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A year after LA-area wildfires destroyed thousands of homes, fewer than a dozen have been rebuilt

On the first anniversary of the most destructive wildfires in the L.A. area, the scant home construction projects stand out among the still mostly flattened landscapes.
Fewer than a dozen homes have been rebuilt in Los Angeles County since Jan. 7, 2025, when the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted, killing 31 people and destroying about 13,000 homes and other residential properties.
For those who had insurance, it’s often not enough to cover the costs of construction. Relief organizations are stepping in to help, but progress is slow.
Among the exceptions is Ted Koerner, whose Altadena home was reduced to ash and two chimneys. With his insurance payout tied up, the 67-year-old liquidated about 80% of his retirement holdings, secured contractors quickly, and moved decisively through the rebuilding process.
Shortly before Thanksgiving, Koerner was among the first to finish a rebuild in the aftermath of the fires, which were fueled by drought and hurricane-force winds.
But most do not have..

Trump administration halts all asylum decisions in wake of DC National Guard shooting

The Trump administration has halted all decisions regarding migrants seeking asylum in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members. The suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who was granted asylum earlier this year.
Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph B. Edlow wrote on X Friday evening, “USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety of the American people always comes first.”
A notice sent to asylum officers explicitly tells them not to enter “any decision information for affirmative cases.”
Applications in “defensive” cases are filed by immigrants facing deportation and are decided by immigration judges under the direction of the Department of Justice.
The man suspected of shooting two West Virginia National Guard members —one fatally — near the White House Wednesday, likely underwent extensive vetting as a CIA asset and again as he sought..

Trump unleashes latest insult at female reporter as he says he will release MRI results

President Donald Trump has insulted another female reporter after he was asked about releasing the results of an MRI test that he announced he had taken earlier this month.
The president took questions from reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday night, as he returned to Washington D.C. from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida where he had celebrated Thanksgiving.
Trump was asked about recent calls by Minnesota Governor and former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz to release his MRI results after the president used a mental health slur in a long, rambling Truth Social post on Thanksgiving Day, calling the lawmaker “seriously r******.”
The president claimed, as he has done multiple times, that he had “aced” a cognitive test but told the reporter that she would be “incapable” of doing the same.
It came after a male reporter put to Trump that “Governor Walz called for the release of your MRI results.”
open image in galleryDonald Trump insulted another female reporter after he was asked ab..