Day: January 10, 2025

California wildfires continue with dry conditions and powerful winds —which are due to last through Friday — fueling at least five fires.

Though the president-elect is expected to avoid jail time, his sentencing on 34 counts will formalize his status as a felon and make him the first to carry that distinction into the White House.

Donald J. Trump’s sentencing allows him to begin mounting a formal appeal, which could take months or years.

Over 29,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area are on fire right now. The fires emerged after the Santa Ana winds swept into the Los Angeles area Tuesday. The largest is the Palisades fire, which is quickly burning through the Pacific Palisades and Malibu communities. It’s one of four ongoing critical fires — only one of which is partially contained. Ahead of the windy week, a Red Flag Warning was issued for an increased fire risk due to the strong winds, low humidity and higher temperature. Today, we dig into the Santa Ana winds: What they are and how they combined with other factors to create conditions for the most destructive fire in Los Angeles’ history. Questions, story ideas or want us to dig more into the science underpinning natural disasters? Email us at shortwave@npr.org — we’d love to hear from you!