The FBI added a former Olympian and a Canadian national to its list of top 10 most wanted fugitives on Thursday.
The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for the capture of Ryan Wedding, 43. Wedding, who competed in a snowboarding event for Canada in the 2002 winter Olympics, is wanted for allegedly running "a transnational drug trafficking network."
FBI Los Angeles chief Akil Davis said in a press conference Thursday that Wedding's alleged trafficking ring "routinely shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States, and for orchestrating multiple murders and an attempted murder in furtherance of these drug crimes."
"Wedding went from shredding powder on the slopes at the Olympics to distributing powder cocaine on the streets of U.S. cities and in his native Canada," Davis said in a statement.
"The alleged murders of his competitors make Wedding a very dangerous man, and his addition to the list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, coupled with a major reward offer by the State Department, will make the public our partner so that we can catch up with him before he puts anyone else in danger," he added.
Davis noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved the $10 million reward for Wedding's capture. The FBI is also offering an additional $50,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Wedding was previously convicted in the U.S. of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and he was sentenced to prison in 2010, according to federal records.
The FBI says Wedding's aliases include "El Jefe," "Giant," "Public Enemy," "James Conrad King," and "Jesse King." They say he is roughly 6'3" and 240 pounds.
Federal authorities first issued an arrest warrant for Wedding in September of last year, but he has still not been apprehended.
Thursday's announcement comes just after the Justice Department announced the capture of one of Wedding's alleged accomplices, Andrew Clark, 34. Clark, a Canadian citizen who was living in Mexico, was arrested by Mexican authorities in October 2024 and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in U.S. District Court in Arizona.
The indictment says Wedding and his associates conspired to deliver shipments of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from Los Angeles to Canada using long-haul semi-trucks.
Wedding is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; conspiracy to export cocaine; continuing criminal enterprise; murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime; and attempt to commit murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime.
FIRST ON FOX: An effort to recall Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass officially launched its website on Tuesday.
The Democratic mayor faces significant backlash due to her response to the wildfires that burned through the Pacific Palisades in January, including the fact that she was in Ghana despite dangerous fire conditions warnings ahead of time.
If the recall petition meets the threshold of needed signatures — 15% of Los Angeles registered voters — then a special election would be triggered. The group launching the effort includes people directly impacted by the wildfire and other residents frustrated with crime and homelessness issues plaguing the city, according to a source familiar with the campaign. The source added that there is a bipartisan makeup of the people involved in the effort.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that the groundwork was being laid to raise funds for Bass' potential ouster.
"The LAFD's budget was slashed by more than $17 million, stripping critical resources from firefighters as Los Angeles faces escalating wildfire threats and emergency response challenges. At a time when rapid response is more crucial than ever, officials are underfunding the very department responsible for protecting lives and property," the website, RecallBassNow.com, states, along with other reasons for supporting her removal.
Bass recently fired LAFD Chief Kirstin Crowley, who is appealing her termination, and replaced her with Ronnie Villanueva. Crowley previously warned about the potential risks of not having enough funding and staff for the department.
"Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief. We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch," Bass said in a statement last month.
"Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after action report on the fires. The Chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters – during the Palisades fire and every single day – is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs," she added.
In a recent interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, Bass said that she was not aware of the potential severity of the fires that burned down thousands of homes and businesses, saying she "felt absolutely terrible not being here."
"It didn’t reach that level to me to say, 'Something terrible could happen, and maybe you shouldn’t have gone on the trip,'" the Democrat told the outlet.
"I think that’s one of the things we need to look at, everything that happened, including that, needs to be examined," she continued, revealing that there are at least two investigations into the city's response to the fires.
The National Weather Service put out the "fire weather warning" on Jan. 3, and the mayor left for Africa the next day. She did not return until Jan. 8, according to Fox 11 LA.
A Change.org petition has over 176,000 signatures asking her to resign as mayor. Still, there has been no indication that Bass would step down voluntarily.
"This recall is nothing more than another extreme right-wing political stunt designed to divide Los Angeles when we need to move forward," Doug Herman, a strategist for Bass, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday announced that LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley had been fired.
Crowley had criticized Bass and other Democratic leadership with the city, claiming it had failed its 100,000 residents displaced during January’s wildfires.
Crowley said that pressing staffing shortages impacted the department's response time when the blaze began tearing across Los Angeles.
"Any budget cut is going to impact our ability to provide service," Crowley said in January. "That is a ground truth in regard to our ability. If there's a budget cut, we had to pull from somewhere else. What does that mean? That doesn't get done or that there are delays."
Crowley said that staffing shortages and lack of resources have been a pressing issue facing the LAFD for years. She pointed to a series of memos she sent to the city identifying in detail the needs of the department.
In a statement Friday, Bass said: "Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief. We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch. Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after action report on the fires. The Chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters – during the Palisades fire and every single day – is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs."
She added, "While the Department is in the experienced and expert hands of Chief Villanueva, my office will lead a national search and I will speak directly with firefighters and Angelenos about what they want to see in their next permanent chief."
Republican Rick Caruso, who ran against Bass in the last mayoral election, criticized Crowley’s firing.
"It is very disappointing that Mayor Bass has decided to fire Chief Kristin Crowley," he wrote on X. "Chief Crowley served Los Angeles well and spoke honestly about the severe and profoundly ill-conceived budget cuts the Bass administration made to the LAFD. That courage to speak the truth was brave, and I admire her. Honesty in a high city official should not be a firing offense. The Mayor's decision to ignore the warnings and leave the city was hers alone. This is a time for city leaders to take responsibility for their actions and their decisions. We need real leadership, not more blame passing."
Los Angeles' Democratic Mayor Karen Bass Thursday conceded her Africa trip was "absolutely" a mistake and that she was working to regain the public’s trust after facing backlash for her botched response to the raging fires in her city last month.
"Absolutely it is, and I think that I have to demonstrate that every day by showing what we're doing, what is working, what are the challenges," Bass told NBC Los Angeles when asked if she’s trying to "regain confidence."
The remarks come as Los Angeles faces rainstorms this week, which could create "debris flows" in areas where the fires burned, a landslide risk for what’s left of the disaster that tore through in separate fires in the region. There have already been mudslides in some scarred areas, according to Fox Weather.
Bass was in Ghana for the swearing-in of its president when the fires began, even though there was a high fire risk known at the time. The Palisades Fire started Jan. 7 and escalated through the night, but the mayor did not get back into the city until Jan. 8, and she did not answer repeated questions from a Sky News reporter upon her arrival in the United States.
Bass' silence went viral and led to backlash from residents and social media.
Over 170,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for her to step down as mayor. The situation also resulted in public criticism of the mayor, ranging from former Democratic mayoral opponent Rick Caruso to liberal talk show host Bill Maher.
"LA's mayor, Karen Bass, the Nero of American politics, was fiddling in Ghana while the city burned," Maher said last month.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., suggested that Disney CEO Bob Iger run for mayor in 2026. When pressed on whether she took Khanna's comments personally, Bass shrugged it off.
"I am focused on one thing and one thing only, and that is to make sure that our city is able to recover and rebuild, and that all of those individuals that lived in the Palisades can go home," Bass told NBC Los Angeles.
The nearly 24,000-acre Palisades Fire destroyed over 6,800 buildings, damaged 973 buildings and resulted in 12 deaths, according to state government data.
Political fallout from the fire continues as Steve Soboroff, who's tasked with recovery efforts, was slated to receive a $500,000 payday for the next three months from different charities. However, he will now be doing the job without pay after the amount raised eyebrows as some Californians build back from nothing.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem called the FBI "corrupt" and appeared to accuse the bureau of leaking plans for "large-scale" immigration enforcement plans in the Los Angeles area.
The LA Times published an article Friday that said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would lead the operation, focusing on those without legal status in the U.S. or who have pending orders of removal, according to an internal government document reviewed by the publication.
The document was reportedly circulated among some government officials last week. The Times also reported that a federal law enforcement source who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said LA FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration officers and agents are being called in to assist.
Noem shared the article on X, taking a dig at the FBI.
"The FBI is so corrupt," Noem wrote. "We will work with any and every agency to stop leaks and prosecute these crooked deep state agents to the fullest extent of the law."
ICE sources told Fox News they do not know where Noem got the information or what she is basing it on.
Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi joined "Fox Report" on Sunday, where she discussed immigration enforcement and was asked about leaks within the government.
"Well, you know, if anyone leaks anything, people don’t understand that it jeopardizes the lives of our great men and women in law enforcement, and if you leaked it, we will find out who you are, and we will come after you," Bondi said. "It’s not going to stop our mission. It’s not going to stop the president’s mission to make America safe again."
She also said if people do not want to follow the law, the Department of Justice will prosecute them.
Bondi was then asked about an operation in Denver, Colorado, where individuals used bullhorns to let people know that ICE was coming, advising illegal immigrants of what they should and should not do if approached by agents.
In cases where people inform illegal immigrants that they are in danger, Bondi was asked if anything could or should be done to stop it.
"It very well could rise to the level of obstruction, and we will be looking at every single case where someone jeopardizes the lives of the great men and women in law enforcement, and they will be held accountable," Bondi said. "If you leak, if you do anything, like you said, if you come out with bullhorns that could jeopardize their lives, we will investigate it, and we will come after you."
President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in girls and women's sports Wednesday and vowed the order will also apply to border security for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
During Trump's ceremony at the White House to sign the executive order, he announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will prohibit any transgender athletes attempting to compete as women from entering the country for the Olympics in 2028.
Trump said he will instruct Noem "to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes try and get into the Games."
Earlier Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said part of the motivation behind Trump's executive order would be to create a "pressure campaign" for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and NCAA to follow and prevent transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.
"He does expect the Olympic committee and the NCAA to no longer allow men to compete in women’s sports," Leavitt said. "I think the president, with the signing of his pen, starts a very public pressure campaign on these organizations to do the right thing for women and for girls.
"Again, this is an incredibly popular position. There have been many notable female athletes who have had the courage to speak out against some very powerful institutions in this country. They deserve to have a voice and a say. The president is bringing their voice to the highest level of the White House. He expects these organizations to comply with this federal executive order he will be signing today."
There was controversy surrounding gender eligibility at the Paris Olympics in July and August.
Boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan won gold medals in women's boxing. Both athletes had previously been disqualified from international competitions for failing gender eligibility tests. However, the IOC and current President Thomas Bach voiced support for both athletes. The IOC also insisted that both athletes were biologically female.
Before that, Laurel Hubbard, a transgender woman, competed in weightlifting for the New Zealand team, and Canadian soccer player Quinn came out as nonbinary and transgender in 2020.
With Bach preparing to leave office later this year, the IOC's next president could help carry out Trump's vision on the issue more cooperatively.
Former British Olympic champion Sebastian Coe is a candidate to be the next IOC president and has suggested he will take action to prevent transgender inclusion in women's events.
Coe published a manifesto for his vision as IOC president as he campaigns for the position, and it stressed the importance of protecting female athletes.
Unlike Bach, Coe opposes transgender inclusion in the women's category and said he would explore a complete ban on transgender athletes in an interview with Sky News.
"We will have a very clear policy that will be unambiguous," Coe said. "We've been very clear in World Athletics that transgender athletes will not be competing in the female category at the elite level."
Coe is the current head of World Athletics, the governing body for international track and field competition. In 2023, the governing body tightened its regulations on transgender athletes to exclude transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in the female category. That regulation also lowered the maximum testosterone level for eligible female competitors.
Coe said if he becomes IOC president, the new Olympic policy on transgender inclusion will "probably" reflect the one he has established in World Athletics. Coe has also said the controversy surrounding Khelif and Yu-ting made him feel "uncomfortable."
The United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of winning medals because they lost to transgender athletes.
The study, "Violence against women and girls in sports," said more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.
"The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males," the report said.
FIRST ON FOX: After several Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers were injured by rioters during anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles on Sunday and Monday, the department's largest union representing most rank-and-file officers hopes the "communication break-down" will be investigated.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Los Angeles Police Protective League said "the arrest of individuals that are attacking police officers should be a no-brainer for any competent incident commander."
"Apparently, that did not happen yesterday," they said.
"When those committing violence against anyone, let alone police officers, are allowed to masquerade as peaceful protesters, it sends the wrong message and crushes officer morale," the board said. "We hope this incident is investigated with the same vigor as past crowd control incidents were investigated and those that allowed officers to be attacked are held accountable."
Thousands of demonstrators protesting Trump's mass deportation program descended upon the streets of L.A. on Sunday and Monday, including clogging the 101 Freeway – one of the city's busiest roadways – as hundreds were detained amid scuffles, but later released.
Several altercations between officers and protesters took place, as some hurled objects at police who were equipped with non-lethal weapons and riot gear.
While no arrests were made on Monday, LAPD Chief of Police Jim McDonnell said no stand-down order was given.
"The LAPD closely monitored the situation and the Incident Commander made decisions that prioritized public and officer safety," McDonnell said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
Meanwhile, the incident commander on sight on Monday, Lillian Carranza, told Fox News Digital that "the minute officers were attacked it became an unlawful assembly." Carranza did not clarify whether she gave an order for officers to not make arrests.
"We are all for supporting the peaceful exercise of freedom of speech and assembly not when it turns violent," she said.
Part of the LAPD's "control objectives," as shared by Carranza, includes establishing "a visible, crowd-friendly law enforcement posture" and a "safe and secure arrival, and departure of participants when able." Protecting life, property and facilities, as well as taking action "regarding law violators," were also on the list.
"We don't dispute that the Chief didn't give a stand down order, it was the misguided incident commander that did, and we believe it put officers in danger," the LAPPL board's statement read in part. "The investigation of this incident should focus on where the communication break-down occurred and what needs to happen going forward to keep peaceful protesters and officers safe while also holding violent individuals accountable."
A source familiar with the incident also told Fox News Digital that multiple LAPD officers were "very frustrated" by Monday's directive and detailed confusion in the field.
Many of the protesters over the last two days could be seen carrying signs, waving Mexican and Central American flags and speaking out against Trump’s immigration policies.
"No human is illegal on stolen land," one sign read.
Another one read, "Fight ignorance, not immigrants."
Videos shared on social media show what appeared to be demonstrators spraying graffiti on the freeway walls and vandalizing at least one car that was stopped in the middle of the crowd.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 7,400 illegal immigrants nationwide in nine days amid its aggressive crackdown propelled by the new Trump administration. The agency also said it has placed nearly 6,000 ICE detainers.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mayor Karen Bass's office for comment.
Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Los Angeles city leaders on Tuesday introduced legislation to protect immigrant communities amid unrest due to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigrants.
Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez introduced five proposals aimed at strengthening labor and immigration protections, which he said would address renewed threats of mass deportations, work-site raids and targeted enforcement actions, Fox Los Angeles reported.
"We are here today because, unfortunately, we have a president who wants to scapegoat and attack our immigrant neighbors," Martinez said during a news conference outside City Hall alongside council members Eunisses Hernandez, Imelda Padilla and Ysabel Jurado and several immigrant rights, labor, legal and community groups. "And we are not going to take that lightly.
"The legislation will make sure that we're prepared and that we're ready to fight back, which involves a comprehensive ‘know your rights’ campaign across the entire city so immigrants and employers understand their rights and don't fall victim to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) intimidation."
The legislation will be heard by the council's Civil Rights & Immigration Committee before a vote.
If approved, it would reaffirm the city's commitment to protecting its migrant community from possible deportation. In November, the council and Mayor Karen Bass formally established Los Angeles as a so-called sanctuary city.
The move by Soto-Martinez came after two days of protests during which demonstrators took over the 101 freeway and local streets to oppose Trump's mass deportation plans of illegal immigrant criminals.
An international research group backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos and the progressive George Soros Foundation has made headlines in major news outlets recently for its study claiming that the LA wildfires were caused by "human-induced" climate change.
The World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, founded in 2014 by Dr. Friederike Otto and Dr. Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, has published many scientific studies built on the presupposition that climate change may affect, and even cause, extreme weather events. The group also receives funds from the Grantham Institute and the European Climate Foundation.
On Jan. 28, the research group published what it called a "rapid attribution" study titled, "Climate change increased the likelihood of wildfire disaster in highly exposed Los Angeles area," and was subsequently picked up by several major media outlets.
Some environmental critics are pushing back on the group's rise to notoriety in the media and classified it as "alarmist," fueled by "leftist organizations that are driving the climate narrative."
"They're just trying to manipulate people, and it's effective. It works. I've talked to people that are saying that this is caused by climate change, and it's frustrating," Jason Isaac, founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute, a nonprofit think tank group platforming environmental policies that "promote economic freedom," told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"There's no peer review that's been done on this data," he added. "They rush out a flash study that supposedly found that global warming boosted fire weather conditions in the area by 35% and intensity by 6%. Well, what about the fires that happened in 1895? Who's to blame for those? This is just a geography that's sort of right for this situation to happen from time to time."
Isaac added that California's "poor management" is largely to blame and will "happen when they're telling people they can't clear their land."
Isaac criticized California’s spending priorities, noting that while the state allocates tens of billions of dollars to its climate commitment – originally over $50 billion, later reduced to around $45 billion – it spent roughly $4.2 billion on fire prevention in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
"You would think it would be a major priority for California, because of how susceptible they are to wildfires," he said.
Steve Milloy, former Trump EPA Transition Team member, also told Fox News Digital that the WWA's recent study was problematic, and dubbed it "pal-reviewed."
"There's no peer review going on. It's not science," Milloy said. "You know, this whole attribution thing is bogus. There's no scientific foundation for it. It's good propaganda, because they have the whole system organized where no one in the media asks any questions, they hide the origin and everything, and it makes for good headlines."
Both Milloy and Isaac agreed that there will likely be an uptick in climate change-driven initiatives after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month to axe the Biden-era U.S. climate commitments, which aimed to reduce emissions 61-66% by 2035.
The WWA co-founder, Otto, has previously claimed in a 2022 U.K. magazine article that "Who ‘does science’ is a hugely important issue," and that if "climate change is worked on exclusively by white men, it means that the questions asked are those that are relevant to white men."
"But people most affected by climate change are not white men, so if all these other people are effectively excluded from the scientific process, the problems we have to face in climate change will not be properly addressed and you will not find solutions for how to best transform a society," Otto wrote.
According to the WWA's FAQ page on its website, "rapid attribution studies are published before peer review in order to release the results soon after events have taken place" and adds that its studies are later published in peer-reviewed journals.
"Scientific studies on extreme weather events, going through peer-review, are usually published months or even years after an event occurred, when the public has moved on and questions about responsibilities, rebuilding or relocating have been debated without taking scientific evidence on the influence of climate change into account," the WWA website states.
On its website, WWA lists several papers included in peer-reviewed journals, including in the Weather and Climate Extremes, Environmental Research: Climate and Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, among others.
WWA conducts its studies by analyzing real-world weather data from regional weather stations to determine how rare and intense an extreme weather event is, according to its website. Researchers then compare the likelihood of such events currently with their expected frequency before the widespread burning of fossil fuels in the late 1800s.
WWA researchers occasionally face difficulties that prevent them from providing numerical results in their studies. These challenges may arise, its website states, if there isn’t enough reliable weather data available or if the computer models used for analysis are not well-suited to accurately simulate the specific weather event being studied.
"If a study does not have a conclusive result because of these challenges, that does not necessarily mean that climate change played no role in the weather event," the WWA website states.
WWA did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
An international research group backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos and the progressive George Soros Foundation has made headlines in major news outlets recently for its study claiming that the LA wildfires were caused by "human-induced" climate change.
The World Weather Attribution (WWA) group, founded in 2014 by Dr. Friederike Otto and Dr. Geert Jan van Oldenborgh, has published many scientific studies built on the presupposition that climate change may affect, and even cause, extreme weather events. The group also receives funds from the Grantham Institute and the European Climate Foundation.
On Jan. 28, the research group published what it called a "rapid attribution" study titled, "Climate change increased the likelihood of wildfire disaster in highly exposed Los Angeles area," and was subsequently picked up by several major media outlets.
Some environmental critics are pushing back on the group's rise to notoriety in the media and classified it as "alarmist," fueled by "leftist organizations that are driving the climate narrative."
"They're just trying to manipulate people, and it's effective. It works. I've talked to people that are saying that this is caused by climate change, and it's frustrating," Jason Isaac, founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute, a nonprofit think tank group platforming environmental policies that "promote economic freedom," told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"There's no peer review that's been done on this data," he added. "They rush out a flash study that supposedly found that global warming boosted fire weather conditions in the area by 35% and intensity by 6%. Well, what about the fires that happened in 1895? Who's to blame for those? This is just a geography that's sort of right for this situation to happen from time to time."
Isaac added that California's "poor management" is largely to blame and will "happen when they're telling people they can't clear their land."
Isaac criticized California’s spending priorities, noting that while the state allocates tens of billions of dollars to its climate commitment – originally over $50 billion, later reduced to around $45 billion – it spent roughly $4.2 billion on fire prevention in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
"You would think it would be a major priority for California, because of how susceptible they are to wildfires," he said.
Steve Malloy, former Trump EPA Transition Team member, also told Fox News Digital that the WWA's recent study was problematic, and dubbed it "pal-reviewed."
"There's no peer review going on. It's not science," Malloy said. "You know, this whole attribution thing is bogus. There's no scientific foundation for it. It's good propaganda, because they have the whole system organized where no one in the media asks any questions, they hide the origin and everything, and it makes for good headlines."
Both Malloy and Isaac agreed that there will likely be an uptick in climate change-driven initiatives after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month to axe the Biden-era U.S. climate commitments, which aimed to reduce emissions 61-66% by 2035.
The WWA co-founder, Otto, has previously claimed in a 2022 U.K. magazine article that "Who ‘does science’ is a hugely important issue," and that if "climate change is worked on exclusively by white men, it means that the questions asked are those that are relevant to white men."
"But people most affected by climate change are not white men, so if all these other people are effectively excluded from the scientific process, the problems we have to face in climate change will not be properly addressed and you will not find solutions for how to best transform a society," Otto wrote.
According to the WWA's FAQ page on its website, "rapid attribution studies are published before peer review in order to release the results soon after events have taken place" and adds that its studies are later published in peer-reviewed journals.
"Scientific studies on extreme weather events, going through peer-review, are usually published months or even years after an event occurred, when the public has moved on and questions about responsibilities, rebuilding or relocating have been debated without taking scientific evidence on the influence of climate change into account," the WWA website states.
On its website, WWA lists several papers included in peer-reviewed journals, including in the Weather and Climate Extremes, Environmental Research: Climate and Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, among others.
WWA conducts its studies by analyzing real-world weather data from regional weather stations to determine how rare and intense an extreme weather event is, according to its website. Researchers then compare the likelihood of such events currently with their expected frequency before the widespread burning of fossil fuels in the late 1800s.
WWA researchers occasionally face difficulties that prevent them from providing numerical results in their studies. These challenges may arise, its website states, if there isn’t enough reliable weather data available or if the computer models used for analysis are not well-suited to accurately simulate the specific weather event being studied.
"If a study does not have a conclusive result because of these challenges, that does not necessarily mean that climate change played no role in the weather event," the WWA website states.
WWA did not respond to repeated requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said she does not believe conditions should be placed on federal support for wildfires sweeping through Southern California, after President Donald Trump suggested he wanted wildfire aid to be conditional.
The district Chu represents includes Altadena and northern Pasadena, which have been impacted by the deadly Eaton Fire.
"There have never been conditions laid on disaster aid in the history of America," Chu told Inside California Politics.
"I know that I have voted for disaster aid in red states and for blue states, she continued. "I’ve never considered whether they were Republican or Democrat. And let me say, wildfires have no political affiliations. They don’t have a political party."
This comes after Trump said on Friday that two conditions must be met in California before the federal government offers disaster relief. He said he wants lawmakers to approve voter identification legislation and that water needs to be allowed to flow across the state.
"I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state," Trump told reporters in North Carolina as he was touring hurricane recovery efforts in that state. "Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen."
Trump visited Los Angeles later on Friday to view damage from the wildfires and meet with local officials and residents.
Chu said she wants Trump to tell the working-class victims of her district that they would only see aid to address the devastation if there are conditions.
"I want him to see how these everyday Americans are being terribly devastated and also I want him to hear from their voices," Chu said. "I want him to look, in fact, in the victim’s eyes and say that he wouldn’t provide aid unless there were conditions."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Trump's comments about conditional aid. The governor's office said several other states — including some won by Trump — do not generally require identification at the voting polls and that California residents must provide identification when they register to vote. Newsom's office also said the state pumps as much water as it could under policies from Trump’s first-term.
"Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong," Newsom's office said on X.
Republicans in Congress have suggested tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase or changes to California’s fire-mitigation policies, but Democrats have argued against placing conditions on federal assistance to Southern California.
Tiger Woods' famed annual golfing event, The Genesis Invitational, is being moved from Los Angeles to San Diego after the devastating wildfires damaged the original course.
The PGA announced Friday the event will move 123 miles south to Torrey Pines Golf Course in the La Jolla neighborhood in San Diego, the site of this week's Farmers Insurance Open.
Woods says the event will be a platform to help fire victims.
"We are grateful to the City of San Diego and Torrey Pines for hosting the 2025 Genesis Invitational, and to everyone who has reached out in support of the tournament," Woods said in a statement. "While Riviera remains the home of The Genesis Invitational, we look forward to playing on another championship caliber golf course this year and using the tournament to support those affected by the fires in the Los Angeles area."
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan also expressed gratitude.
"Our thanks to Tiger Woods, TGR Live and Genesis for their leadership in these efforts," Monahan said. "We are grateful to Farmers Insurance, [San Diego Mayor] Todd Gloria and the City of San Diego and the Century Club for extending the invitation to relocate The Genesis Invitational to Torrey Pines."
"Highlighting the resilience of Los Angeles and the need for continued support for the ongoing recovery efforts is what our collective teams are working towards with the playing of The Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines," Monahan added in his statement.
The Riviera Country Club, where the event was originally supposed to be played, was not destroyed by the fires. However, it is dealing with power and water issues, and the tournament is being moved out of respect to fire victims.
The Genesis Invitational is expected to return to The Riviera Country Club in 2026.
"The devastation that is ongoing with the LA fires is such a tragedy and being from California, it hits home," Woods said in a statement shared on his social media platforms. "My heart is with those who have suffered unimaginable loss. Thank you to the incredible heroes that are the first responders helping to contain and save the community of Los Angeles."
The Hughes Fire in Los Angeles has now burned over 10,000 acres and remains just 14% contained, fire authorities in the city announced Thursday.
The Hughes Fire, which was first reported on Wednesday morning, was first located in the unincorporated community of Castaic in northwestern Los Angeles County. It quickly spread thanks to aggressive winds that have plagued fire-fighting efforts for weeks.
More than 4,000 fire personnel are assigned to Hughes Fire, authorities say.
"The weather is what is predominantly driving this fire and its spread right now. A red flag warning remains in effect until 10 a.m. Friday," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said in a statement. "It remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand."
Earlier in the day, Cal Fire urged residents in several regions near the Hughes Fire to leave immediately, including the vicinity of Castaic Lake, Paradise Ranch and the Ridge Route.
"Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW," the Cal Fire alert reads. "The area is lawfully closed to public access."
There have also been reports of a fire in the Sepulveda Pass near Sherman Oaks. The fire was initially reported as one acre, but the Los Angeles Fire Department has since reported all forward progress stopped with the fire held at approximately 40 acres.
"The Evacuation Warning is LIFTED. There are no structures damaged and no injuries reported. Firefighters will remain on scene through the night conducting mop up operations to ensure no hot spots remain. Traffic on the 405 Freeway will likely remain impacted as crews and apparatus work alongside the freeway," the notice stated.
Mayor Karen Bass says that although the fire is being addressed, all Angelenos should heed the warnings from public safety officials.
"Air support and other aggressive actions have been deployed to fight a new fire just east of the 405," she posted to X. "To all Angelenos in the area, follow guidance from public safety officials to stay safe."
The new fires come amid a deadly wildfire season in the Golden State, as firefighters have battled destructive Southern California blazes for weeks.
Fox News' Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.
As wildfires wreaked devastation across Los Angeles, the city official in charge of the fire department was out of the picture – placed on administrative leave in December while he remains under investigation for an alleged bomb threat against City Hall earlier this year.
LA Deputy Mayor Brian Williams’ Pasadena, California home was raided by the FBI last month in connection to the investigation of a bomb threat which was made against City Hall in September. The Los Angeles Police Department referred the case to the FBI after it determined Williams was likely the "source of the threat," FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
"Due to the department’s working relationship with Mr. Williams, the investigation was referred to the FBI," the LAPD said in a statement at the time. "The FBI remains the investigating agency."
Embattled Mayor Karen Bass' office said Williams was placed on administrative leave immediately after the FBI notified the mayor of the search. That happened three weeks before the fires erupted in Los Angeles County, scorching nearly four square miles of urban area, according to the Associated Press.
The Palisades and Eaton Fires are still burning, though heroic efforts by firefighters and calming winds have greatly reduced the rate of spread. At least 27 people have been killed and more than 12,000 buildings and homes destroyed in the blazes. The fires are likely to be among the most destructive in California history, the state fire agency CalFire said.
When the first flames ignited, Bass, 71, was overseas on a diplomatic mission to Ghana. She was part of a delegation President Biden sent to the African nation for the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. She hurried home on a military plane soon after news of the fire emergency reached her, but she did not return to Los Angeles for a full 24 hours after disaster struck.
Her initial absence has prompted harsh criticism from LA residents, who are questioning Bass' leadership amid the crisis. In that context, her decision to put Williams on administrative leave is also under fresh scrutiny.
The Los Angeles mayor's office did not respond to requests for comment.
Bass appointed Williams to be deputy mayor in February 2023 and charged him with overseeing public safety in the city.
Williams was placed in charge of the city's police department, fire department, the Port of Los Angeles Police, the Los Angeles World Airport Police and the city's Emergency Management Department, local news station KABC reported. Williams previously served seven years as the executive director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission.
He also served as deputy mayor under Mayor James Hahn, during which time he oversaw the Department of Transportation, Public Works and Information Technology Agency.
Williams' attorney Dmitry Gorin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gorin previously released a statement denying that his client had anything to do with the bomb threat made against City Hall.
"Mr. Williams strongly maintains his innocence and intends to vigorously fight the allegations. Importantly, he has not been arrested, nor charged, and will continue cooperating with the investigation through attorneys. He has a lengthy career of public service and is presumed innocent of these allegations. We urge the public to allow the investigation process to play out and not to prejudge the facts of this case before they are known," Gorin said last month.
There were many things that preceded the "nonsensical" response from Los Angeles and California state leaders to the devastating wildfires that continue to blaze across the region, according to historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson.
"To mitigate you have to know what went wrong, and there were short-term and long-term problems," Davis, a Hoover Institution public policy think tank senior fellow, told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday interview. "And I don't think climate change played a role, at least a non-immediate role."
Davis described the situation as a "woke green hydrogen bomb" — from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass' absence during the critical first 24 hours of the inferno to empty fire hydrants, a dysfunctional reservoir, a defunded fire department and a lack of new water infrastructure despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's support of the billions of dollars earmarked to address it.
"It's a very fragile system," Hanson said. "What Gavin Newsom did not do is he did not take the allotted money and build the reservoirs that would have accommodated the increased population. Number two, that water that is being pumped across the [Sacramento-San Joaquin River] Delta, he let go out into the bay under the demands of environmentalists. He said in his defense that the reservoirs are full. That's not true. If you look at the biggest one, it's only 75% full, and we are in a semi-drought right now."
Newsom told NBC News in a pretaped interview that aired Sunday, "The reservoirs are completely full — the state reservoirs here in Southern California. That mis- and disinformation, I don’t think, advantages or aids any of us."
But as of Tuesday, Shasta Lake, California's largest reservoir, was at 77% capacity, holding approximately 3.52 million acre-feet of water out of its total capacity of 4.55 million acre-feet, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.
California's existing reservoirs can only hold so much water, and many were built in the mid-20th century.
In 2014, Golden State voters passed Proposition 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act, which authorized $2.7 billion in bonds to increase the state's water storage capacity through building new reservoirs and groundwater storage facilities. Yet as of January, no new reservoirs have been completed under Prop. 1.
In 2024, the state experienced record-breaking rainfall after an atmospheric river event, but the existing water infrastructure faced difficulties managing the sudden influx of water. A significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean as the state struggles to properly store water, multiple California agencies said.
"There was a roughly 120 million gallon reservoir that could have been used because they only had three million in reserve — that would have probably made the difference," Hanson said. "That had been idle for almost a year, and it was because the cover was torn. It was just nonsensical."
The out-of-order reservoir Hanson referred to, known as the Santa Ynez Reservoir in Pacific Palisades, has been closed for repairs since February due to a tear in its covering, which was designed to maintain the water quality, the Los Angeles Times first reported Tuesday.
Hanson has a Central Valleyfarm that relies on snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, he explained.
In California’s Central Valley, farming water typically comes from the Sierra, mainly through the San Joaquin River system, which is supported by major dams like Shaver, Huntington and Pine Flat. That water is often released into the Sacramento River, which flows into the Delta. Despite increasing demand, no new dams have been built on the San Joaquin system in decades.
On the west side of the valley, water comes from snowmelt in northern California’s Cascade Range and northern Sierra, filling larger reservoirs like Oroville and Folsom. These reservoirs were designed to store water during wet years, ensuring a steady supply in average years and a backup for drought years.
However, California has faced a prolonged dry spell, with little rain or snow in recent weeks, causing reservoir levels to drop.
"So when Gavin Newsom says, well, 'they're full,' they're not all full, but they're descending at a rapid rate, because he will not stop the releases to the ocean," Hanson said. "They're still going on, as you and I speak, and they're not pumping 100% of it to the aqueduct, which serves agriculture in Los Angeles."
During an interview with NBC earlier this week, Newsom claimed the reservoirs were full. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Newsom's office said he was referring to the state-managed reservoirs in Southern California.
Newsom, meanwhile, has shifted the blame to local management and ordered an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
"We need answers to how that happened," Newsom wrote to the department's director and the director of Los Angeles County Public Works on Jan. 10, regarding reports of lost water supply.
For his part, Newsom also proposed allocating at least $2.5 billion in additional funding to bolster California's emergency response and recovery efforts in Los Angeles, his office announced on Monday.
The proposed funding would support recovery and cleanup operations, enhance wildfire preparedness and assist in reopening schools closed due to the fires. The funding would come from the state's Disaster Response Emergency Operations Account, with $1.5 billion coming from speeding up the use of climate bond funds for immediate use, according to his office.
There has been a slight increase in containment for the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires burning in Los Angeles County, according to a Wednesday night update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Palisades fire, the larger of the two at 23,713 acres burned as of Wednesday, is at 21% containment after its ignition in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood more than a week ago, according to the department.
The Eaton Fire in the Altadena/Pasadena area was at 45% containment as of Wednesday night. Both fires broke out on Jan. 7.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Bass spokesperson Zack Seidl said, "Mayor Bass is leading our city through one of the worst crises in our history. Hurricane-force winds and unseasonably dry conditions drove these firestorms – misinformation surrounding this crisis has been staggering. Mayor Bass issued a sweeping executive order to clear the way to rebuild homes fast and that will do everything she can to get Angelenos back home. She has secured the federal, state, and local resources we need to continue fighting these fires and is moving forward on an all-of-the-above plan for recovery."
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.
The wildfires that continue to wreak havoc on the Los Angeles region forced LeBron James and his family to leave their home.
The four-time NBA champion confirmed to reporters he has taken up temporary residence in a hotel that has left him feeling "off." James also opened up about his emotional state as he learned that some of his friends lost their homes.
"There’s been a lot of emotions," James said during a news conference. "I have a couple of dear friends that have lost their homes in the Palisades. Obviously, my heart goes out to all of the families all across not only the (Pacific) Palisades, but all across LA County and all the surrounding areas because of the fire and things of that nature. It’s been a lot of emotions.
"Personally, I’ve been off," he added. "Personally, my family, we’ve been evacuated since Thursday night. So, I’ve been in a hotel since pretty much when we got back from Dallas. So, just figuring it out. But staying strong for one another. Obviously, that’s most important."
This is not the first time the James family has evacuated due to fires. In 2019, the family left their home after brush fires broke out near the Getty Center in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. James lives in Brentwood.
James provided updates on his social media feed at the time. He spoke about some of the differences between what his family experienced more than five years ago and what they are contending with now.
"We had that experience and was able to lean on that a little bit," James said. "The difference between ’19 and today, the one in ’19 was in the middle of the night so we had to get going right away. We had a little bit more time before we had to evacuate, so we were able to get some things, get some belongings or whatever the case may be, get some things that meant things to us.
"But our home has definitely not been touched since the moment we left, but it’s still standing and we’re grateful for that. Hopefully, it continues to stand. Just waiting patiently when we’ll be granted to possibly go back to it and be as one under our home."
James said his position as a pro athlete comes with the responsibility of providing fans and the community with at least a brief break from the situation people across the region are facing.
"It’s definitely our job to know that we still have a job to do," James said. "We got to focus on our job but also still be human beings and understanding what real life is all about, too. I hope that by us going on the floor and (by) us playing the way we played tonight — not the way we played against San Antonio — but the way we played tonight and hopefully the next few months or whatever it is, years, until the city is back up, that we as a Lakers franchise and the players that are playing for the Lakers give a sense of hope and pride and excitement and things of that nature.
"Sports has always given people an opportunity to kind of just temporarily forget about whatever they may have been going through. And us being such a big part of the LA community — along with a lot of other sports teams, but we know how important the Lakers is to the community — hopefully we can provide that to a lot of families."
The NBA postponed the Lakers' home games on Jan. 9 and Jan. 11 due to the wildfires. The Lakers were idle on Thursday but return to action Friday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.
A Los Angeles council member, whose district has been devastated by the recent historic wildfires, is demanding accountability from city and state officials after empty reservoirs hindered firefighting efforts, raising questions about how ready the city will be to host world-stage events in the next few years.
"This fire was unlike anything we have ever seen before, but there is no secret that we have chronically underinvested in critical infrastructure and public safety in Los Angeles," Council member Traci Park told Fox News Digital in a Monday interview.
"And I think there are a lot of questions about what more could have been done or could have been done differently, and what it's going to take in Los Angeles to make sure this never happens again," she said.
Following the devastating wildfires that began in the Los Angeles mountains last week, concerns arose over dysfunctional fire hydrants and significant multimillion-dollar reductions of the fire department's budget.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded on Friday by calling for an independent review of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to investigate the water supply issues during the emergency.
"The ongoing reports of loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and to the community," Newsom wrote to LADWP Chief Executive Officer and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones and L.A. County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella in a letter.
"Obviously, I have a lot of concerns about the water," said Park, whose district encompasses the Pacific Palisades, the area which was one of the first and hardest hit by the wildfires.
"I was personally at the command post at Will Rogers as this Volcano of Fire came over our mountain, through our town, all the way to Pacific Coast Highway, and throughout those events into the night, I was anecdotally hearing about our firefighters not having enough water," she said. "And I think we all have questions about the expectations, how are our firefighters supposed to fight fire without the thing they need to do it, that's water?"
Park, who has been collecting critical aid at her Westchester neighborhood office to distribute to her constituents, said she's also concerned about disaster preparedness, as Los Angeles sets itself to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.
"I was concerned about our level of preparation for those events before this happened," Park said, in regard to the wildfires. "And I certainly think that over the last several days, we have seen some of those gaps on full display."
While Park expressed her gratitude for Newsom and "his support at the state level," as well as county and Cal Fire partners, "The reality is, as we are hosting millions of people in our city, and our resources are already spread so thin, it is clear that we have a lot of work to do a lot of strategic planning to continue our preparations for those big events that are coming."
In the months leading up to the wildfires, Los Angeles city officials reduced the fire department's budget by just under $18 million, according to the department.
At the state level, experts and lawmakers are pointing fingers at the top leaders' handling of the state's forestry management and a lesser-known problem: the state's outdated water reserves system. California's existing reservoirs can only hold so much water, and many were built in the mid-20th century.
In 2024, the state experienced record-breaking rainfall after an atmospheric river event, but the existing water infrastructure faced difficulties managing the sudden influx of water. A significant portion of that rainfall was dumped into the ocean.
In 2014, California voters passed Proposition 1, also known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act, which authorized $2.7 billion in bonds to increase the state's water storage capacity through building new reservoirs and groundwater storage facilities. Yet, no new reservoirs have been completed under Prop. 1, according to local reports.
The NBA announced that home games for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers would resume on Monday, after both teams had games originally scheduled for Saturday postponed due to the wildfires sweeping through Southern California.
The Lakers will host the San Antonio Spurs on Monday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles while the Clippers will host the Miami Heat at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, south of the Palisades fire.
The Clippers said at practice Sunday that the league had given the green light for Monday's game. The Spurs said they were told that Monday's matchup with the Lakers would be played as scheduled.
Saturday's games in Southern California, in which the Lakers were initially scheduled to host the Spurs in the first of two consecutive games between the two teams and the Clippers' home game against the Charlotte Hornets, were postponed in response to the fires. The Lakers also had a game previously scheduled for Thursday against the Hornets pushed back.
"I pray this nightmare ends soon!" Lakers star forward LeBron James wrote Saturday on the social media platform X.
The Spurs had to change hotels due to fire concerns after arriving in Los Angeles, while the Heat arrived on Saturday night as scheduled.
The Lakers and Clippers also are both scheduled to host games on Wednesday, when the Lakers play host to the Heat and the Clippers play the Brooklyn Nets.
"When people are losing their homes, kids are losing schools, losing lives, it’s very difficult to approach the game of basketball because life is bigger than basketball," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters. "Hopefully we can bring some kind of joy with the game coming back tomorrow and some togetherness and try to put some smiles on people’s faces in tough times."
Clippers' guard Terance Mann plans to search through a storage unit he keeps for useful items he intends to donate.
"I just want to give a lot of clothes, some money, shoes, whatever I can," he said. "I’m going to go help people out and donate and drive around and do what I can do to help."
Some members of the Clippers organization were forced to evacuate their homes during the fires. The team was on the road when the fires began, and star forward Kawhi Leonard left the team in Denver to help his family in Pacific Palisades evacuate.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said his family's rental home in Pacific Palisades burned on Tuesday night, destroying most of their belongings.
"I was not prepared for what I saw," Redick said Friday. "It’s complete devastation and destruction. I had to go a different way to the house, but I went through most of the village, and it’s all gone. I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself for something like that. Our home is gone."
The Lakers announced a donation drive for their upcoming games, starting Monday. The team has urged fans to bring new, in-the-package items to support the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s relief efforts.
The team's UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo will be used as a drive-thru donation center starting Tuesday, with essential non-food items listed as priorities, but packaged food items are also welcomed.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, which is the players' union, announced on Friday a $1 million donation for immediate relief to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and other organizations working to provide assistance to the victims and recovery efforts.
As those in Southern California continue to deal with wildfire devastation, NFL legend Tom Brady is doing his part to help out the relief efforts.
Brady partnered with Gopuff to deliver $250,000 of free water to those impacted by the wildfires.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power continues to send out alerts saying that unsafe water is in the area due to fire-related toxins in tap water.
So, customers of Gopuff, which has thousands of employees, 160-plus BevMo! Stores and a corporate office in California can use the code "CAStrong" at checkout to have fresh, and free, still water delivered up to $10.
Also, 30% off essentials, including food, batteries, electrolytes and more, is being offered by the company that also announced a donation of $150,000 worth of essentials last week.
"Our hearts are with the thousands and thousands of people impacted by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles," said Yakir Gola, Gopuff co-founder and co-CEO, in a statement. "We are extremely grateful for first responders’ round-the-clock efforts to keep our communities safe and for our team leaders’ tireless efforts to support our employees in the area.
"To do our part to support first responders and anyone who’s impacted locally, we’ve partnered with Tom Brady to give away $250K worth of water to those in the LA area and will continue to monitor the situation and support however we can."
Brady joined Gopuff in June 2024 in a multiyear strategic partnership in which he said he would be hands-on with the instant commerce leader.
"Since my first time using Gopuff, I’ve been amazed by how fast and seamless the deliveries are, offering so many different options right at your fingertips," said Brady in an official press release of the partnership announcement. "I’m excited to be working with the Gopuff team to continue to drive innovation and help create an even better experience for their customers."
California authorities have confirmed a new death toll of 16 as the wildfires continued to rage around Los Angeles on Sunday. Thousands have lost their homes as first responders continue to try to get control over the flames.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has invited President-elect Donald Trump to visit California amid the wildfires and fighting over budget decisions. The governor has faced criticism for approving a budget that slashed $100 million in firefighting and fire prevention funding.
Newsom did issue an executive order on Sunday to remove some regulatory hurdles and procedures to accelerate rebuilding homes and business faster.
The NBA announced that Saturday's home games for both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers have been postponed amid the wildfires sweeping through Southern California.
The Lakers were scheduled to host the San Antonio Spurs while the Clippers were set to host the Charlotte Hornets.
The league has not yet announced makeup dates for the two games, and the league did not disclose if more games will be affected by the fires, as both teams have home games scheduled for Monday and Wednesday and the Lakers have another home game on Friday. The two teams are also supposed to play each other in Inglewood, California, on Jan. 19, when the Clippers will host.
"The NBA and the Clippers and Lakers organizations have been in communication with local officials in Los Angeles and Inglewood about the ongoing situation in the Los Angeles area and the game postponements ensure no resources will be diverted from the wildfire response efforts," the league said in a statement.
Some members of both teams are directly dealing with the impacts of the wildfires, including Lakers coach JJ Redick, whose family's rental home in Pacific Palisades burned on Tuesday night, destroying many of their belongings.
"I was not prepared for what I saw," Redick told reporters. "It’s complete devastation and destruction. I had to go a different way to the house, but I went through most of the village, and it’s all gone. I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself for something like that. Our home is gone."
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association, which is the players' union, announced on Friday a $1 million donation for immediate relief to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and other organizations working to provide assistance to the victims and recovery efforts.
The donation was meant "to support those affected by this disaster," the league said, adding that it is "working with the Lakers and Clippers on ways to support longer term assistance and rebuilding efforts."
The Lakers also had a game previously scheduled for Thursday against the Hornets postponed as well, but it has not yet been rescheduled.
The Lakers are scheduled to host the Spurs again on Monday, when the Clippers are set to host the Miami Heat. On Wednesday, the Lakers are scheduled to host the Heat and the Clippers are scheduled to host the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers are also slated to host the Nets on Friday.
The Clippers said they anticipate that the games starting Monday will be played as scheduled.
"The health and safety of our community and our fans remains our highest priority," the team said.
