TV News LIES

Concerns over a small brush fire that reignited days later into the mammoth Palisades fire – the most destructive in Los Angeles history – have grown in recent weeks amid reports that firefighters were ordered to leave the original site of the smaller blaze despite their concerns the ground was still smoldering.

Now, questions remain about how leaders at the Los Angeles fire department responded to a fire that leveled entire communities, and who within the agency knew about concerns the fire could still pose a threat. A former LA city councilor says the aftermath and recovery effort should serve as a Pearl Harbor moment for the city, which should never again be in a position with flames encroaching on all sides.

The LA Times has published a series of bombshell revelations about the initial response to that first blaze, the Lachman fire, in recent weeks, citing text messages revealing that firefighters spoke with their battalion chief shortly after it broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The small fire – just 8 acres – was largely extinguished hours later.

But, the Times reports, firefighters were told to roll up their hoses and leave a day later: a move that was made despite reporting to their superior that it was a “bad idea” to leave the burn scar because of visible smoldering – some rocks and tree stumps were still hot to the touch.

The LAFD previously maintained the Lachman fire was “dead out” before firefighters moved on, saying they had “cold-trailed” it several times, feeling with their hands for any hotspots to detect any remaining fire. Any new blaze that arose from the ashes would “be a phenomenon”, an assistant fire chief said at the time.

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A group of 17 transgender US air force members has sued the Trump administration for denying them early retirement pensions and benefits.

The complaint, submitted in federal court, describes the government’s move against them as “unlawful and invalid”.

The legal action follows the air force’s confirmation it would deny early retirement benefits to all transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of military experience, a decision that effectively pushes them out of the military with no retirement support at all.

“The Air Force’s own retirement instruction provides that retirement orders may only be rescinded under very limited circumstances, none of which were present here,” the lawsuit says.

Among the named plaintiffs are Logan Ireland, Ashley Davis, Kira Brimhall and Lindell Walley.

Glad Law, one of the advocacy groups behind the lawsuit who is representing the affected service members, said the revocation of early retirement support had ripped away financial support and benefits these families were counting on after long years of excellent service to their country.

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During a weekend in which he has raged at critics, Donald Trump lashed out at Seth Meyers, as he has done before, while calling on the NBC late-night host to be fired.

Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday, “NBC’s Seth Meyers is suffering from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). He was viewed last night in an uncontrollable rage, likely due to the fact that his ‘show’ is a Ratings DISASTER. Aside from everything else, Meyers has no talent, and NBC should fire him, IMMEDIATELY!”

Soon after Trump’s post on Saturday, Trump’s FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, reposted the president’s angry message to his X account.

On Sunday, Carr posted that he was at Mar-a-Lago this weekend with Trump.

Carr did not make his own comment on Trump’s post, but his amplification of the president’s call for NBC to fire a late-night critic follows the FCC chairman’s warning to ABC stations in September over Jimmy Kimmel, whose comments about Charlie Kirk led to the network pulling the late-night house from the schedule for several days. Two major station groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, said they would not air the show. Nexstar is seeking FCC approval of its acquisition of Tegna.

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This fall, multiple states including Maryland, Virginia, Tennessee and Wisconsin have reported outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease, a contagious virus that commonly infects children under 5 but can also cause symptoms in older kids and adults, too.

“This year, [cases seem] to be out of control,” said Dr. Allison Agwu, a professor of adult and pediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. For example, in Agwu’s state of Maryland, cases are at “four to five times what they saw this time last year,” she said.

Dr. Matthew Thomas, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s in West Virginia, said spikes typically happen in cycles. “Some years you’ll see a lot of cases, like we’re seeing this year, and then it kind of fades away, where you don’t hear about it for a while,” Thomas said.

With cases higher than normal, it’s important to know the signs of the virus and what to do if you (or your kids) get sick. Here’s what to know:

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The U.S. military took out another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing three “narco-terrorists” as the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and its strike group arrived in the Caribbean on Sunday. 

The vessel was struck in international waters on Saturday and was purportedly operated by a designated terrorist organization, U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) announced on Sunday. It is unclear which terrorist organization the U.S. military is referring to.

The attack was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, a counternarcotics joint task force within Southcom, which was formed in October.

“The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland,” said Adm. Alvin Holsey, Southcom’s commander. Holsey will be retiring later this year.

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“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route and carrying narcotics,” Southcom said in a post on the social platform X, attaching a 14-second video of the strike. 

The strike was disclosed the same day as the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, which has more than 4,000 sailors and carries F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets as well as long-range Tomahawk missiles, at the Caribbean Sea.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is wading into a handful of Senate races as the progressive wing of the Democratic Party looks to assert its influence. 

Sanders has endorsed three Senate candidates so far: Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.); oyster farmer Graham Platner in Maine; and Abdul El-Sayed, a former local health director in Michigan.

His endorsements come as Democrats grapple with competing visions over the party’s future ahead of both the midterms and the 2028 presidential race. 

“We’re in the midst of a political realignment,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of the Sanders organization Our Revolution. 

“I think it remains to be seen — is it the populist right or the populist left that ultimately prevails?”

Sanders announced his latest political endorsement this week, weighing in on the Democratic primary for Smith’s seat next year and backing Flanagan over centrist Rep. Angie Craig (D-

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It was as if Alysa Liu couldn’t believe it. 

As her free skate ended and the crowd rose to their feet, the 20-year-old figure skater threw her hands on her head. She needed a big day on Sunday, Nov. 16 to win first place at 2025 Skate America, and she felt like she didn't perform as well as she could've.

"In my opinion, I did not skate that good," Liu said. "That's why I was just like 'ah, silly mistake.'"

Despite how she felt her program went, the day ended with the hardware around her neck matching the color of her dress: gold. 

Liu delivered a powerful free skate to win Skate America for the first time in her career, and continue her stellar run as she heads toward returning to the Winter Olympics.

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From regulating the price of chicken to levying fees on cigarettes, Hamas is seeking to widen control over Gaza as U.S. plans for its future slowly take shape, Palestinians in Gaza say, adding to rivals’ doubts over whether it will cede authority as promised.

After a ceasefire began last month, Hamas swiftly reestablished its hold over areas from which Israel withdrew, killing dozens of Palestinians it accused of collaborating with Israel, theft or other crimes. Foreign powers demand the group disarm and leave government but have yet to agree who will replace them.

Now, a dozen Palestinians say they are increasingly feeling Hamas control in other ways. Authorities monitor everything coming into areas of Gaza held by Hamas, levying fees on some privately imported goods including fuel as well as cigarettes and fining merchants seen to be overcharging for goods, according to 10 of the Gaza residents, three of them merchants with direct knowledge.

Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the media office of the Hamas government, said accounts of Hamas taxing cigarettes and fuel were inaccurate, denying the government was raising any taxes.

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