All posts tagged: fires

Los Angeles Warzone: “Insurrectionist Mobs” Attack Cops, Set Fires, Block 101 Freeway

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] Watch Riots Live:    *   *   *    Update (2105ET): What began as an anti–Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protest, coordinated by rogue Marxist-aligned nonprofits, on Friday night in downtown Los Angeles quickly spiraled into riots and chaos, escalating by Sunday into what sure seems like ‘insurrectionist behavior‘ against the federal government. “Now violent, insurrectionist mobs are swarming and attacking our Federal Agents to try and stop our deportation operations — But these lawless riots only strengthen our resolve,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.  Trump continued, “I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, in coordination with all other relevant Departments and Agencies, to take all such action necessary to liberate Los Angeles from the Migrant Invasion, and put an end to these Migrant riots.” “Order will be restored, the Illegals will be expelled, and Los Angeles will be set free,” the president concluded. Kyle Bass, Hayman Capital Management founder and CEO, wrote on X, “Organizing to impede the lawful execution of warrants by …

Russia has been working on creating drones that ‘call home’, go undercover and start fires. Here’s how they work

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[ad_1] Russia launched its largest single drone attack of the war against Ukraine’s cities on June 1. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that they faced 472 unmanned one-way attack (OWA) drones overnight. The record may not stand for long. The prior record was on May 26, when Moscow launched some 355 drones. The day before Russia had set a record with 298 Shaheds, which itself surpassed the May 18 tally. Russia’s enormous OWA drone attacks came as a surprise to politicians and the general public, but it’s the culmination of years of work by the Russia military. Initially purchased from Iran, Russia began building factories in 2023 to assemble and then manufacture Shaheds (Iranian-designed unmanned drones) in Russia. Greater control over production gave Russia the opportunity to expand the number of Shaheds quickly. Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. It also helps them gradually …

DOGE Fires Operative After He Admits the Government Was Already Pretty Efficient

Published by José

[ad_1] One of Elon Musk’s austerity operatives discovered that the government had far less glut than he’d banked on — and tellingly, admitting as much publicly got him fired. Sahil Lavingia, a tech founder and erstwhile software engineer with Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), revealed in a recent blog post that he had “got[ten] the boot” from the agency after telling Fast Company last month that the federal workforce had turned out to be way more efficient than he anticipated. In that initial interview, the Gumroad founder said he was impressed to find that his coworkers at the Department of Veterans Affairs “love their jobs” and worked hard at them — an honest admission that seems to have cost him his job. Just a day after the FastCo interview was published, Lavigina found that his “access” — to the VA’s computer networks, presumably — had been “revoked without warning.” “My DOGE days,” the jilted techie wrote, “were over.” Lavigina also revealed in the blog post, which detailed his 50-day tenure at the agency, that he didn’t end …

Trump Fires National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet

Published by skeptic

[ad_1] President Donald Trump said on Friday afternoon that he had fired Kim Sajet, director of Washington, D.C.’s National Portrait Gallery. It is now unclear who will lead the museum, one of many run by the Smithsonian Institution, a museum network Trump has targeted since returning the presidency in January. “Upon the request and recommendation of many people, I am herby terminating the employment of Kim Sajet as Director of the National Portrait Gallery,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media platform owned by the Trump Media & Technology Group. “She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position. Her replacement will be named shortly.” Related Articles Sajet has led the National Portrait Gallery since 2013. Prior to that role, she had served as director and CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and as deputy director of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Right now, the museum has an exhibition called “America’s Presidents” that features images of people who have led this country, …

Trump Abruptly Fires First African American Librarian of Congress

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[ad_1] This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more. Trump Abruptly Fires First African American Librarian of Congress With seemingly no warning, the first woman and the first African American to be Librarian of Congress received an email from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office notifying Carla Hayden that she was fired. AP News reported that Hayden had recently come under fire from conservative advocacy group American Accountability Foundation for “promoting children’s books with ‘radical’ content and literary material authored by Trump opponents.” AAF took to X to celebrate the termination hours before the news was made public. Democratic leaders have condemned the move and praised Hayden’s leadership, with New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich saying Donald Trump was “taking his assault on America’s libraries to a new level.” It is exhausting to be this horrified by the callous takeouts of good people doing good work, and …

Historic landmarks navigate an uncertain future after the LA fires : NPR

Published by Sam

[ad_1] Prior to the Eaton Fire in January 2025, the Zane Grey Estate was a beloved historical and cultural landmark — the former home of Western novelist Zane Grey. Susan Pickering Photography/Teresa Fuller, Compass Real Estate hide caption toggle caption Susan Pickering Photography/Teresa Fuller, Compass Real Estate The former home of one of the world’s most famous western novelists, Zane Grey, was a Mediterranean Revival house designed with high, wood-beamed ceilings and airy balconies. “It had almost a cathedral vibe when you walked in,” said Nathaniel Grouille on a recent visit to the site. He bought the property with his wife in 2020. It’s been almost two months since the Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of homes in Altadena, including several noted historic and cultural landmarks like this one, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. During a visit in February, the shattered glass from the estate’s windows was still underfoot, along with blackened wood, twisted gutters and broken pieces of ceramic. All that the fire left standing are the sturdy …

The Download: Workplace surveillance, and fighting EV fires

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[ad_1] Working today—whether in an office, a warehouse, or your car—can mean constant electronic surveillance with little transparency, and potentially with livelihood-­ending consequences if your productivity flags.  But what matters even more than the effects of this ubiquitous monitoring on privacy may be how all that data is shifting the relationships between workers and managers, companies and their workforce.  We are in the midst of a shift in work and workplace relationships as significant as the Second Industrial Revolution of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And new policies and protections may be necessary to correct the balance of power. Read the full story.  —Rebecca Ackermann One option for electric vehicle fires? Let them burn. Although there isn’t solid data on the frequency of EV battery fires, it’s no secret that these fires are happening. Despite that, manufacturers offer no standardized steps on how to fight them or avoid them in the first place. What’s more, with EVs, it’s never entirely clear whether the fire is truly out. Cars may ignite, or reignite, weeks …

Power lines sparked new fires in LA after the Eaton fire began : NPR

Published by Sam

[ad_1] Los Angeles County firefighters pull a hose in front of a burning home as the Eaton Fire moved through the area in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 8. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Days after the Eaton Fire in Los Angeles first ignited, firefighters observed that power lines operated by Southern California Edison were live and starting new fires, radio traffic obtained by NPR reveals. The radio communications also indicate the utility company failed to respond quickly to multiple requests from firefighters to shut power off and sent confusing and sometimes incorrect information to first responders working on the Eaton Fire, which ultimately claimed 17 lives and caused billions of dollars in damages. The new audio evidence comes after video and voltage data linked transmission towers operated by SoCal Edison to the fire’s initial start on Jan. 7 and multiple lawsuits have been filed that claim the company is liable for fire damages. The Eaton Fire took more than three weeks to fully contain, burning 14,000 acres and more than …

Government Fires Specialists Without Realizing They Were in Charge of Nuclear Bombs, Then Panics and Tries to Rehire Them

Published by José

[ad_1] Paging Dr. Strangelove We’ve all made mistakes before. Maybe we did something in the heat of the moment, or said something we couldn’t take back. Point is, it happens, and that’s okay — because however bad our mistakes were, at least they didn’t risk spelling doom for the entire human race. Elon Musk, the richest man in the history of currency, is in the news yet again — is he ever not now? — for spearheading a massive round of government layoffs. This wave, carried out over Thursday and Friday, targeted recent hires across the CDC, Small Business Administration, Homeland Security, Veteran’s Affairs, Department of Education, and crucially, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The NNSA is a little-known group charged with building, designing, and organizing the US Nuclear arsenal — at one time the largest in the world, now said to be a close second to Russia. It’s the kind of agency you hope not to read about in the news. The whole “nuclear” part evidently wasn’t enough to deter Musk and his DOGE boys from sending between …

Billie Eilish and Green Day kick off benefit concert for LA fires | Ents & Arts News

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[ad_1] Billie Eilish and Green Day kicked off the FireAid benefit concert in Los Angeles on Thursday night – a two-venue, five-hour extravaganza raising money for wildfire relief efforts. Actor Billy Crystal welcomed the crowd at the Kia Forum, wearing the clothes he had on when he escaped the Pacific Palisades fire earlier this month. He had lived in the area for 46 years and spoke poignantly about losing his home. Acts including Joni Mitchell, Pink, Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks have all performed so far, with the concert set to end after 8am UK time. Image: Joni Mitchell performs. Pic: AP The benefit concert also saw the recently-reunited No Doubt – from nearby Orange County – perform hists including I’m Just A Girl and Don’t Speak. Dr Dre made a surprise appearance alongside Anderson Paak and Sheila E, and covered Still DRE and the classic California Love. Other big names set to hit the stage include Stevie Wonder, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Olivia Rodrigo. Behind the performers, images of firefighters and the …