The Dictatorship
At least 11 dead, 180,000 forced to flee their homes as L.A. wildfires rage

At least 11 people have died and 180,000 residents have been forced to evacuate as devastating wildfires continue to scorch the Los Angeles area for a fifth day.
A series of wildfires have sparked since Tuesday because of extreme dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds. Two of the biggest blazes — the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire — have destroyed a total of 35,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection(Cal Fire).
Officials have said the true death toll remains unknown, as the fires continue to sweep through several areas.
Here are the latest numbers from Cal Fire:
- The Palisades Fire has consumed more than 21,000 acres and is still growing in sizeforcing officials to extend evacuation orders. It is 11% contained. City Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley has called it “one of the most destructive fires in the history of Los Angeles.”
- The Eaton Fire has burned through more than 14,000 acres and is 15% contained. L.A. County Fire Chief Deputy Jon O’Brien said more than 5,000 structures are estimated to have been destroyed.
- The Hurst Fire has destroyed 771 acres and is 70% contained.
- Further north, the Lidia Firenear Acton, has swept through 395 acres and is 98% contained.
- The Kenneth Firewhich began Thursday afternoon in the Woodland Hills area near Calabasas, has razed through more than 1,000 acres so far. It is 50% contained.
- The Archer Firesparked Friday, has burned through 19 acres and is 0% contained.
Several emergency alerts were mistakenly sent to millions of L.A. residents who were far from where the wildfires were burning, setting off panic.
Although officials had hoped that weaker winds late Friday would help to slow the spread of the blazes, the Palisades Fire tore through dry terrain overnightmoving closer to residential areas. Strong gusts are expected to resume later on Saturday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking/trending news blogger for BLN Digital. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
The Dictatorship
BREAKING: Delta flight arriving in Toronto from Minneapolis upside down on runway


-
Everybody ‘is critical’ to travel: Reaction to Trump admin firing hundreds of FAA employees
05:43
-
Now Playing
-
UP NEXT
Delta plane upside down at Toronto airport after landing incident
05:26
-
When it comes to Trump, other countries ‘prepare for the worst and hope for the best’
06:22
-
Top DOJ officials resigning over Adams case makes Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre ‘seem small’
11:45
-
‘Have to delete entire agencies’: Musk likens federal departments to ‘weeds’
05:43
-
Trump banning health care for transgender youth puts all patients’ resources at risk: Doctor
04:56
-
Trump’s executive orders have had ‘significant’ benefits for Musk and his companies
04:57
-
Mitch McConnell Unplugged: Senator slams Gabbard as having ‘history of alarming lapses in judgment’
06:03
-
‘Saying one thing in public and another in private’: Republicans reassure voters on Musk
04:14
-
‘Great time to be a corporate criminal’: Weissmann reacts to Trump pardons
11:45
-
Lawyer for ex-Twitter employees shares advice for those impacted by Musks’s govt. overhaul
07:18
-
Democrats need to ‘use every element of leverage’ to stand up to Trump admin: Psaki
07:10
-
Critical childcare programs being impacted by Trump’s federal funding freeze
05:08
-
‘Dismantling of the administrative state’: Trump exec orders align with Project 2025
09:05
-
What’s next for Gaza? Speaker says he will discuss Trump’s ‘take over’ proposal with Netanyahu
05:47
-
What legal footing does the Trump admin have to offer federal employee buyouts?
09:55
-
Former Coast Guard leader evicted from base housing with three hours notice
03:14
-
Trump signs executive order prohibiting trans women from playing in womens’ and girls’ sports
05:12
-
‘Sheer lunacy’: Trump’s plan to ‘ethnically cleanse’ Gaza would ‘undermine’ his own goals
07:07
-
Everybody ‘is critical’ to travel: Reaction to Trump admin firing hundreds of FAA employees
05:43
-
Now Playing
BREAKING: Delta flight arriving in Toronto from Minneapolis upside down on runway
04:47
-
UP NEXT
Delta plane upside down at Toronto airport after landing incident
05:26
-
When it comes to Trump, other countries ‘prepare for the worst and hope for the best’
06:22
-
Top DOJ officials resigning over Adams case makes Nixon’s Saturday Night Massacre ‘seem small’
11:45
-
‘Have to delete entire agencies’: Musk likens federal departments to ‘weeds’
05:43
The Dictatorship
Delta plane upside down at Toronto airport after landing incident


-
UP NEXT
BREAKING: Delta flight arriving in Toronto from Minneapolis upside down on runway
04:47
-
‘A lot of families are hurting’: Gov. Beshear details devastation from historic storm in Kentucky
06:14
-
A ‘personal, painful story’: Son of Rupert Murdoch on his ‘family’s unraveling’
07:11
-
DOGE-affiliated worker could be gaining access to sensitive IRS system
02:12
-
‘Stuck’ examines how Americans have lost mobility
07:33
-
‘We gotta do a better job’: DNC Chair kicks off tour to ‘reconnect message’ with voters
09:56
-
President Zelenskyy set to visit Saudi Arabia this week
08:32
-
Several killed as heavy rain, flooding hit Southeast
02:28
-
86-year-old man pleads guilty in Ralph Yarl shooting
02:44
-
NTSB: Night vision goggles, altitude readings may have contributed to deadly Potomac crash
02:01
-
D.C. Crash Update: Helicopter crew may have been getting incorrect altitude readings
07:38
-
‘We can already see the buyer’s remorse’: House Dem hits WH over inflation
14:47
-
‘Political corruption’: Claire McCaskill slams Trump DOJ over Adams case
06:04
-
New York governor rejects Louisiana’s extradition request for doctor in abortion pill case
04:04
-
New York’s top federal attorney resigns
04:50
-
GOP lawmakers uneasy as Trump’s spending cuts spark concerns
02:37
-
Steve Rattner: America’s inflation problem isn’t over
09:22
-
Hamas says it will release Israeli hostages on Saturday
02:19
-
Chris Hayes: Elon Musk’s behavior driven by psychology of social attention addiction
27:59
-
Hockey dad accused of assaulting youth refs during hockey game in Seattle
02:52
-
UP NEXT
BREAKING: Delta flight arriving in Toronto from Minneapolis upside down on runway
04:47
-
‘A lot of families are hurting’: Gov. Beshear details devastation from historic storm in Kentucky
06:14
-
A ‘personal, painful story’: Son of Rupert Murdoch on his ‘family’s unraveling’
07:11
-
DOGE-affiliated worker could be gaining access to sensitive IRS system
02:12
-
‘Stuck’ examines how Americans have lost mobility
07:33
-
‘We gotta do a better job’: DNC Chair kicks off tour to ‘reconnect message’ with voters
09:56
The Dictatorship
Pete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon goes from bad to worse

As last week got underway, it was clear that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon was off to an unfortunate start. When the former Fox News host arrived at U.S. European Command headquarters in Germany, for example, he faced heckling and protests from military families.
“Protests by military families against a defense secretary are extremely rare,” NBC News reported.
As it turns out, this was among the best moments for Hegseth during his trip abroad.
The day after facing military families’ derision, the hapless Pentagon chief publicly said it was “unrealistic” to think Russia wouldn’t keep portions of Ukraine it took by force. He added that Ukrainian membership in NATO wouldn’t happen. It was a dramatic misstep: Before negotiations on a possible peace plan even began, Hegseth was already giving Russia what it wanted.
The mistake did not go unnoticed. Not only were U.S. allies taken aback, but Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, chided the defense secretary of making a “rookie mistake.”
Hegseth tried to backpedal a day later, distancing himself from “something that was stated as part of my remarks” — a passive voice phrase for the ages — but around the same time, the Pentagon chief launched into some terribly odd comments about the use of force. “We can talk all we want about values. Values are important,” Hegseth said in widely derided comments. “But you can’t shoot values, you can’t shoot flags, and you can’t shoot strong speeches.”
The unscripted comments appeared to reflect someone who was simply in over his head.
Making matters worse, as my BLN colleague Ja’han Jones noteHegseth apparently thought it’d also be a good idea to bring right-wing influencer and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec with him on the overseas trip. Politico reported soon after that the activist “was in the room” when Hegseth “greeted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of their private meeting.”
The report added“Posobiec — whose record of far-right activism includes promoting conspiracy theories and associating with white nationalists — has long been a controversial figure, and would have been considered fringe during prior administrations. But now, he’s in position to bear witness to key moments on one of the world’s most consequential issues.”
As the dust settled on the secretary’s trip, The New York Times reported“In all, it was a bruising, 72-hour crash course in the geopolitical realities of a job that critics complain Mr. Hegseth, a 44-year-old former National Guard infantryman and Fox News host, is unqualified to hold.”
It’s important, of course, to hold Hegseth accountable for his own failures, but let’s not forget that Trump bears responsibility for nominating the former television personality; JD Vance bears responsibility for ensuring the secretary’s confirmation; and 50 Senate Republicans bear responsibility overlooking Hegseth’s scandals, inexperience and bizarre ideology.
Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an BLN political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”
-
The Josh Fourrier Show3 months ago
DOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?
-
Economy3 months ago
Fed moves to protect weakening job market with bold rate cut
-
Politics3 months ago
How Republicans could foil Harris’ Supreme Court plans if she’s elected
-
Economy3 months ago
It’s still the economy: What TV ads tell us about each campaign’s closing message
-
Economy3 months ago
Harris dismisses Trump as ‘not serious’ on the economy in BLN interview
-
Uncategorized3 months ago
Senate Dems balk at Johnson’s spending bill, but wait to release their own plan
-
Politics3 months ago
Donald Trump wants Americans to hate Kamala Harris — but he’s failing
-
Politics2 months ago
Trump’s pick to lead USDA hasn’t returned Vilsack’s call