet dreams of expanding his empire to include our country”.

With 57,000 inhabitants spread out across 2.2 million square kilometres (849,424 square miles), Greenland is geographically closer to the North American continent than to Europe.

Colonised by the Danes in the 18th century, it is located about 2,500 kilometres from Copenhagen, on which it depends for more than half of its public budget.

The subsidies it receives from Copenhagen amount to a fifth of its GDP.

The other pillar of its economy is the fisheries industry.



– Steps toward independence –



Greenland has been autonomous since 1979 and has its own flag, language and institutions. But justice, monetary, defence and foreign affairs all remain under Danish control.

The creation of the post of Arctic ambassador has caused friction between Copenhagen and Nuuk, after Denmark two years ago appointed a diplomat with no ties to the region.

At the end of December, the Danish government announced Nuuk would from now on appoint candidates to the post, and represent the country on the Arctic Council.

In his New Year’s address, Greenland’s prime minister said the territory had to take “a step forward” and shape its own future, “notably when it comes to trading partners and the people with whom we should collaborate closely”.

In 2023, plans for a Greenlandic constitution were presented to the local parliament, the Inatsisartut.

However, “there has been no public debate on it so far,” researcher Ulrik Pram Gad said.

The issue could become a talking point during the upcoming campaign for Greenland’s legislative elections, which must be held before April 6.

“I expect there to be more talks about the formal steps towards independence, how politicians intend to secure the welfare state and the future of Greenland,” he said.

Donald Trump Jr. gripes about 'Danish fake news' as he flees Greenland after less than day

David Edwards
January 7, 2025 

RAW STORY


Instagram/Donald Trump Jr./screen grab

Donald Trump Jr. quickly left Greenland Tuesday after spending less than a day in the autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The son of President-elect Donald Trump traveled to the island as part of his father's effort to purchase the territory. Representatives from Denmark, however, made it clear that Greenland was "not for sale."

Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede "has been very, very clear … that there is a lot of support among the people of Greenland that Greenland is not for sale and will not be in the future either," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Tuesday.

In a video posted to Instagram, Donald Trump Jr. accused Danish outlets of spreading "fake news" as his plane was preparing for takeoff.

"Incredible experience," he said. "By the way, they love America here. They love America. They love Trump."


"Danish fake news has been doing a lot of anti-American sentiment, so that shouldn't surprise us, but let's go have some fun," he added.

Watch the video below from Instagram.

'Outrageous': NYT rejects Quaker ad that calls Israel attack on Gaza 'genocide'

Photo by Jakayla Toney on Unsplash

Eloise Goldsmith, 

Common Dreams

January 08, 2025

The American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization, announced Wednesday that it has cancelled planned advertising with The New York Times after the outlet rejected one of the group's proposed ads that read: "Tell Congress to stop arming Israel's genocide in Gaza now! As a Quaker organization, we work for peace. Join us. Tell the President and Congress to stop the killing and starvation in Gaza."

AFSC alleges that after receiving the text of ad, the Times suggested they swap the word "genocide" for the word "war." The word war has "an entirely different meaning both colloquially and under international law," the Quaker group wrote.

AFSC said they rejected this proposed approach and then received an email from outlet's "Ad Acceptability Team" which read, in part, according to AFSC: "Various international bodies, human rights organizations, and governments have differing views on the situation. In line with our commitment to factual accuracy and adherence to legal standards, we must ensure that all advertising content complies with these widely applied definitions."

The Times did not respond to an email prior to publication asking them to confirm they rejected the ad and on these grounds, or to a request that they respond to AFSC's statement.

AFSC counters that a number of entities and individuals, such as the international human rights organizations Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have determined that Israel is committing genocide or acts of genocide in Gaza.

"The New York Times advertises a wide variety of products and advocacy messages on which there are differing views. Why is it not acceptable to publicize the meticulously documented atrocities committed by Israel and paid for by the United States?" said Layne Mullett, director of media relations for AFSC, in a statement.

Joyce Ajlouny, general secretary of AFSC, said that "the refusal of The New York Times to run paid digital ads that call for an end to Israel's genocide in Gaza is an outrageous attempt to sidestep the truth. Palestinians and allies have been silenced and marginalized in the media for decades as these institutions choose silence over accountability."

The AFSC has been a loud voice calling for a cease-fire and ending U.S. military support for Israel. For example, in April, the group announced a Tax Day campaign, a day of action where people held events and met with their members of Congress to demand they stop voting to spend U.S. tax dollars on military assistance to Israel.

AFSC staff in Gaza have also provided 1.5 million meals, hygiene kits, and other units of humanitarian aid to internally displaced people since October 2023, according to the Wednesday statement.