• A 'Super Scooper' firefighting plane was grounded after hitting a drone in the skies over LA.
• It's one of only two Super Scooper planes helping fight the wildfires ravaging the area.
• The FAA has placed flight restrictions over much of LA's airspace since Thursday afternoon.

One of only two Super Scooper planes helping to fight the Los Angeles wildfires has been taken out of action after it collided with a drone.

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said that the aircraft landed safely, but LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told the LA Times that it was damaged in the encounter on Thursday.

"We hit a drone this afternoon — first one," Marrone said.

"It put a hole in the wing," he added. "It's grounded now."

The aircraft, named the Quebec 1, struck the drone at around 1 p.m. Thursday, according to the LA County Fire Department.

Fire services have been operating two Canadair CL-415 firefighting aircraft, known as Super Scoopers, as well as several other aircraft to try to combat the massive wildfires ravaging Southern California.

The planes are fitted with tanks that skim from large bodies of water to "scoop" it up and then drop it on fires from above.

"Flying a drone near a wildfire is dangerous and can cost lives," the FAA said in its statement, adding that it's a federal crime to interfere with firefighting efforts on public lands, punishable by up to a year in prison.

There's also a civil penalty of up to $75,000 for drone operators who interfere with emergency and wildfire responders during temporary flight restrictions, it said.

As of 4.18 p.m. local time on Thursday, the FAA issued the first of three NOTAM flight operating restrictions over large areas above the fires, to allow firefighting aircraft to operate.

The FAA statement said that when people fly drones near wildfires, fire response agencies often ground their aircraft to avoid the potential for a midair collision.

"Delaying airborne response poses a threat to firefighters on the ground, residents, and property in nearby communities, and it can allow wildfires to grow larger," it said.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesperson Chris Thomas told military news site The War Zone that the damaged Super Scooper was one of only two in its arsenal.

He also said that other aircraft fighting the blazes had been temporarily grounded as well.

"This is creating a huge danger," Thomas added. "This is an unprecedented fire. When we ground all aircraft, it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour. You know how far a fire can spread in half an hour."

As of early Friday, almost 36,000 acres had been set on fire, according to official figures.

The drone operator has not been identified, but there has been speculation online, with many social media users pointing to photography accounts that have posted aerial images of the fires.

Consumer drones hit the headlines last month after a spate of drone sightings over the East Coast raised public anxiety, even after the White House and Pentagon said the drones didn't pose a threat.

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• Tesla has launched a refreshed Model Y in China as it fights off fierce competition from local rivals.
• The new Model Y is also available to order in Australia and parts of Asia, but there's no sign of a US release yet.
• Tesla is under pressure, with annual sales falling even as Chinese competitors like `BYD report booming demand.

Tesla has launched an updated version of its most successful car — but you can't order it in the US yet.

The Elon Musk-run automaker unveiled a long-rumored refresh of the Model Y on Friday, with deliveries set to begin in China in March as the company fights off fierce competition from local EV rivals.

The new Model Y will have a longer range than its predecessor and an updated design that includes a Cybertruck-style light bar, according to Tesla's Chinese website.

The updated EV is currently available to order in China, parts of Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. There is currently no word on when it will come to the US or Europe.

In China, it will cost 263,500 yuan ($35,900), around $3,000 more expensive than the current starting price of the existing model.

The new Model Y's first appearance in China is no surprise, as Tesla is locked in a brutal price war with local EV companies in the world's largest auto market.

BYD, Nio, and Zeekr all reported big increases in annual electric vehicle sales earlier this month, with Tesla nemesis BYD announcing it had sold 1.76 million EVs in 2024 on the back of strong demand for its affordable models.

Tesla still leads the way, selling 1.79 million vehicles last year, but the carmaker reported its first-ever decline in annual sales in 2024, and is under pressure to meet Elon Musk's ambitious target of 20-30% sales growth this year.

Tesla will be hoping a refresh to the Model Y will help it hit that lofty target and refresh an increasingly stale product lineup.

The last new vehicle released by the company in 2023 was the Cybertruck, which isn't sold in China and has failed to significantly boost Tesla's sales figures.

Some workers on the Cybertruck line in the US have been moved to Model Y production, employees at Tesla's Austin factory told Business Insider.

The automaker has said it will release new, affordable EV models in the first half of this year but is yet to share any details, with Musk focusing instead on the steering wheel-less Cybercab he unveiled in October.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.

• My mom had me when she was 32, and I'm an only child.
• My dad died when I was 19, and it was just the two of us with my mom.
• I'm 32 now and don't have kids, but I have two cats that my mom calls grandcats.

Last month, I turned 32.

My mom gave birth to her only child at 32, and my grandma had my mom, the last of her seven children, at 32.

As an only child, I'm confronting pressure to bring a child into our increasingly thorny world.

When I was 19, on a rare vacation without my dad, my mom and I got a call. My dad had died of a brain aneurysm. Losing a parent prematurely sends you reeling. The missing parent, the remaining parent, your family, and genetics all become more precious.

Before that, I'd lived in an insulated, attended world. Both parents were the proverbial "helicopters" that circle many only children. In our little unit, my mom (then a nurse practitioner) was the breadwinner. My dad, a writer, was able and willing to handle childcare.

Because of rising costs and maternal health risks in the US, I probably won't have children. My parents never overtly pressured me to do anything I didn't want to do. Still, as their only child, I feel guilty for depriving them.

My parents encouraged me to achieve my goals

By definition, my family structure (with a breadwinner mom and stay-at-home dad) was quietly defiant, leaving me pretty unfazed by social gender norms.

But societal norms aren't the only source of pressure to reproduce. My parents' priorities were selfless: They prioritized my happiness and career and supported me far beyond the legally required 18 years. Neither demanded that I start my own family or carry on theirs.

Falling short of my parents' deepest inner hopes, though, or depriving my mom of some fulfillment she'd never ask of me — that's a different form of guilt altogether.

Being an only child means I bear sole responsibility for our family's grandchildren. It's dizzying when my only childhood fostered high expectations about parenthood's depth and lifespan.

It's all the more melancholy when I see how my mom delights in her two "grand-cats." Over Thanksgiving, as we devised food combinations and presentations they'd find palatable, I could feel the joy a grandchild would bring.

My parents elevated my wants for decades. Am I failing them by not reciprocating with my own child?

My mom has helped me financially

As I've transitioned out of law practice, I've taken only reproductive justice cases in Arizona. I've seen the costs and crises parents must navigate, from health and safety to education and employment. When systems fail or children fall through the cracks, it's hard not to imagine my potential kids in that position.

My mom has supported me as I've started a new career in media. Both public interest law and media are career paths equated with austerity. I worry that I'll never be able to afford the same financial support for my own child. As my mom nears retirement, would we have to choose between elder care and childcare? Neither my parent nor my child would deserve that existential threat.

I can't afford to be the only parent either

My parents' roles sheltered me from the reality of many heterosexual parents. My dad was often the only male parent in sight after school or supervising playdates. He was reliable and attentive to non-verbal communication. He even French-braided my hair.

I knew then that we were unusual (and frankly, I heard my dad get disproportionate praise for parenting his own child), but I didn't realize the extent until I began dating. My male partners — across states, schools, families of origin, and on-paper beliefs — brought baffling paradigms into our relationships.

My experiences represent a larger trend of labor division for heterosexual couples. Many women like me aren't seeking partnership with any man who's tacitly accepted this culture.

That's a challenge. Without a partner and without a large network of siblings and grandparents, I can't afford parental costs of living on one income.

It's me and my cats

I want to honor the family that reared (only) me with children, but looking at 32 and 2025, it's unrealistic.

My parents are the main reason I feel guilty for not having my own child. Ironically, it's also their intentionality and support that made me reticent to parent if I can't offer the same.

When Mom and I wrangle her grand cats to an annual check-up — one carrier each — our hearts break at their anxiety, and we ask the vet excessive questions. We laugh about how my dad would delight in these fuzzy freaks. I'm grateful for what we have and what we could give if cost were no object.

Beyond guilt as a childless only child, I lament timing. Ultimately, this moment's political greed took this from my parents, who put all their love and time into one basket.

Mackenzie Joy Brennan is a writer, commentator, and lawyer. Find her work at MkzJoyBrennan.com or @MkzJoyBrennan on social media.

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