Firefighters survey extensive damage in residential areas of Los Angeles, California, caused by rampant wildfires.
Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images
Small businesses are struggling to stay afloat in the wake of the deadly Los Angeles fires.
Many structures have been destroyed, but others left standing are damaged, with no foot traffic driving business.
For some industries with slim margins, just days without business has forced permanent closures.
As deadly fires continue ripping through Los Angeles, leveling residential and commercial districts alike, even small business owners whose storefronts have been left standing aren't out of the woods.
Though more than 12,300 structures have been destroyed by the fires, commercial buildings that haven't been totaled are still struggling with costly damages to repair and with no foot traffic driving business.
For some industries with slim margins — like bars and restaurants — going just days without business has begun to force permanent closures.
AccuWeather estimates the damages and economic loss from the wildfires totals between $250 billion and $275 billion, making it one of the costliest wildfire disasters in modern US history.
"We have come to the heartbreaking decision that at this time, operating The Ruby Fruit is no longer possible due to financial impact from the current natural disaster," Emily Bielagus and Mara Herbkersman, owners of The Ruby Fruit, a lesbian wine bar in the Silver Lake neighborhood, posted Sunday on the bar's Instagram page.
"Sadly, along with all the feelings of grief and shock that we have experienced over the last few days, also came this undeniable reality: that running our small business is no longer sustainable. The hospitality industry functions on a day-by-day basis and right now, as they say — the math just isn't mathing," they wrote.
The announcement was met with an outcry from fans and devoted patrons of the bar — one of the city's only bars catering specifically to lesbians and "those who fall under the sapphic umbrella," according to the bar's website.
Some customers, in the comments of the bar's closure announcement, begged Bielagus and Herbkersman to create a community fundraiser to save the business. The Ruby Fruit's GoFundMe campaign, raising money to provide wages for the bar's staff — has raised about half its $15,000 goal in three days.
Bielagus and Herbkersman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Financial aid is available for small businesses trying to recover from the aftermath of the wildfires. The Small Business Administration's disaster loan program offers up to $2 million in loans with low interest rates for eligible businesses suffering economic losses and physical damage due todisaster. Interest on these loans does not begin to accrue for a year.
On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced extended tax filing deadlines and relief from interest and penalties for businesses impacted by the fires. However, tax breaks and interest-accruing loans are nothing compared to regular business, and the costs accrued from being closed stack up quickly.
"Thankfully we are safe and, as of now, able to operate," Betsy Martinez, owner of Fan Girl Cafe in West Hollywood, told BI. "However, business has definitely been impacted by the situation and we are navigating it the best we can."
Martinez, who runs Fan Girl Cafe with her wife, said the pair lost roughly $5,000 in just two and a half days of closures, in addition to the slow business in the days since. As a new restaurant in its first year of operations, margins were already tight. They're now considering debt consolidation and taking out a new loan and have contacted their existing lenders asking for extensions on their bills.
Some business owners are turning to the local community for financial support, but such funds are inconsistent — and largely targeted toward businesses that have been destroyed. Restaurants, including Fox's Restaurant, The Little Red Hen Coffee Shop, and The Reel Inn, have all burned down and have started GoFundMe campaigns to raise money to rebuild.
Martinez said she and her wife aren't comfortable starting a GoFundMe, given how tight funds are for everyone else — and that other businesses are dealing with more severe losses.
"It's just a heavy time right now for everyone," she said. "Right now, we're just looking at who we can help, even those of us who need help."
For now, many small business owners in the Los Angeles area are white-knuckling it through another costly disaster just a few short years after the COVID-19 pandemic saw more than 7,500 small businesses shutter across the county, the California Business Journal reported.
"We closed last week and are closing this week. We hope to reopen next week," the owners of Honey's at Star Love, a queer bar in Little Armenia, told BI in an email. "We're taking it all day by day."
Week 2 of TGL was Tuesday night, with Tiger Woods, Kevin Kisner and Max Homa of Jupiter Links Golf Club falling to the Los Angeles Golf Club's Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala 12-1.
At least two wildfires ignited in Southern California during critical fire weather and triggered fresh evacuations on Tuesday, one week after deadly blazes first erupted across Los Angeles County.
The big picture: The fires have killed at least 25 people and the "Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning" that the National Weather Service's L.A. office issue remains in effect until Wednesday afternoon.
Threat level: "Southern California continues to see ingredients for high fire danger: strong wind gusts in the 45-70 mph range and relative humidities in the 8-15 % range," per an NWS forecast discussion.
Santa Ana winds were weaker than expected Tuesday. But the National Weather Service's L.A. office said on X: "We are not out of the woods yet. Please stay on guard for a fast-moving fire."
It added: "The winds underperformed today, but one more enhancement could happen tonight-tomorrow."
The high fire risk extends into the San Diego County, where peak wind gusts had also exceeded well over 50-60 mph in several places, per a post from the local NWS office Tuesday. Sill Hill recorded a gust of 74 mph — hurricane intensity.
The winds are expected to subside after that, but the fire threat remains due to extremely dry conditions as firefighters continue to tackle California's biggest blazes — the Palisades and Eaton fires, which are already among the state's most destructive on record.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for both of those fires, which ignited as Santa Ana winds arrived last Tuesday.
Situation report: The Palisades Fire has killed at least eight people and destroyed thousands of structures over an estimated 23,713 acres as of Tuesday evening. It was at 17% containment, per Cal Fire.
The Eaton Fire has killed at least 17 people and destroyed thousands of structures over an estimated 14,117 acres over the same period. That fire was 35% contained.
Meanwhile, authorities issued evacuation orders in response to the Scout Fire that's burned at 0% containment across an estimated two acres in Riverside County since igniting during Santa Ana winds at lunchtime Tuesday.
Angeles National Forest announced on X that another Riverside County wildfire that ignited in Hemet on Tuesday, the Stone Fire, had been "knocked down at 1/2 acre."
What we're watching: "Although winds have overall trended lighter than initially expected, NE to E winds may create large breaking waves to Avalon and Two Harbors Late tonight into Wednesday late morning," per an NWS LA forecast discussion.
This could potentially create "hazardous conditions and possible minor coastal flooding."
Former first lady Michelle Obama won't attend President-elect Trump's inauguration next week, her office announced on Tuesday.
Why it matters: All other living first ladies and presidents have confirmed they will follow the tradition of attending the presidential swearing-in ceremony, including her husband, former President Obama.
Representatives for former President Clinton and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Trump's 2016 presidential rival, have confirmed their attendance at Monday's ceremony — as have former President George W. Bush and ex-first lady Laura Bush.
Michelle Obama was also notably absent from former President Carter's funeral.
Driving the news: "Former President Barack Obama is confirmed to attend the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies," per a media statement from the Obamas' office.
"Former First Lady Michelle Obama will not attend the upcoming inauguration," added the statement, without elaborating further.
Representatives for the Obamas did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Tuesday evening.
OpenAI is rolling out a beta feature called Tasks to ChatGPT that lets users schedule future actions and reminders.
Why it matters: Tasks is a step toward making ChatGPT a more helpful AI companion, reducing reliance on other apps such as Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa for reminders.
This comes amid reported plans to release an autonomous computer-controlling agent called "Operator."
Zoom in: Tasks, which is available to some ChatGPT Plus, Team and Pro users starting today, lets subscribers schedule actions ahead of time.
OpenAI hasn't specified whether Tasks will eventually come to free users.
If a free user asks ChatGPT to set a reminder, it suggests they use Siri, Google and Alexa.
How it works: Select the "GPT-4o with scheduled tasks" model from the menu and then send a message about what you'd like it to do and when. This will create the task.
Some examples of tasks could be "give me a daily weather report for Queens, NY every morning at 7am" or "remind me three months from now that I have a dentist appointment at 4pm."
ChatGPT will send push notifications on the web, desktop (macOS) and mobile. It also sends an email notification of the task.
A user can have up to 25 active reminders at a time.
Users can manage and name tasks by selecting the Tasks option in the profile menu on web. ChatGPT may also suggest tasks based on a user's chats, and users can choose to accept them or not.
Editor's note: This story was updated with additional features about email notifications and active reminders.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the NFL's most heralded franchises, winning six Super Bowls in its history. But in recent years, the franchise has become accustomed to flaming out in the postseason.
Mike Tomlin has been at the helm since 2006 and coached the team to one of those Super Bowl titles. While Tomlin has still never ended a regular season with a losing record, it has now been eight years since he led a team to victory in a playoff game.
The Steelers are one of the most stable franchises in the league, having only had three head coaches over the past five decades. Nevertheless, the lack of recent success in the playoffs has prompted some concerns about whether Tomlin should remain in place.
Yet Tomlin shrugged on Tuesday when asked if it feels as if the Steelers are "stuck" after they were dominated by the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round on Saturday.
Tomlin then acknowledged the disappointment everyone involved with the Steelers were feeling following the early playoff exit. "I definitely don’t feel in the mood for optimism or the selling of optimism," he said. "I don’t know that that’s appropriate. You know, it’s disappointing not to be working. And so that’s where we are."
And while changes are certainly coming to the coaching staff — most likely on defense after the Steelers were gashed during a five-game freefall through the standings — Tomlin doesn’t appear to be going anywhere as he enters the first season of a three-year extension he signed last June.
Tomlin believes he's still "capable" of helping Pittsburgh end its longest playoff victory drought since the "Immaculate Reception" more than a half-century ago.
Yet he also finds himself entering a third offseason in four years with questions at quarterback. Skylar Thompson, who signed with the Steelers on Tuesday, is the only quarterback under contract for the 2025 season. Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen — all of whom played during the 2024 season — are all scheduled to become free agents when the new league year begins in March.
While Wilson and Fields both expressed interest in returning and Tomlin said the team is "open to considering those guys," there’s also the very real chance they begin 2025 with their fifth different Week 1 starter in as many seasons.
Though the offense made progress — particularly during a midseason stretch in which Wilson won six of his first seven starts — the Steelers averaged just 14.2 points during their late swoon, hardly good enough to advance to the divisional round or beyond.
Tomlin also acknowledged he understands there is discontent growing among the fanbase during what can best be described as his team’s "Groundhog Day" era.
"I understand the frustrations," he said. "And to be quite honest, I share it."
The 12th-winningest coach in NFL history — he will reach the top 10 if the Steelers win at least eight games in 2025 — doesn’t believe his message has lost its effectiveness, in part because he believes that is a small component of his job. The vast majority is on schematics, preparation and talent development and in those ways he believes the team has evolved.
"I’m open to adaptation and change and have been," he said. "And so it’s not a new discussion. It’s not like I’ve been doing the same things over (and over)."
Tomlin remains intent on trying to be a part of the solution in Pittsburgh, saying teams with job openings that might inquire about his willingness to move on should save their time.
"I have no message," Tomlin responded via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when asked if he had a message to any team potentially looking to acquire him in a trade. "Save your time."
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday local time. Yoon shocked the nation when he suddenly declared martial law on December 3, 2024.
South Korean Presidential Office via Getty Images
Yoon Suk Yeol, South Korea's impeached president, was arrested on Wednesday.
This was the South Korean authorities' second attempt to arrest Yoon.
Yoon was impeached on December 14 after he attempted to impose martial law, triggering protests.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested by investigators early on Wednesday morning, local time.
Yoon's arrest comes after weeks of attempts by South Korean anti-corruption investigators to bring him in for questioning. This makes him the first sitting South Korean president to be detained.
Yoon has repeatedly defied attempts to arrest him. During a particularly tense standoff on January 3, investigators had to stand down after six hours when Yoon's security team barred them from taking the president.
More than 3,000 police officers and anti-corruption investigators were involved in Yoon's arrest on Wednesday morning, per Reuters.
South Korea's Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials said they had executed an arrest warrant for Yoon at 10.33 am local time, per a statement obtained by Yonhap News.
The Navy has a tradition of naming its nuclear-powered supercarriers after US presidents, though there are some ship names that deviate from the trend.
United States Navy
Two future Ford-class aircraft carriers will be named for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
It's the US Navy convention to name nuclear-powered flattops after presidents, with some exceptions.
USS Doris Miller and Enterprise are the only two Ford-class vessels not named after presidents.
President Joe Biden announced Monday that two future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers will be named after former US presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
"Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief," Biden said in the White House announcement. "And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember."
US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said the future Ford-class carriers "will serve as lasting tributes to each leader's legacy in service of the United States."
The newly named flattops follow the sea service's tradition of naming the nuclear-powered carriers after US presidents. The trend has many exceptions, including first-in-class USS Nimitz, USS Carl Vinson, USS John C. Stennis, and future Ford-class ships USS Doris Miller and USS Enterprise.
Here are the names of the first six supercarriers in the Ford class, poised to become the backbone of America's naval power for the rest of the 21st Century.
USS Gerald R. Ford
The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is underway on its own power for the first time.
US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni
The first-in-class USS Gerald R. Ford is named after the 38th US president who office after then-President Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate Scandal.
Ford granted Nixon a controversial pardon saying it was in the country's best interest to put an end to the "American tragedy in which we all — all have played a part," he said at the time.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, completed its first full deployment last January, which the Pentagon extended in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.
The Ford and the other warships in its strike group served in part as a deterrence message for its 239-day deployment to the Mediterranean in 2023.
USS John F. Kennedy
A photo illustration of the second-in-class aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy.
US Navy photo illustration courtesy of Newport News Shipbuilding/Released
The second-in-classUSS John F. Kennedy was named after the 35th US president, sharing its namesake with the last conventional aircraft carrier built for the Navy before the introduction of the nuclear-powered Nimitz class.
The future carrier was initially set to deliver in June 2024 but was delayed a year to July 2025 so the Navy could perform more work to prepare it for deployment in the Indo-Pacific.
The Navy said the Kennedy would be equipped with "new technology and warfighting capabilities," making the future aircraft carrier the "most agile and lethal combat platform globally."
USS Enterprise
A Sea Hawk helicopter flies past the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, which was decommissioned in 2017.
Seaman Harry Andrew D. Gordon/U.S. Navy
The future USS Enterprise is one of two Ford-class carriers that wasn't named after a US president. Itcarries on a storied name whose heritage includes the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a decorated World War II carrier, and a brig from the Barbary War over 200 years ago.
Still under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News — the US's only aircraft carrier shipyard — the Enterprise was initially scheduled to deliver by March 2028, but the Navy's shipbuilding review found that it will now deliver by May 2030 at the latest.
In November, the Enterprise was moved for the first time at the shipyard to accommodate the construction of USS Doris Miller on the same dry dock.
USS Doris Miller
An artist rendering of USS Enterprise (CVN 80).
Department of Defense
The other Ford-class carrier without a US president's name is the future USS Doris Miller.
The future supercarrier, named after US Navy sailor Doris "Dorie" Miller, is expected to be delivered a year and a half later than scheduled in early 2032.
Miller was a World War II hero of the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The mess attendant fired at Japanese aircraft with a .50 caliber machine gun on the battleship USS West Virginia and was the first Black person to be awarded the Navy Cross, the service's second-highest award for valor.
"Naming CVN 81 for Dorie Miller casts long overdue recognition to a true American hero and icon," then-Master Chief Petty Officer Russell Smith said during the ship's naming ceremony. "It also honors the contributions of African Americans and enlisted sailors for the first time in the history of American aircraft carriers."
One controversy has been that the Nimitz-class carrier John C. Stennis honors a key lawmaker behind the funding of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, who was also a longtime segregationist and opponent of the US Navy's racial integration.
USS William J. Clinton
Then-President Bill Clinton salutes sailors aboard the USS Eisenhower.
Doug Mills/AP
Bill Clinton served as the 42nd president of the US, becoming the second president in US history to be impeached after Andrew Johnson in 1868. He faced charges of lying under oath and obstruction of justice in the wake of his infamous affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
In his time as commander-in-chief, Clinton ordered cruise missile strikes against Iraq in retaliation for the assassination attempt on former President George H.W. Bush. He also played a key role in promoting peace in the Middle East and Northern Ireland through the Oslo Accords and the Good Friday Agreement.
The name of the future CVN 82 was announced in a private ceremony shortly after the new year, during which former President Clinton's daughter, Chelsea Clinton, was announced as the carrier's sponsor.
"It's never far from my mind that the precious freedoms Americans enjoy are safeguarded by our armed forces, anchored by a strong, modern, and agile Navy," Clinton said in a statement. "I'm honored that future servicemembers carrying on that proud tradition will serve on a carrier bearing my name."
USS George W. Bush
Then-president George W. Bush points to a diagram of a small ship on a diagram during a visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Tyler J. Clements/CHINFO/Navy Visual News Service/AFP via Service/AFP via Getty Images
The sixth Ford-class carrier will bear the name of former President George W. Bush, whose presidency was defined by the 9/11 attacks and the launching of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
He implemented domestic counterterrorism measures and built a worldwide coalition to dismantle terrorist groups globally.
"I am honored that my name will be associated with the United States Navy and a symbol of our Nation's might," Bush said in a statement. "I have a special admiration for the men and women of our Navy — including my dad — and ask God to watch over this ship and those who sail aboard her."
The 10th and final Nimitz-class carrier was named after Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, who served as the 41st president of the US. The elder Bush was honored for his service as one of the youngest naval aviators serving in World War II, receiving military decorations like the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Air Medals, and the Presidential Unit Citation.
CVN 82 and CVN 83 will be the fifth and sixth carriers to join the Navy's fleet in the coming decade, but they are not yet under construction, nor have contracts been issued to HII's Newport News.
In a briefing last week, Christopher Kastner, CEO and president of HII, urged the US Navy to follow its shipbuilding timeline to procure USS William J. Clinton by 2028 as planned to avoid supply chain and workforce issues.
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