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Today β€” 10 January 2025News

6 celebrities taking action to help victims of the Los Angeles wildfires

10 January 2025 at 12:55
jamie lee curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis spoke about losing her neighborhood on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

  • The LA wildfires have displaced thousands and have inflicted billions of dollars in damage.
  • Some celebrities have been stepping up to help by providing money, clothing, and assistance.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $1 million to wildfire relief.

Wildfires have been raging in Los Angeles and Southern California since Tuesday, burning tens of thousands of acres and leaving thousands of people without homes.

The Pacific Palisades, a popular neighborhood for celebrities, has been almost entirely leveled.

Many famous figures have been using their platforms to share information β€” posting infographics and links to resources and donation pages β€” and to highlight the work of firefighters and aid organizations. Some celebrities have also donated their own money, clothing, or time to help people impacted by the devastation.

Here are some celebrities who are taking action amidst the fires.

Jamie Lee Curtis has pledged $1 million to relief efforts.
Jamie Lee Curtis in purple dress
Jamie Lee Curtis.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty

Curtis, who lives in Pacific Palisades, posted on Instagram on January 9 about her intentions to donate $1 million to help with wildfire relief.

"My husband and I and our children have pledged $1 million from our Family Foundation to start a fund of support for our great city and state and the great people who live and love there," she wrote on Instagram.

She also shared footage of her smoldering neighborhood, writing, "Our beloved neighborhood is gone. Our home is safe. So many others have lost everything. Help where you can."

Steve Guttenberg walked up and down his block trying to clear a path for people to evacuate.
Steve Guttenberg at the Golden Gala: A Celebration of Excellence at The Beverly Hilton on January 3, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California.
Steve Guttenberg.

Gilbert Flores/Penske Media/Getty Images

Guttenberg, best known for his roles in "Three Men and a Baby" and "Police Academy," was spotted by KTLA on Palisades Drive on January 7 moving abandoned cars to clear a pathway for those trapped higher in the hills.

Speaking to the reporter, he explained the need for people to leave their keys in their cars if they're fleeing.

"What's happening is people take their keys with them as if they're in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars," he told the outlet. "If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there."

He continued, "There are people stuck up there. So we're trying to clear Palisades Drive, and I'm walking up there as far as I can moving cars."

James Woods said he helped his 94-year-old neighbor evacuate.
Actor James Woods attends the 2017 Writers Guild Awards L.A. Ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 19, 2017
James Woods.

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for WGAw

During a January 8 appearance on CNN, Woods shared his harrowing story about evacuating from his Pacific Palisades home while everything was going up in flames.

He shared that he helped his 94-year-old neighbor with dementia escape from his home shortly before it collapsed.

"He'd been left alone. There was so much chaos, it was like an inferno. Every house was on fire around us," he said. Woods said his neighbor eventually made it to the hospital.

Sharon Stone is helping coordinate clothing donations from multiple celebrities.
Sharon Stone attends the 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025
Sharon Stone.

Matt Winkelmeyer/WireImage/Getty Images

Stone has been sharing on social media about +COOP, a boutique turned fire-relief pop-up owned by real-estate agent Jenna Cooper, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

In Stone's Instagram posts about +COOP, other celebrities have detailed their donations.

"Harry [Hamlin] and I just dropped off lots of coats jeans, sweaters, etc… thank you for setting this up," wrote former "Real Housewives" star Lisa Rinna.

Stone's "Catwoman" costar Halle Berry also posted about the store.

"I'm packing up my entire closet and heading over to the COOP! If you live in the Southern California area, I urge you to do the same," she wrote. "Thank you @sharonstone for your leadership. Love you Lady."

Michelle Pfeiffer shared her intentions to donate clothes, as well.

"Love Island USA" star Leah Kateb is fostering animals.
Leah Kateb at the Variety Power of Young Hollywood event at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel on August 8, 2024 in Santa Monica, California.
Leah Kateb.

Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images

Kateb, a Calabasas native, shared on Instagram that she had taken in a "fire foster," a dog displaced from its shelter by the wildfires.

Pets frequently go missing during wildfires β€” 3,000 animals went missing after the Maui wildfire in 2023, according to theΒ Maui Humane SocietyΒ β€” so many celebrities, such asΒ Jennifer Aniston,Β have been posting about how to help animals in LA.

Jason Oppenheim of "Selling Sunset" is offering free representation to help people find homes.
Jason Oppenheim
Jason Oppenheim.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Contributor/Getty Images

Jason Oppenheim, whose real-estate brokerage is featured on "Selling Sunset," shared on social media that many clients were contacting him to help find a place to live after losing their homes.

"As real estate agents, we obviously have an obligation to help them find a place, even when it's going to be difficult with thousands of people looking for places and not nearly as many houses available," he said.

Oppenheim said the Oppenheim Group is "offering to represent anybody for free, or we will credit you back any commission paid if you've lost your house and you're now displaced."

"We will help you find a place, or do our best to help you find a place to rent," he added.

Read the original article on Business Insider

The US is tightening its grip on one of the key pillars of Russia's economy

10 January 2025 at 12:25
Putin

Contributor/Getty Images

  • The US is cracking down on Russia's oil industry, with broader sanctions introduced on Friday.
  • The US and UK are blocking two Russian energy giants and other entities in the nation's oil trade.
  • Russia's energy revenue is expected to account for more than a quarter of the nation's budget in 2025.

The US is tightening the screws on one of the key pillars of Russia's wartime economy: its energy business.

The US said it would join the United Kingdom in imposing wider-sweeping sanctions against Russia's oil industry on Friday, which include blocking Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, two of Russia's largest oil producers.

Sanctions will also be imposed on the producers' subsidiaries, as well as 183 tankers associated with Russia's oil trade, according to a statement from the Treasury Department. Some of the sanctioned tankers were part of Russia's shadow fleet, a group of ships Russia is known to rely on to trade oil under the radar.

The new sanctions also targeted several "opaque traders" involved in Russia's oil business, as well as oilfield service providers and prominent executives at Russian energy companies, the statement added.

"The United States is taking sweeping action against Russia's key source of revenue for funding its brutal and illegal war against Ukraine," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. "With today's actions, we are ratcheting up the sanctions risk associated with Russia's oil trade, including shipping and financial facilitation in support of Russia's oil exports," she later added.

Western nations have targeted Russia's energy trade since the early days of the Ukraine war, given that Russia's energy revenue makes up a big chunk of the nation's war budget. Oil and gas revenue is expected to account for around 27% of Russia's federal revenue in 2025, according to a draft budget viewed by Reuters in September.

Consequences from existing measures, like the ban and $60 price cap on Russian oil, have already started to hit Moscow's cash flow. Russia's total energy revenue plummeted by nearly a quarter in 2023, according to data from Russia's finance ministry.

The nation's oil and gas revenue is also expected to decline through 2027, the draft budget showed.

Economists share a grim outlook for Russia's economy, with some experts expecting the nation to soon undergo a stagnation that could mirror the decline of the Soviet Union. The nation is now likely feeling the full impact of international sanctions, which could produce enough strain to bring an end to the war this year, according to one Washington, D.C.-based think-tank.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Mark Zuckerberg tells Joe Rogan that he thinks Trump will protect American companies' 'strategic advantage'

10 January 2025 at 12:19
Mark Zuckerberg attends the UFC 300 event at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mark Zuckerberg said that he thinks Trump will defend American tech companies abroad.

Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

  • Mark Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan he's "optimistic" about how Trump will impact American businesses.
  • On the nearly 3-hour podcast episode, Zuck said he thinks Trump will defend American tech abroad.
  • The conversation comes days after Meta got rid of third-party fact-checkers.

Mark Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan in a podcast episode on Friday that he thinks President-elect Donald Trump will help American businesses, calling technology companies in particular a "bright spot" in the economy.

"I think it's a strategic advantage for the United States that we have a lot of the strongest companies in the world, and I think it should be part of the US' strategy going forward to defend that," Zuckerberg said during the nearly three-hour episode of 'The Joe Rogan Experience.' "And it's one of the things that I'm optimistic about with President Trump is, I think he just wants America to win."

Zuckerberg told Rogan the government should defend America's tech industry abroad to ensure it remains strong, and that he is "optimistic" Trump will do so.

The episode dropped just days after Meta significantly altered its content moderation policies, replacing third-party fact checkers with a community-notes system similar to that on Elon Musk's X. Trump praised the change earlier this week and said it was "probably" a response to threats he's made against the Meta CEO.

Zuckerberg, clad in a black tee and gold necklace emblematic of his new style, told Rogan that the change reflects the nation's "cultural pulse" as it was reflected in the presidential election results. At the beginning of the episode, Zuckerberg bashed how President Joe Biden's administration handled content moderation, especially during the pandemic.

A representative for Biden didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The episode and Meta's flurry of changes are part of efforts from Zuckerberg to improve his relationship with Trump. Meta has confirmed to BI that it's donating $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, along with other tech companies like Microsoft and Google.

Read the original article on Business Insider

I tried store-brand hummus from Costco, Wegmans, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. I'd bike 40 minutes just for a taste of the winner.

By: Ted Berg
10 January 2025 at 12:15
Container of Trader Joe's organic hummus, with a green label, on a plate with multicolored carrots and pretzel crisps
I compared grocery-store hummus to see which was the tastiest.

Ted Berg

  • I ranked hummus from Trader Joe's, Costco, Whole Foods, and Wegmans from worst to best.
  • I thought Trader Joe's organic hummus could've used a squeeze of lemon.
  • Wegmans' hummus topped with garlic and chickpeas was hands-down my favorite dip.

Though hummus, a tasty dip or spread made from chickpeas, is available in almost every supermarket, I've wondered which is the best one.

To find out, I bought hummus from Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joe's, and Wegmans and compared them.

I purchased the most basic version available and ate each dip with carrots and pretzel chips. Here's how each spread stacked up, from worst to best.

I started with Trader Joe’s organic hummus.
Container of Trader Joe's organic hummus, with a green label, and swirled top of hummus
Trader Joe's organic hummus had the lightest color out of all the dips I tried.

Ted Berg

For the sake of this comparison, I chose Trader Joe's plain organic hummus over the Mediterranean-style and roasted-garlic options.

Out of all the hummus I tried, this one looked the driest and least vibrant in color.

I thought Trader Joe's organic hummus was mediocre.
Container of Trader Joe's organic hummus, with a green label, on a plate with multicolored carrots and pretzel crisps
In my opinion, Trader Joe's organic hummus had an odd texture.

Ted Berg

The hummus wasn't unpleasant, but the texture was mealy rather than creamy. I thought there was too much cumin, and it needed a squeeze of lemon.

Overall, it was good, but the flavor wasn't all that exciting. I'd buy it again if I needed hummus and was at Trader Joe's, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get it.

The Kirkland Signature organic roasted-pine-nut hummus looked delicious.
Container of Kirkland Signature organic roasted-pine-nut hummus with pile of pine nuts and oil on the top of the hummus
The Kirkland Signature organic roasted-pine-nut hummus had lots of toppings.

Ted Berg

Costco sells packs of snack-sized Kirkland Signature hummus, but I selected the 34-ounce organic roasted-pine-nut variety for this comparison.

The tub of hummus was rimmed with a layer of oil and topped with pine nuts, herbs, garlic, and roasted peppers.

I'm not sure if the Kirkland Signature hummus would please everyone.
Container of stirred Kirkland Signature hummus with visible pieces of pine nuts in it. The container sits on a white plate with multicolored carrots
The Kirkland Signature hummus looked good once I mixed the toppings in.

Ted Berg

Out of all the hummus brands I tried, this option tasted the most bland without mixing in the toppings. I also found it to be a bit grainy.

I thought mixing the toppings into the hummus made it look less appetizing, but the additional oil and prominent red peppers improved the flavor.

I enjoyed this hummus, but I could imagine it being divisive. For example, I already knew my kids wouldn't like it because of its red-pepper flavor.

I'd opt for a more traditional hummus if I were serving others.

The 365 original hummus from Whole Foods didn't look too special.
Container of Whole Foods 365 original hummus with a white label on a wooden container
I thought the 365 original hummus had a good color.

Ted Berg

My local Whole Foods had a broad selection of hummus, including a handful of store-label 365 choices.

The 365 original hummus had a nice color, looked creamy, and came without toppings.

For me, the 365 hummus was great.
Container of 365 original hummus on a white plate with multicolored carrots and pretzel crisps
The 365 original hummus had a great flavor and texture.

Ted Berg

The 365 option was everything I could reasonably hope for in a grocery-store hummus. It was flavorful and had the earthiness of tahini, distinct notes of cumin, and a velvety texture.

This hummus was good enough to buy again. In fact, I won't even bother perusing Whole Foods' other options.

Wegmans' hummus came with a garlic-and-chickpea topping.
Container of Wegmans hummus with chickpeas on top of hummus on a wooden cutting board
The hummus from Wegmans came with a roasted-garlic-and-chickpea topping.

Ted Berg

The Wegmans I visited offered an overwhelming selection of store-brand hummus, including dill-pickle, bagel, and jalapeΓ±o-cilantro options.

Though all of the options looked delicious, I decided to stick to the simplest-looking hummus for the sake of this taste test.

The hummus from Wegmans was my favorite.
Stirred up container of Wegmans hummus on a white plate with multicolored carrots
I thought the hummus from Wegmans was hands-down the best.

Ted Berg

Wegmans' hummus was a cut above the competition from the first bite. Even before I mixed in the roasted-garlic-and-chickpea topping, this hummus stood out for its moist, creamy texture and bright, citrusy tang.

With the garlic mixed in, it was undoubtedly the best hummus I've ever found at a supermarket β€”Β and better than plenty of dips I've had at restaurants. I finished the container of Wegmans' hummus the same day I did this taste test.

My nearest Wegmans is a 40-minute bike ride away, but I'll make that trip for this hummus again.

This story was originally published on March 6, 2024, and most recently updated on January 10, 2025.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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