(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Friday said the Equal Right Amendment should be considered ratified, but is stopping short of taking any action on the matter in his final days in office.
“I have supported the Equal Rights Amendment for more than 50 years, and I have long been clear that no one should be discriminated against based on their sex,” Biden said. “We, as a nation, must affirm and protect women’s full equality once and for all.”
Biden said he agreed with the American Bar Association, which has said the amendment cleared the necessary hurdles to be added to the Constitution after Virginia in 2020 became the 38th state to ratify it even though that was well past the deadline for ratification.
“It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people,” Biden said. “In keeping with my oath and duty to Constitution and country, I affirm what I believe and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex.”
Political debate around the ERA, which was first introduced in 1923, ramped up after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in 2022 and again after the 2024 election.
In December, more than than 120 congressional Democrats called on Biden to officially ratify the amendment before ceding power to President-elect Donald Trump.
“Solidifying your legacy on equal rights with a final action on the ERA would be a defining moment for the historic Biden-Harris administration and your presidency,” they said in their letter to Biden.
The move prompted a rare statement from the leaders of the National Archives, who contended the amendment couldn’t be certified without action from Congress or the judicial system because states did not meet the deadline established by Congress for ratification.
Lawmakers had set a seven-year deadline in 1972 for state ratification, though later extended it by an additional three years. Efforts by Democrats in recent years to remove the deadline have failed.
“Court decisions at both the District and Circuit levels have affirmed that the ratification deadlines established by Congress for the ERA are valid,” the archivists wrote. “Therefore, the Archivist of the United States cannot legally publish the Equal Rights Amendment.”
Though Biden renewed his call for the ERA to become law of the land, he is not taking any action on the matter before he departs the White House on Monday, according to a senior administration official.
When pressed by reporters whether any steps would be taken in addition to Biden’s messaging, the official “he is using his power of the presidency to make it clear that he believes and he agrees with leading constitutional scholars,” but said he wasn’t taking any specific action.
When asked why the announcement came now, the official said that Biden has supported the amendment for decades but said that he felt strongly about making this push before he leaves office.
If Biden had taken any action to force ratification, it would have likely resulted in a legal fight, experts said.
“At that point, there would be further litigation,” Wilfred Codrington III, a constitutional law professor at Cardozo Law, previously told ABC News. “But really that would just become a question or a conflict between the president and Congress.”
“If Congress is not doing something to suggest that the amendment is ratified, then that’s kind of where the ball is going to end,” Codrington said. “Congress is ultimately the gatekeeper when it comes to amendments.”
The ERA is unlikely to be a priority in the incoming administration or new Congress, where Republicans control the House and Senate. Republicans have argued in the past that the amendment is unnecessary and duplicative.
“That doesn’t seem to be where the Republicans are going,” Codrington said. “But it is notable that states are also another avenue that advocates can look to.”
Codrington pointed to New York voters approving Proposition 1, a measure akin to the Equal Rights Amendment that also includes safeguards to abortion access, during the 2024 election.
(WASHINGTON) — Kristi Noem, South Dakota’s firebrand Republican governor, faced questioning Friday at her confirmation hearing to be secretary of homeland security.
Noem, the daughter of a farmer and a former representative from South Dakota, is being questioned before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
In an exchange with Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Noem said the border is not secure, but it will be soon.
“The southern border is not secure today. But in just three days, we will have a new president in this country, President Donald J Trump, and he will secure our border,” Noem said during the hearing.
She also told Hawley that, if confirmed, she will shut down the CBP One app. Some migrants have used the app in recent years in order to get screened, schedule appointments and make their case for asylum after entering the country.
“Yes, Senator, if confirmed and I have the opportunity to be Secretary, on day one, CBP One will be shut down,” Noem said Friday. “There’s data and information in there that we will preserve so that we can ensure we know who’s coming into this country and who’s already here that we need to go find.”
Noem first came on the national scene during the pandemic and gained notoriety when she did not shut down businesses and schools in the state — instead keeping it open and even hosting a Fourth of July fireworks show at Mt. Rushmore.
“We didn’t mandate anything,” Noem said at the Republican National Convention last July. “We never ordered a single business or church to close. I never even defined what an essential business was, because I don’t believe that the government has the authority to tell you that your business isn’t essential.”
During her last state budget address in December, Noem touted what she called progress on the state economy, education and public safety.
Noem was one of the Republican governors to send National Guardsmen to the southern border to help the Texas National Guard.
If confirmed, border security will be a main concern as Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would fall under her purview at the Department of Homeland Security.
“I have increased resources to combat the horror of human trafficking,” she said in December. “And when President Trump secures the southern border, we’ll cut off the primary pipeline for human trafficking into our country.”
In an interview on Newsmax shortly after President-elect Trump’s election victory, she said the border would be the “No.1 priority.”
“We’ve got to secure our country, and we’ve got to get the murderers and terrorists and rapists out of this country, and make America safe again. That’s really what his goal is. And I’m just so proud of him that he’s working so hard at it immediately,” she said.
A one-time potential vice-presidential prospect, Noem would oversee 22 agencies with more than 260,000 employees — on issues ranging from the border to federal disaster management to the Secret Service.
Earlier this year, she was embroiled in a series of controversies, including drawing scrutiny and a lawsuit over her social media endorsement of a dental work she received from a practice in Texas.
She was also criticized for writing in her new memoir about how she shot and killed her 14-month-old dog “Cricket” after she said it demonstrated an “aggressive personality, and she was forced to admit what she called “errors” in her book, including claiming she once met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That description was removed from the book, according to the publisher.
Trump defended and praised her amid the controversies last year, saying she’s gone through “rough” days but that he likes her “a lot.”
(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general pick, Pam Bondi, made at least $3 million from the merger that formed the parent company of Trump’s Truth Social platform, her new personal financial disclosure filing showed.
According to the filing, Bondi, like “all other shareholders,” received $3 million worth of shares and warrants of the special purpose acquisition company Digital World Acquisition Corporation through a Puerto Rico-based LLC “on the morning of the merger.”
The shares and warrants were then converted to stock in Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) “upon closing of the merger,” the filing said.
Bondi, a former Florida attorney general who represented Trump during his first impeachment, is listed as a “consultant” for the merger.
Additionally, Bondi disclosed owning another $2 million to $10 million in shares and warrants in the Trump Media & Technology Group.
She has pledged to divest her assets from the Trump Media & Technology Group upon her confirmation as attorney general “as soon as practicable but not later than 90 days after” her confirmation, and to “not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter” related to the company.
The disclosure filing also sheds more light on her lobbying and consulting work for Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with close ties to Trump, including that last year she made nearly $1.1 million as the firm’s government and public affairs consultant.
Several of her lobbying clients included sheriffs associations, including the Florida Sheriff’s Association, the Florida Sheriff’s Risk Management Fund and Major County Sheriffs of America, as well as Aiden Torch Financial, Safety Net DC, and iGas USA.
She also earned $520,000 last year from consulting for the pro-Trump think tank America First Policy Institute, and another $203,738 from providing legal serves to Pfizer through the law firm Panza, Maurer, & Maynard, P.A., according to the filing.
Her other notable income from the past year included $27,600 in contributor fees from Newsmax and a $20,000 speaking fee from a conference last year hosted by bitnile.com, an online gaming company.
She also earned between $110,003 and $1 million from renting out commercial real estate properties in Florida.
In all, Bondi, together with her spouse, reported a net worth of up to $20 million, with much of her assets other than her Trump social media company holdings consisting of millions of dollars worth of commercial properties in Florida and South Carolina.
In her ethics agreement, Bondi stated that, if confirmed as U.S. attorney general, she will resign from Ballard Partners, AFPI, and Panza, Maurer, & Maynard.
(WASHINGTON) — Six months after a federal judge dismissed special counsel Jack Smith’s classified documents case against Donald Trump and his two co-defendants, defense attorneys are set to return to Florida to try to prevent the limited release of Smith’s final report detailing his investigation.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who tossed out the case based on the constitutionality of Smith’s appointment, is considering whether to prevent Attorney General Merrick Garland from allowing select members of Congress to view the volume of Smith’s report covering his probe — with Friday’s hearing set to serve as an epilogue to the criminal case that legal experts say once posed the most significant legal threat to the former president.
Earlier this week, Garland released the first volume of Smith’s report related to Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, while withholding the second volume related to Smith’s classified documents probe because Trump’s former co-defendants are still appealing the case.
Garland has proposed allowing the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to see the volume, but Trump’s former co-defendants have argued that even a limited release of that volume should be blocked.
“The Final Report relies on materials to which Smith, as disqualified special counsel, is no longer entitled access — making his attempt to share such materials with the public highly improper,” lawyers for longtime Trump aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago staffer Carlos De Oliveria argued in a court filing, echoing the same argument about the constitutionality of Smith’s appointment that got the criminal case thrown out.
The defense lawyers have argued that releasing the report to members of Congress could result in a leak of its findings, which would keep Nauta and De Oliveria from receiving a fair trial if the appeals court reverses the case’s dismissal.
“Once the Report is disclosed to Congress, this Court will effectively lose its ability to control the flow of information related to privileged and confidential matters in a criminal proceeding,” lawyers for Nauta and De Oliveira wrote. “That makes delaying the issuance of the Final Report until this matter is resolved essential, as there will be no way to put the proverbial cat back into the bag after the Final Report is shared with Congress, and no way to control congressional speech regarding the pending criminal case.”
Trump pleaded not guilty in June 2023 to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information. The former president, along with Nauta and De Oliveira, also pleaded not guilty in a superseding indictment to allegedly attempting to delete surveillance footage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Lawyers for the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe have downplayed the risks of releasing Smith’s report on the case, arguing that the sensitive work products of other special counsels have been reviewed by members of Congress using secure protocols. The four members of Congress who would access Smith’s report would be bound by confidentiality, and would be limited to an on-camera review of the report in which they would be prohibited from taking notes.
“[T]his argument rests entirely on conjecture and disregards the options available to the Court to protect the Defendants from prejudice were this speculative chain of events to come to pass,” prosecutors argued. While Judge Cannon cast the legitimacy of Smith’s appointment into doubt, prosecutors argued that the question of releasing the report no longer relates to Smith — who resigned last week after handing the report in — and is fully in the hands of Garland.
“The Attorney General thus has authority to decide whether to release an investigative report prepared by his subordinates,” their filing said.
(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday he spoke to China’s President Xi Jinping about TikTok and other issues as he prepares to take office in a matter of days.
Trump confirmed the call in a post on his social media platform, calling it a “good one” for both nations.
“It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately,” Trump said. “We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”
The call came just before the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a bipartisan law that could see TikTok banned in the U.S. after Jan. 19 unless its Chinese-owned parent company sells the widely popular app.
The Biden administration doesn’t plan to take action to immediately force TikTok go dark, ABC News has reported, instead leaving it to the incoming Trump administration to implement.
Trump, who tried to ban TikTok in his first term, has now promised to save it. He met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at his Mar-a-Lago club in December, and Chew plans to attend Trump’s inauguration, sources told ABC News.
In addition, Trump had extended an invitation to Xi to attend Monday’s ceremony in Washington. Though experts noted it was unlikely Xi would attend.
But Xi’s special representative, Vice President Han Zheng, will attend, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced Friday.
“We stand ready to work with the new U.S. government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other,” the spokesperson added.
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law set to ban social media platform TikTok in less than 48 hours.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the ruling states. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
It continues, “For the foregoing Per Curiam reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights. The judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is affirmed.”
The court’s ruling was unanimous, with liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor and conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch writing concurring opinions.
In an apparent effort to limit the implications of its ruling, the court said its judgment should not be interpreted as a rebuke of common practices taken up by social media companies, such as data collection.
“We emphasize the inherent narrowness of our holding,” the unsigned ruling says. “Data collection and analysis is a common practice in this digital age. But TikTok’s scale and susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects, justify differential treatment to address the Government’s national security concerns.”
Unless TikTok severs ties with China-based parent company ByteDance, the ban will take effect on Sunday, the day before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.
The ruling follows indication from the Biden administration that it would not enforce the potential ban in the immediate aftermath of the deadline, leaving implementation of the law to Trump. Trump, who opposed the ban, has said he will seek to reverse it.
Trump said he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday morning with TikTok being one of the topics they discussed, according to a Truth Social post.
TikTok — which boasts more than 170 million U.S. users — challenged the sale-or-ban law on First Amendment grounds, arguing that a potential ban would limit the free-expression rights of its users.
Lower courts, however, found merit in security concerns about potential data collection or content manipulation undertaken by the Chinese government.
Even after the ban takes effect, TikTok could remain available for U.S. users.
Rather than force TikTok to take the app dark, the law targets third-party companies like cloud-service providers and app stores. TikTok could circumvent such restrictions, at least temporarily, though experts say the quality of the app would degrade over time.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — A developing winter storm may bring rare snow and ice to cities along the Gulf Coast, from Texas to Florida.
The storm is set to hit the region on Tuesday.
It is too early to say how much snow or ice will fall, but the rare event could pose a major problem on roads and for utility companies.
The last time New Orleans saw measurable snow was 2009, and the last time the city saw more than 1 inch of snow was 1963.
Tallahassee, Florida, last experienced measurable snow in 2018. The city last had more than 1 inch in 1989.
The storm will also bring unusually cold temperatures to the Gulf. The wind chill — what temperature it feels like — will plunge Tuesday to about 21 degrees in Houston, 26 degrees in New Orleans and 28 in Panama City, Florida.
(LOS ANGELES) — At least 25 people have died as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong winds, rage across the Los Angeles area.
Thousands of firefighters are battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. About 82,000 people remain under mandatory evacuation orders and another 90,000 are under evacuation warnings.
Tune into “Good Morning America” on Friday, Jan. 17, as ABC News and ABC owned stations kick off “SoCal Strong” (#SoCalStrong) coverage in support of Los Angeles-area communities amid the devastating wildfires. Coverage continues across ABC News programs and platforms.
Status of Palisades, Eaton fires
The Palisades Fire, which began in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, has destroyed about 5,000 structures. It’s covered more than 23,000 acres and is at 31% containment.
The Eaton Fire north of Pasadena also began on Jan. 7 and has destroyed or damaged around 7,000 structures. It’s burned over 14,000 acres and is at 65% containment.
Eaton Fire containment jumps to 65% The Eaton Fire, which devastated the community of Altadena, has jumped to 65% containment.
With 7,000 structures damaged or destroyed, the Eaton Fire is the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history.
Another Santa Ana wind event possible next week Southern California is getting a break from the powerful winds and low humidity that were helping fuel the wildfires in Los Angeles. Light winds and higher humidity — and even a possible sprinkle — are in the forecast for this weekend.
But another Santa Ana wind event may hit Monday through Wednesday. The strongest winds are forecast for Tuesday night.
The air mass could be even drier this time, with relative humidity potentially dropping below 5%.
-ABC News’ Max Golembo
At least 18 remain missing in LA wildfires: Sheriff’s department
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in an update Thursday that 18 people remain missing after the Southern California wildfires.
Overall, authorities received a total of 43 missing persons reports related to the Eaton and Palisades fires. Of those, 12 were located safe.
Of the 31 people who remained unaccounted for, investigators have recovered the remains of 13 of them, according to the sheriff’s latest update. That leaves 18 people who are currently missing.
Investigators have been searching structures associated with missing person reports using search and rescue personnel and cadaver dogs, the sheriff’s department said.
Since Pacific Palisades spans the jurisdiction of both the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles Police Department, it’s possible that more people remain missing from LAPD lists.
At least 27 believed to be dead from Los Angeles fires
At least 27 people have died in the Eaton and Palisades fires, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said Thursday evening.
Seventeen of the deaths are from the Eaton Fire in Altadena and 10 from the Palisades Fire, according to the medical examiner.
Nearly 30,000 students impacted by fires
There are 29,824 students who have been impacted by the Los Angeles County fires, according to the California Department of Education.
Thirty-three schools have been closed and 10 campuses have been reported damaged or destroyed, the department said.
Fire conditions improving
The powerful winds and low humidity that were helping fuel the wildfires in Los Angeles are now leaving the region.
Winds are rapidly decreasing on Thursday. Peak gusts will drop to 25 to 40 mph in the mountains and 15 to 25 mph in the valleys by the evening.
A red flag warning that’s been in effect in the LA area will expire in the afternoon.
No rain is coming soon, but lighter winds and higher humidity are in the forecast, which decreases the risk of fires.
-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin
California AG announces measures to track, prosecute price gouging
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said his department has opened multiple active investigations into price gouging reports. They’ve also created a new Department of Justice disaster relief task force that’s dedicated to investigating and prosecuting price gouging and other crimes targeting disaster victims, he said.
“Folks across the region are being preyed upon by greedy businesses and landlords, scam artists and predatory buyers looking to make a quick buck off their pain,” Bonta said. “They are seeking to re-victimize the victims of the fires to exploit them in their vulnerable state.”
“These predators are looking at the disaster with dollar signs in their eyes instead of kindness in their hearts. And that is unconscionable. It is despicable, it is disgusting, it is sick, and it’s unacceptable. And most importantly, it is illegal,” he said.
Price gouging is punishable by one year in prison and a $10,000 criminal fine per instance, as well as a civil liability up to $2,500 per violation, he said.
“We will hold you to account, be it landlords, short-term rentals or hotels price gouging evacuees, or predatory buyers swooping in with low ball property offers. Whether it be scams or looting, you can be sure we will hold you accountable,” Bonta said. “Don’t think we’re bluffing and try to call it — you will regret it.”
-ABC News’ Lissette Rodriguez
Landslide spotted in Palisades burn area
A home that survived by the Palisades Fire has now been damaged by a landslide in the burn area.
Cal Fire said teams are in the fire zones analyzing the burn areas to determine places of concern.
‘At least a week out’ from residents returning home: Sheriff
Search and rescue operations are ongoing, and residents forced to evacuate from the fires are still “probably at least a week out” from returning home, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
“We still have a variety of work and structures to go through,” Luna said, noting that some areas are being held because officials believe there may be deceased victims there and crews need to the right resources to process the scenes properly.
The “entire city family is working collaboratively to get you back into your homes and communities as soon and as safely as possible,” LA City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley added.
The sheriff’s department currently has 31 active missing person reports: 24 from the Eaton Fire and seven from the Palisades Fire, Luna said. The LAPD has eight missing persons cases: five were most likely found dead and three remain missing, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said.
Eaton Fire containment jumps to 55%
The Eaton Fire, which destroyed blocks of homes in Altadena, is now 55% contained.
The Eaton Fire has damaged or destroyed 7,000 structures, making it the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history and second-most destructive in state history.
Palisades Fire investigators have more than 150 leads
Officials giving an update on the Palisades Fire on Wednesday said they have generated more than 150 leads as they probe the cause and progress of the blaze.
Jose Medina, acting special agent in charge of the ATF Los Angeles Field Division, said investigators are scouring video from state owned cameras that were in place in the area, from residents in the area and from social media posts.
Investigators have conducted interviews with individuals that initiated the 911 calls and the first responders to the Jan. 7 blaze, as well as the fire that was started in the area and put out on Jan. 1, he said.
Medina appealed to any hikers who were on nearby trails around Skull Rock on the morning of Jan. 7 to contact investigators. “We are talking to individuals about not just what they saw, but what they smelled and they heard,” he said.
“Even if you were in the area and saw or smelled nothing that too could be valuable information,” Medina said.
Asked if rekindling of the Jan. 1 fire appeared the most likely cause, Medina said investigators “are not leading towards anything right now. We’re taking everything in evaluating all the evidence we received, but it’s too early on in the investigation to make any determination.”
-ABC News’ Lissette Rodriguez
Red flag warnings in effect, conditions will improve
Red flag warnings remain in effect as high winds and low humidity, which could fuel wildfires, threaten the Los Angeles area.
Winds are forecast to peak at 40 to 55 mph in the mountains with isolated gusts up to 70 mph. The coast and valleys will see 35 to 50 mph gusts.
These winds will wind down by Wednesday evening. The winds will be much calmer Thursday and Friday.
Crews search for human remains
Urban search and rescue workers are using rakes to move debris as they search for human remains along the Pacific Coast Highway where homes were destroyed by the Palisades Fire.
-ABC News’ Alex Stone
LA County under air quality alert
A new air quality alert has been issued for Los Angeles County until 7 p.m. local time “due to harmful particle pollution levels from windblown dust and ash.”
This pollution can embed deep into the lungs and cause health problems including heart disease symptoms, asthma attacks and an increased risk for respiratory infections.
Health experts and public officials have urged those impacted by the fires to protect themselves from air pollution carried by these winds by staying indoors, wearing protective equipment when needed and taking steps to purify air in the home.
Two people were arrested for arson in separate incidents just outside the fire zone on Wednesday, according to the LAPD.
In one incident, a citizen extinguished a fire in a tree and detained an arson suspect, police said. That suspect admitted to starting the fire because he “liked the smell of burning leaves,” police said.
Later Tuesday night, crews responded to reports of a suspect setting trash on fire, police said. The fire was extinguished. That suspect said she set fires because she enjoyed causing “chaos and destruction,” police said.
Critical fire weather conditions continuing through Wednesday evening
There’s been little to no fire growth at both the Eaton and Palisades fires over the last 24 hours, Cal Fire Incident Commander Gerry Magaña said.
But critical fire weather conditions will continue through Wednesday evening, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone warned.
Winds reached 30 to 40 mph overnight, LA City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said. Powerful 70 mph winds haven’t happened yet but are possible, Marrone said.
Eaton Fire containment jumps to 45%
The Eaton Fire, which decimated home after home in Altadena, is 45% contained Wednesday morning.
With 7,000 structures damaged or destroyed, the Eaton Fire is the second-most destructive fire ever in California and the most destructive ever in Los Angeles.
At least 16 people have died from the Eaton Fire, making it the fifth deadliest in the state’s history.
Newsom executive order targets ‘greedy speculators’
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order on Tuesday intended “to protect firestorm victims in the Los Angeles area from predatory land speculators making aggressive and unsolicited cash offers to purchase their property,” his office said in a statement.
“Taking advantage of the disaster and associated trauma, these predatory and exploitative practices endanger the financial well-being and security of vulnerable victims,” the governor’s office said, vowing “stronger enforcement and prosecution” of those engaging in such activity.
“As families mourn, the last thing they need is greedy speculators taking advantage of their pain,” Newsom said in a statement.
“I have heard first-hand from community members and victims who have received unsolicited and predatory offers from speculators offering cash far below market value — some while their homes were burning,” Newsom added.
“We will not allow greedy developers to rip off these working-class communities at a time when they need more support than ever before.”
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck
Pacific Palisades residents sue Los Angeles
A group of Pacific Palisades residents and businesses impacted by the Palisades Fire has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles against the city’s Department of Water and Power, alleging that the city and its agency were unprepared for the Palisades Fire.
“Plaintiffs are informed and believe that the water supply system servicing areas in and around Pacific Palisades on the date of the Palisades Fire failed, and that this failure was a substantial factor in causing plaintiffs to suffer the losses alleged,” the lawsuit said.
“Further, despite dire warnings by the National Weather Service of a ‘Particularly Dangerous Condition — Red Flag Warning’ of ‘critical fire weather’ which had the potential for rapid fire spread and extreme fire behavior, the LADWP was unprepared for the Palisades Fire,” the suit added.
The suit was filed in the California Superior Court on Monday and seeks damages for the costs, repair and replacement of damaged or destroyed property; cost for alternative living expenses; loss of wages, earning capacity or profits and any other relief a court deems appropriate.
-ABC News’ James Hill
LA medical examiner issues correction after reporting 25th fire victim
At least 25 people have died in the Los Angeles fires, the LA County Medical Examiner clarified Tuesday night.
The medical examiner issued a correction just hours after it had announced a 25th victim. In its update, the office explained that what it had counted as an additional death from the Eaton Fire was determined to be non-human remains.
Shortly after, the medical examiner reported an additional death from the Palisades Fire, bringing the total back to 25.
There have been at least 16 victims from the Eaton Fire and nine victims from the Palisades Fire.
Palisades Fire now 18% contained
The Palisades Fire, which has spread 23,713 acres, is 18% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to Cal Fire.
Death toll from Los Angeles fires rises to 25 The LA County Medical Examiner’s Office said the suspected death toll from the Los Angeles fires now stands at 25.
Of the deaths, 17 are linked to the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area and eight are linked to the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, the medical examiner’s office said in an update Tuesday.
Red flag warnings in place through Wednesday evening
The “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warnings are in effect through noon on Wednesday as the high winds, low humidity and dry fuel cause a major risk for fires. The regular red flag warnings last until 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The dangerous, gusty winds will die down slightly Tuesday evening before picking up again overnight and Wednesday morning.
Gusts may climb to 45 to 70 mph, which could spark new fires, spread existing fires and topple trees and power lines.
-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin
Air quality alerts remain in effect
Air quality alerts remain in effect in Southern California as the wind-blown dust and ash from the Palisades and Eaton fires cause harmful pollution levels from Santa Monica and LA south to Newport Beach and inland to San Bernardino.
The poor air quality is expected to continue through at least Wednesday night.
Status of Palisades, Eaton fires
The Palisades Fire, which began in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, has destroyed about 5,000 structures. It’s covered more than 23,000 acres and is at 17% containment.
The Eaton Fire north of Pasadena also began on Jan. 7 and has destroyed or damaged around 7,000 structures. It’s burned over 14,000 acres and is at 35% containment.
Super scooper damaged by drone ready to be back in the air
The super scooper firefighting plane that was damaged by a drone last week has been repaired and will be available to respond to fires as of 11 a.m. local time Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.
Firefighters had ‘never seen destruction like this’
LA City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said she and LA Mayor Karen Bass went on an aerial survey of the devastated areas to see the size, scope and complexity of the fires.
The “massive, massive destruction is unimaginable until you actually see it,” Bass said. “I think of the families … we are going to continue to stand with you.”
Bass said after the aerial tour she spoke to firefighters who’ve been on the job for decades. She said the firefighters told her they’d “never seen destruction like this” or winds this fierce.
As the fire danger continues, the mayor said residents looking to help first responders can do so by being prepared.
Bass said residents under evacuation warnings, not evacuation orders, should consider leaving their homes when the warning is issued to avoid the traffic jams so many experienced last week.
Next 24 hours will be very dangerous, sheriff warns
The next 24 hours will be very dangerous as high winds blow through the Los Angeles area, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna warned.
He urged residents to follow evacuation orders, noting that many people who waited until the last minute to evacuate last week suffered significant burns.
“We don’t want you to impact your own life or the life or your loved ones,” Luna said.
The sheriff’s department is following 24 missing persons cases, all adults, Luna said. The LAPD said it has 13 active missing persons cases, two of whom are believed to be dead.
No more remains were found when crews searched the hard-hit Altadena area on Monday, the sheriff said.
Wind gusts reach 72 mph overnight
Dangerously high winds that could fuel wildfires are impacting the Los Angeles area Tuesday and Wednesday.
The highest wind gust recorded so far was 72 mph in the western San Gabriel Mountains, which is in northern LA County.
A 50 mph wind gust was recorded in Malibu Hills.
The gusty winds will spread from the mountains into the valleys and the canyons by Tuesday afternoon.
A slight break in the wind is expected Tuesday evening before the rough winds pick back up Wednesday morning.
The winds will stay strong into Wednesday afternoon and then finally begin to relax Wednesday night into Thursday.
‘Dangerous’ winds to pick up across Los Angeles, Ventura counties
A “particularly dangerous situation” with a red flag warning will go into effect in western Los Angeles County and most of Ventura County on Tuesday, weather officials said, with winds threatening to further fuel historic Southern California wildfires.
The warning begins at 4 a.m. local time. Winds are forecast to gust between 45 mph to 70 mph, with relative humidity as low as 8%.
Winds overnight and early on Tuesday have been gusting up to 67 mph in the mountains near Los Angeles. The West San Gabriel Mountains have seen gusts up to 67 mph, with the Central Ventura County Valley hit about 66 mph.
The strongest gusts are expected Tuesday morning and early afternoon, which will then be followed by a break in the evening. More gusty winds are expected Wednesday morning.
-ABC News’ Max Golembo
Firefighters stop forward progress of Auto Fire
Firefighters stopped forward progress of the Auto Fire in Ventura County late Monday night, the Ventura County Fire Department said, with the blaze mapped at 55.7 acres with 0% containment.
Firefighting teams “remain on scene mopping up hotspots and working to increase containment,” the department said. “The fire was confined to the river bottom and no structures were threatened. The cause of the fire Is under investigation.”
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck
LA mayor issues executive order to expedite rebuilding
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order late Monday that her office said “will expedite the rebuilding of homes, businesses and communities” devastated by local wildfires.
“This order is the first step in clearing away red tape and bureaucracy to organize around urgency, common sense and compassion,” Bass said in a statement. “We will do everything we can to get Angelenos back home.”
The order was issued as dangerous wind conditions threatened additional homes across the Southern California area.
“This unprecedented natural disaster warrants an unprecedented response,” Bass said.
A mayor’s office press release said the executive order will coordinate debris removal from all impacted areas, expedite all building permit activity and take immediate action to make 1,400 units of housing available.
The order also set a one-week deadline for all city departments to list relief needed from state and federal authorities.
-ABC News’ Tristan Maglunog
More firefighting resources being deployed ahead of extreme fire weather
Additional firefighting resources will be allocated in advance of the extreme fire weather forecast this week in Southern California, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Monday.
That includes more than 300 additional firefighting personnel and 135 engines — making for more than 15,000 personnel total and 1,900 fire engines, water tenders, aircraft and bulldozers combined in the ongoing fire response, the office said.
How the Palisades Village managed to survive the firestorm
The Palisades Village is largely unscathed amid the devastating Palisades Fire, even as buildings across the street burned to the ground.
That’s because the owners of the outdoor mall hired private tankers to fend off the flames as the fire encroached, ABC News Chief National Correspondent Matt Gutman reports.
Tankers could be seen on Monday preparing for the next Santa Ana wind event forecast for this week.
Newsom proposes additional $2.5B in firestorm response
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed that the state provide an additional $2.5 billion in funding for its firestorm response and recovery efforts.
Newsom signed a proclamation on Monday that expands the scope of the state legislature’s current special session “to further boost response and initial recovery efforts for Los Angeles,” his office said in a press release.
The governor is requesting $1 billion to go toward the emergency response, cleanup and recovery in the Los Angeles wildfires, as well as $1.5 billion in funding to prepare for the threats of firestorms and other natural disasters, according to the proclamation.
Speaker of the Assembly Robert Rivas said in a statement that the assembly members “are listening to their residents and will bring feedback to the discussion as we consider the Governor’s proposal.”
9 people charged with looting in Palisades, Eaton fires: DA
Nine people have been charged with looting in connection with the Palisades and Eaton fires, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Monday.
“There have been certain people that we have given a warning to because we anticipated that this was half was going to happen, and these are the criminals,” Hochman said during a press briefing. “These are the people who are seeking to exploit this tragedy for their own benefit.”
Among those charged are three people accused of stealing more than $200,000 in property in a burglary last week at a house in Mandeville Canyon during an “evacuation situation,” Hochman said.
A man has also been charged with arson in a fire that occurred in the city of Azusa on Friday, Hochman said.
Homeowners, renters sue utility company over Eaton Fire
Four separate lawsuits were filed Monday against Southern California Edison, a utility company in California, by homeowners and renters who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire. The lawsuits each allege the company failed to de-energize all of its electrical equipment despite red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service.
-ABC News’ Laura Romero
Over 80,000 without power as red flag warnings expand
More than 80,000 customers in California are without power as Southern California Edison starts shutting off power in parts of Southern California ahead of the next wind event, which begins Tuesday.
Areas under a high risk for rapid fire growth have expanded.
Biden: ‘Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost’
President Joe Biden said in a new statement, “Our hearts ache for the 24 innocent souls we have lost in the wildfires.”
Biden said he continues to be “frequently briefed” on updates. He said he’s “directed our team to respond promptly to any request for additional federal firefighting assistance,” adding that his team is “laser-focused on helping survivors and we will continue to use every tool available to support the urgent firefight as the winds are projected to increase.”
“To the brave firefighters and first responders working day and night to suppress these fires and save lives: our nation is grateful,” Biden said. “You represent the best of America and we are in your debt.”
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Areas for worst wind conditions this week
The National Weather Service has highlighted these three areas where officials believe there’s the highest chance for explosive fire growth this week. The Hurst Fire is in the highlighted area and the Palisades Fire is near the highlighted area.
The extreme fire risk will last from 4 a.m. Tuesday to noon Wednesday.
Winds could climb as high as 45 to 70 mph and humidity could be as low as 8 to 15%.
-ABC News’ Max Golembo
Crews finding remains in Altadena: Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said he knows displaced residents want to return to their neighborhoods, but he warned, “we are in the third day of grid searching” in Altadena.
“It is a very grim task,” he said, noting that every day crews are finding people’s remains.
Twenty-three people have been reported missing: 17 from the Eaton Fire and six in the Malibu area, the sheriff said.
Severe fire conditions to continue through Wednesday
Severe fire weather conditions — high winds with low humidity — will continue through Wednesday, keeping the fire threat in all of Los Angeles County critical, LA Fire Chief Anthony Marrone warned at a news conference.
Amid the “unprecedented disaster,” Marrone shared positive news that the Eaton Fire in Altadena didn’t grow at all on Sunday.
The Eaton Fire has damaged or destroyed over 7,000 structures, Marrone said. He said damage inspections for dwellings are 26% completed.
The super scooper firefighting plane damaged by a drone last week has been repaired, Marrone said. Crews are waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration to give the OK to send the plane back in the air.
Ukraine offers aid
Ukraine may send rescuers to help fight the devastating fires in California, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“The situation there is extremely difficult, and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives,” Zelenskyy tweeted. “This is currently being coordinated, and we have offered our assistance to the American side through the relevant channels. 150 of our firefighters are already prepared.”
Firefighters from Mexico and Canada have also been deployed to California.
Edison International can’t rule out equipment role in wildfires, CEO says
Pedro Pizarro, the president and CEO of Edison International, told “Good Morning America” on Monday that the company cannot yet rule the possibility that its energy infrastructure played a role in sparking wildfires now raging around Los Angeles.
Fire agencies are investigating whether Southern California Edison — a subsidiary of Edison International — infrastructure sites caused fires in areas devastated by the Eaton and Hurst wildfires.
“You can’t rule out anything ever until you can get your eyes on the equipment,” Pizarro said.
“Typically, when there’s a spark created by equipment, we will see the electrical anomaly — we haven’t seen that,” Pizarro said of a possible incident involving Edison infrastructure and the Hurst Fire burning outside of San Fernando.
“That said, we have not been able to get close to the equipment,” he continued. “As soon as we can get close to it, we’ll inspect and be transparent with the public.”
“We may find something different,” Pizarro added.
Pizarro said Edison also recorded damage to equipment at the site of the Eaton Fire in the mountains north of Pasadena. “We don’t know whether the damage happened before or after the start of the fire,” he said.
Pizarro said that Edison International will be shutting off power to some California residents as a precaution amid red flag warnings.
“We have about 450,000 customers who we’ve warned they may need to have their power shut off,” Pizarro said.
High winds threaten explosive fire growth
Weather officials have issued a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warning for western Los Angeles County and most of Ventura County beginning on Tuesday at 4 a.m. into Wednesday at noon.
Winds are forecast to be strong enough to potentially cause explosive fire growth.
A new Santa Ana wind event is forecast Monday through Wednesday with the strongest winds Tuesday into Wednesday.
On Monday morning and the rest of the day, winds will begin to pick up in the mountains and higher elevations, gusting 20 to 30 mph, locally as high as 50 mph.
By Tuesday morning at 4 a.m., when the “PDS” conditions begin, gusts in the mountains are expected to near 70 mph possibly and humidity could be as low as 8% for some of the area.
-ABC News’ Max Golembo
68 arrested, many for burglary, in fire evacuation zones, police say
At least 68 people have been arrested in fire evacuation zones, according to law enforcement officials, as police work to secure devastated parts of Los Angeles and firefighters continue to battle wildfires.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it recorded 29 arrests — 25 in the Eaton Fire area north of Pasadena and four in the Palisades Fire area in western Los Angeles.
The Santa Monica Police Department reported 39 arrests in evacuated areas in its jurisdiction on Saturday night, including 10 for burglary and six for possession of burglary tools. None of those arrested lived in the area, the department said.
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck
Forecast calls for ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ for fires, Newsom warns
Gov. Gavin Newsom warned late Sunday that the week was beginning with a forecast for a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” for new wildfires, even as the firefight against the several fires still burning continued.
“Emergency responders are ready tonight. Pre-positioned firefighters and engines are spread around Southern California,” he said on social media. “Stay safe. Be ready to evacuate if you get the order.”
The warning, which comes from the National Weather Service, says that the fire risk is high in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties amid strong winds, a lack of recent rainfall and relatively low humidities. The warning begins Monday night and runs through Wednesday morning, the service said.
It’s is the fourth of its kind in three months, Newsom said. The first came ahead of the Mountain Fire in Ventura, which destroyed 243 structures. The second preceded the Franklin Fire in Malibu, which destroyed 20 structures.
And the third preceded the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which have now destroyed thousands of homes and structures, he said.
Death toll in Los Angeles fires rises to 24
There have been at least 24 fire-related deaths in the Palisades and Eaton Fires, according to the latest tally from the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner.
The number of fatalities is expected to rise as officials continue to battle the dual fires.
According to the medical examiner, there have been 16 confirmed deaths linked to the Eaton Fire and eight fatalities due to the Palisades Fire.
Los Angeles Unified School District reopening some schools Monday
Los Angeles Unified School District announced some schools are reopening Monday, depending on the location of the institution and the weather conditions.
LAUSD said school principals will contact communities directly.
ABC News confirmed that some community members received calls on Sunday about schools reopening.
The district has over 1,500 schools serving roughly 600,000 students in grades K–12. Schools across the district have been closed due to fires since Thursday.
(LONDON) — A ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Hamas, with the Qatari prime minister announcing the deal Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, the November ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. Israeli forces also remain active inside the Syrian border region as victorious rebels there build a transitional government.
Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.
Israeli cabinet approves ceasefire deal
The Israeli cabinet met Friday and voted to approve a ceasefire deal reached between Hamas and Israel.
The deal now needs approval from the government before it is ratified by Israel.
The ceasefire is on track to go into effect on Sunday.
Israeli cabinet meeting after Netanyahu says there is a deal
The Israeli cabinet is currently meeting to to discuss and ratify the ceasefire deal reached with Hamas.
“The political-security cabinet discussion began at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem,” read a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released on Friday. “Earlier, an operational security situation assessment was held regarding the implementation of the agreement, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, together with the negotiating team that returned from Doha.”
If a deal is reached, Netanyahu’s office said that hostages could be released as early as Sunday, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Hostage release could begin as soon as Sunday
Hostages could be released as early as Sunday, according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
“Subject to approval by the Cabinet and the government, and the entry into force of the agreement – the release of the hostages can be realized according to the planned outline, in which the hostages are expected to be released as early as Sunday,” the statement read.
Netanyahu’s cabinet has yet to vote on the agreement and a vote has been delayed twice so far on Friday morning.
Gaza’s Civil Defence Agency has said that more than 100 Palestinian’s have died since the initial announcement on Wednesday.
Netanyahu says hostage deal has been reached
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was informed by the negotiating team that “agreements have been reached on a deal to release the hostages,” his office said in a statement.
Netanyahu’s security cabinet will meet Friday, the statement added. Then, Netanyahu’s cabinet will convene to “approve the deal,” the statement said.
The hostage families have been informed of the agreement, and preparations are being made for their return, the statement said.
86 Palestinians killed in IDF strike since deal announced
At least 86 Palestinians have been killed and 250 others were injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since the ceasefire agreement was announced on Wednesday.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed it has hit at least 50 targets for the second day in a row.
Israel preparing for return of hostages
Israel is preparing for the return of hostages, with its rehabilitation department and the Israel Defense Forces on full alert, according to the Ministry of Defense.
“They will provide all necessary assistance and support to the returning hostages and their families in all aspects, emphasizing close medical and mental health care and support, and will enhance emotional support and guidance for all families,” the ministry said in a statement Thursday.
Israeli cabinet to ratify deal on Friday
The Israeli cabinet will meet on Friday to discuss and ratify the ceasefire deal reached with Hamas, according to a senior Israeli official.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Ceasefire held up by Hamas demands: Israeli official
A day after a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was announced, the agreement is being held up by disagreements between the two sides, according to a senior Israeli official.
“The hold up is due to new demands by Hamas that Israel will never agree to. Among them, issues regarding Palestinian Prisoners,” an Israeli official told ABC News.
Hamas has denied that it has made more demands and said it is abiding by the ceasefire deal announced on Wednesday and said the ceasefire urgently needs to be implemented.
“Regarding the claims of Netanyahu’s office, I confirm that Hamas is committed to what was agreed upon and to the ceasefire agreement that was announced by the mediators; and no amendments were added. I hope that such statements from Netanyahu’s office are not an attempt to evade their commitment to the ceasefire agreement,” a senior Hamas official told ABC News.
The two sides are also at odds over who controls the Philadelphi corridor — a stretch of land separating Gaza and Egypt. This has been a sticking point throughout months of negotiations.
Israel is accusing Hamas of making a “last minute demand to change the deployment of IDF forces in the Philadelphi corridor,” Israeli spokesman David Mencer said at a press conference Thursday.
Israel wants to retain control of the corridor, saying it needs to do so to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hamas.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Hamas ‘desperate’ for Gaza ceasefire deal, Kirby says
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told “Good Morning America” on Thursday that Hamas is “desperate” for a ceasefire deal in Gaza after more than a year of intense fighting.
“Hamas is in a much weaker position now than they were in May when this deal got put on the table,” Kirby said of the ceasefire agreement, a version of which was tabled by President Joe Biden’s administration last summer.
“They’re also more isolated with a ceasefire with Israel and Hezbollah — they can’t count on Hezbollah coming to their aid, Iran is weaker,” Kirby said of Hamas. “There have been a lot of developments that have put Hamas in a situation where they were more desperate to get to a deal. That’s where we are.”
Pressure from President-elect Donald Trump and his team “sent a strong signal to everybody in the region,” including Hamas, the surviving hostages in Gaza and their families, Kirby acknowledged.
“This new Trump team will have to implement this deal which is why President Biden made sure we were keeping them informed and coordinating with them all the way through this process,” Kirby said.
Kirby spoke with GMA shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office accused Hamas of trying to renege on parts of the ceasefire agreement, which is yet to be ratified by the Israeli cabinet.
“We’re confident that we’re going to be able to start implementing it on Sunday,” Kirby said, though added there are some “implementing details that still need to be ironed out” with Israel.
As to the future of Gaza, Kirby said Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in control.
“Post-conflict Gaza, all the governance that needs to happen there, meeting the aspirations of the Palestinian people, all that needs to be ironed out, and it’s going to have to be done regionally,” Kirby said.
A collective day-after plan will have to ensure that “Hamas cannot return, cannot be in power, cannot threaten Israel and yet all the aspirations for safety and security of the Palestinian people can be met, as well as those of the Israeli people.”
Of the U.S. hostages slated for possible release, Kirby said the White House knows “several that are still alive.”
“We don’t have perfect visibility on every single one, but I think we have a pretty good sense,” he added. “We know who is going to be coming out in this first tranche. There will be additional Americans coming out in follow-on tranches.
Israeli military will stay in Philadelphi corridor, source says
A senior political official confirmed to ABC News that the Israel Defense Forces will remain in the Philadelphi corridor — the strip of land separating Gaza from Egypt — throughout the first phase of the nascent ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Israeli troops will remain in the corridor throughout the first 42 days of the ceasefire process, the official said, their footprint remaining at its current size with forces deployed in “outposts, patrols, observations and control along the entire length of the axis.”
The official added that if peace talks fail during the first phase of the ceasefire, Israeli forces will stay in the corridor.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Hamas ‘committed’ to ceasefire, statement says
Hamas said on Thursday they were “committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by the mediators.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier said the organization had attended to renege on “parts” of the agreement.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta
Israel says Hamas trying to renege on parts of deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that Hamas was attempting to renege “on parts of the agreement reached with the mediators and Israel in an effort to extort last minute concessions.”
“The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement,” the statement said.
The Israeli cabinet is due to meet on Thursday to approve the ceasefire agreement that was announced on Wednesday. The ceasefire is due to begin on Sunday.
Officials involved in the matter told ABC News the Israeli negotiating team is still in Doha, Qatar, where negotiations have been held.
-ABC News Bruno Nota and Jordana Miller
ICRC ready to facilitate hostage releases, Gaza aid
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement it is “ready to help implement the agreement reached by the parties and bring hostages and detainees home,” as mediators and combatants in Gaza prepare for Wednesday’s ceasefire deal to come into effect on Sunday.
The ICRC has previously helped facilitate the release of 109 hostages and 154 detainees, the organization said in its statement, describing such operations as “highly complex” and requiring “meticulous logistical and security planning to minimize the risk to life.”
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said she hopes Wednesday’s agreement “marks a new beginning.”
“Civilian lives must be protected and their needs prioritized,” she added.
“The coming days are critical and we are counting on the parties to hold to their commitments. While the agreement is welcome, it is not the end. There are immense humanitarian needs that must be addressed, which will take months, if not years.”
Khamenei claims Hamas victory in ceasefire
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Gaza ceasefire deal announced Wednesday showed Israel was “forced to retreat.”
“It will be written in books that there was a mob who once killed thousands of children & women in Gaza,” Khamenei said in a post to X.
“Everyone will realize” that the patience of Palestinians and the “steadfastness” of Hamas and other militant groups delivered victory over Israel, the Iranian leader said.
2 American hostages expected to be released in 1st phase of deal: Official
Two living Americans are expected to be among the 33 hostages in Gaza released as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, a senior administration official told reporters Wednesday.
Keith Siegel and Sagui Dekel-Chen are both expected to be released, with Siegel qualifying for release due to his age and Dekel-Chen because of an injury after being shot on Oct. 7, the official said.
“We’re now very hopeful that we begin to see hostages come home as early as Sunday,” the official said.
Edan Alexander, a third living American hostage, will fall in the second release phase because of his Israeli military service, the official said, adding that the U.S. remains fully committed to getting him out.
The remains of four American hostages also remain in Gaza, President Joe Biden said. The remains of deceased hostages will be returned in phase three, he said.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Kelsey Walsh
12 people killed in Gaza City bombings: Civil Defense
Twelve people were killed and at least 20 people were injured after bombings in Gaza City within the past hour, Gaza’s Civil Defense said.
The attacks were reported after the announcement of a hostage and ceasefire deal, the first phase of which isn’t set to go into effect until Sunday.
-ABC News’ Sami Zyara
Biden announces ceasefire deal
President Joe Biden released a statement saying Hamas and Israel had agreed to a deal, “after many months of intensive diplomacy,” by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
“I laid out the precise contours of this plan on May 31, 2024, after which it was endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council,” Biden said in the statement. “It is the result not only of the extreme pressure that Hamas has been under and the changed regional equation after a ceasefire in Lebanon and weakening of Iran — but also of dogged and painstaking American diplomacy. My diplomacy never ceased in their efforts to get this done.”
Biden also highlighted the three living American hostages who are still being held, and the four remains of American hostages yet to be returned.
What comes next in ceasefire process?
While a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Hamas and Israeli negotiators, the Israeli government still needs to approve the deal.
The deal is expected to be approved, but it will take several votes.
Netanyahu says Philadelphi snag was resolved
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in a statement that the snag about control of the Philadelphia axis — the strip of land between Gaza and Egypt — has been worked out.
However, his office said they are still working out several unresolved issues.
“In light of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s firm stance, Hamas has backed down on its demand at the last minute to change the deployment of forces on the Philadelphia axis,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “However, there are still several unresolved clauses in the outline, and we hope that the details will be finalized tonight.”
Trump celebrates ceasefire, takes credit for deal
President-elect Donald Trump immediately posted on Truth Social about the agreement on the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
He wrote, in all caps, “WE HAVE A DEAL FOR THE HOSTAGES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY. THANK YOU!”
He then also followed that up with a post taking credit for the deal, though the Biden administration has also been involved in the negotiations.
“This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies,” Trump wrote.
Israel and Hamas reach ceasefire agreement
A ceasefire agreement has been reached between Israel and Hamas, more than 15 months into the conflict.
A new round of ceasefire negotiations began on Jan. 3 in Qatar. Delegations from Israel and Hamas were dispatched to Doha to resume the negotiations, which were brokered by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The Biden administration also helped broker the talks.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken had previously told reporters the United States wanted a ceasefire deal in Gaza and all remaining captives released before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Blinken on Jan. 6 reported “intensified engagement,” including by Hamas, on reaching a deal, though he added, “We are yet to see agreement on final points.”
A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has hit a last-minute snag, with both sides at odds over the Philadelphia axis, a piece of land separating the Gaza Strip and Egypt, according to an Israeli source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
“The Israeli negotiating team was recently informed that the Hamas terrorist organization decided at the last minute to make new demands – this time regarding the Philadelphia axis, in contrast to the maps that have already been approved by the cabinet and American mediators. Israel strongly opposes any changes to these maps,” the Israeli source told ABC News.
Hamas has given green light to ceasefire deal, sources say
Two sources close to the ceasefire negotiations tell ABC News Hamas has given the green light to the agreement.
“We are very close,” the sources said. “The goal (is) an agreement today or tomorrow.”
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
IDF attacks 50 Gaza targets as ceasefire deal nears
The Israel Defense Forces and Israeli intelligence agencies coordinated to attack around 50 targets across the Gaza Strip in the previous 24 hours, the IDF said in a Wednesday morning post to X.
The attacks targeted Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the IDF said.
It reported strikes in Gaza City in the north of the strip, Khan Younis in the south and Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
The targets included “terrorist cells, weapons depots, underground infrastructure, anti-tank positions and military structures,” the IDF said.
The latest wave of strikes came as ceasefire negotiators in Qatar reportedly neared a deal to pause — and eventually scale down — the 15-month-old war.
Israel, Hamas agree on core elements of Gaza ceasefire, but haggling over details: US officials
Israel and the highest ranks of Hamas have now agreed to the core elements of the hostage release-ceasefire deal on the table, but both sides are continuing to haggle over the details of the proposal, according to two officials familiar with the negotiations.
The outstanding differences are seen as relatively minor, but talks are expected to continue into Wednesday, the officials said.
Many of the items that are still being ironed out are tied to stubborn sticking points that have emerged in the past, like the operation of the Rafah border crossing and Israeli security concerns connected to the movement of displaced Palestinians back to their homes in northern Gaza.
The disagreements are unlikely to derail progress at this point, according to the officials.
Two of the three Americans that are possibly alive inside Gaza are poised to be released in the initial days or weeks of the ceasefire if an agreement is reached, but an official said they expect the releases will happen slower than they did during the truce in November 2023.
While they don’t have recent proof of life for the two Americans, the assumption is that they and most — but not all — of the 33 hostages freed under the deal will be returned alive.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
Israel waiting to hear back from Hamas on ceasefire agreement
Israel is currently waiting to hear back from Hamas on the most recent draft language of a ceasefire deal, sources told ABC News.
The two sides are reportedly closer to an agreement than ever before, according to a spokesperson for Qatar Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani.
“The ongoing talks in Doha regarding Gaza are fruitful, positive and focus on the final details. Meetings are underway in Doha between the parties to the agreement and we are awaiting updates from them,” the spokesperson told ABC News.
Implementation of the agreement will begin shortly after it is announced, according to the spokesperson.
Qatar expecting ceasefire deal ‘soon’
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said at a Tuesday briefing that participants in the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha are close to a ceasefire deal.
“We expect the agreement to be announced soon,” the spokesperson said during the press conference.
Qatar is a key mediator between Israel and Hamas and has hosted several rounds of ceasefire talks in the capital Doha.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta
61 Palestinians killed in Gaza as ceasefire talks continue
The Gaza Ministry of Health said Tuesday that Israel Defense Forces strikes killed at least 61 Palestinians in the previous 24 hours and injured 281 more in the Hamas-run territory.
The total number of Palestinians killed since the war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, is now 46,645 with 110,012 people injured, according to the ministry.
-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian
Hamas says Gaza talks are in ‘final stages’
Hamas said in a statement Tuesday that ceasefire, prisoner and hostage release talks with Israel are in their “final stages,” adding it hopes “that this round of negotiations will end with a clear and comprehensive agreement.”
In a statement posted to the group’s website, Hamas said it held meetings and consultations with leaders of other Palestinian factions regarding the progress made in ongoing negotiations in Doha, Qatar.
“During these contacts, the leaders of the forces and factions expressed their satisfaction with the course of the negotiations, stressing the need for general national preparation for the next stage and its requirements,” Hamas said.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta
Israel hoping for ceasefire announcement ‘soon,’ official says
An Israeli government official told ABC News on Tuesday morning they “hope we can announce something soon” regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza.
The official said there had been “real progress” on every part of the negotiation in the last few days.
The official added that Hamas has changed and they are no longer “dictating” the terms, but are negotiating. “We are close, but not there yet,” they said.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Sirens sound in central Israel after projectile launched from Yemen: IDF
A projectile was fired from Yemen towards Israel, the IDF said in a release early Tuesday morning local time.
Sirens were sounded in a number of areas in central Israel, the IDF said.
Latest on hostages in ceasefire deal
Thirty-three hostages, living and dead, are expected to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire deal, according to a person with direct knowledge of the ongoing negotiations.
There are 94 abductees remaining in Gaza, including 34 who have been confirmed dead, according to Israeli officials.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
‘Real chance’ of ceasefire success, source says
A source close to the ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks in Qatar told ABC News that Israel is waiting for Hamas to approve moving into a final “closing round of negotiations,” adding there is a “real chance” for a “breakthrough” after a diplomatic blitz in Doha this weekend.
“We still have ahead of us a closing round of negotiations,” the source added
Reuters reported Monday that mediators in Qatar handed both Israel and Hamas a final draft of the ceasefire proposal, citing an official briefed on the negotiations.
Reuters reported that the official said a breakthrough was reached after talks between Steve Witkoff — President-elect Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy — the Qatari prime minister and Israeli spy chiefs.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, meanwhile, said Monday “there is progress,” and that the situation “looks much better than previously.”
“I don’t want to say more than that because I realize there are families and they are sensitive to every word, and every sentence,” Saar added. “I hope that within a short time we will see things happening, but it is still to be proved.”
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Guy Davies
Far-right minister says potential Gaza ceasefire deal represents ‘catastrophe’
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he will not support the potential Gaza ceasefire deal currently being negotiated in Qatar, describing it as “a catastrophe for the national security of Israel.”
“We will not be part of a surrender deal that would include releasing arch terrorists, stopping the war and destroying its achievements that were bought with much blood and abandoning many hostages,” Smotrich wrote in a post to X on Monday.
“Now is the time to continue with all our might, to occupy and cleanse the entire strip, to finally take control of humanitarian aid from Hamas and to open the gates of hell on Gaza until Hamas surrenders completely and all the hostages are returned.”
-ABC News’ Dana Savir
Netanyahu spoke with Biden on ceasefire and hostage deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he spoke with President Joe Biden on Sunday about progress in negotiating a ceasefire and hostage deal.
A senior White House administration official confirmed the call to ABC News.
“The Prime Minister discussed with the US President the progress in negotiations for the release of our hostages, and updated him on the mandate he gave to the negotiating delegation to Doha, in order to promote the release of our hostages,” Netanyahu’s office wrote in a release about the call.
According to the White House, Biden and Netanyahu “discussed the fundamentally changed regional circumstances following the ceasefire deal in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran’s power in the region.”
The call comes as Brett McGurk, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, is in the Middle East for negotiations. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that McGurk is there to hammer out the “final details” of an agreement.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Michelle Stoddart
100 days of Israel’s north Gaza assault
Sunday marked 100 days since the Israel Defense Forces launched its military operation in northern Gaza, with the toll of dead and missing Palestinians now at 5,000 people, according to a report published by the Gaza media office in the Hamas-run territory.
Some 9,500 more people have been injured and 2,600 have been detained including women and children, the report said.
Israel continues striking targets across the strip. Over the last 24 hours, IDF attacks killed 24 Palestinians, according to data published by the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The report added that 46,565 Palestinians have been killed by Israel throughout Gaza since the war began in October 2023, with another 109,660 people injured.
Israeli attacks in the north of Gaza have targeted civilian infrastructures and hospitals, which combined with a siege of the area have worsened a humanitarian crisis there.
Calling for an end to the war, the Gaza media office report urged the international community — including the UN — to take immediate action to stop the assault and address the humanitarian crisis in the strip.
Israeli strikes on Gaza continued as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched senior negotiators to Qatar for ceasefire, prisoner and hostage release talks attended by President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East adviser, Steven Witkoff, and President Joe Biden’s outgoing adviser, Brett McGurk.
-ABC News’ Samy Zyara and Jordana Miller
High-level delegations gather in Doha for Gaza talks
For the first time in months, Israeli sources are expressing cautious optimism that a Gaza ceasefire may be within reach before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Officials close to the matter told ABC News on Sunday that a high-level Israeli delegation led by the head of the Mossad — David Barnea — arrived in Doha, Qatar, for a critical round of talks.
Others participating are Egyptian and U.S. officials including President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East adviser, Steven Witkoff, and President Joe Biden’s outgoing adviser, Brett McGurk.
Witkoff made a surprise visit to Israel Saturday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, progress on some issues has been made — including the ratio of Palestinian prisoners to be released and the details of the Israel Defense Forces’ redeployment.
But some outstanding issues remain, including whether Hamas can provide Israel with a list of hostages who are alive. A Hamas official told Saudi media on Saturday that the group is ready to show flexibility.
The first phase of the deal is expected to last six to eight weeks, as the report suggests. A leaked hostage list by Hamas shows the names of two Americans to be released in the first phase. Seven Americans are among the 94 hostages, three of whom are presumed to still be alive.
Mathilde Kaczkowski/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images
(LONDON) — President-elect Donald Trump will return to office on Monday having promised a peace deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, which is still raging nearly three years after President Vladimir Putin troops crossed into Ukraine expecting to be welcomed as heroes.
It is hard to say how Trump will try to unpick the twisted knot constricting eastern Europe.
The president-elect has hinted at territorial concessions and reduced aid for Ukraine in pursuit of peace, but has also suggested the U.S. will expand military support if Putin refuses to come to the table.
Ukrainian lawmakers and a former official told ABC News they are bracing to again deal with perhaps the most unpredictable president in living memory — one who former German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in her memoir engaged on “an emotional level.”
Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and chair of the body’s foreign affairs committee, nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize in November — an honor the president-elect has long coveted.
“Trump takes some things personally and we should establish human contact with him,” Merezhko told ABC News. “Our destiny and survival depends also on Trump — we should be respectful and constructive towards him.”
President Joe Biden “used to say that international relations are interpersonal relations — and it’s true,” Merezhko added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appears to have embarked on a Trump charm offensive of his own.
Zelenskyy was quick to laud Trump’s “historic landslide victory” in November, echoing the president-elect’s own “peace through strength” slogan.
A meeting with Trump in Paris in December was “good and productive,” Zelenskyy said, with the Ukrainian president praising Trump’s “strong resolve” and repeating the “peace through strength” mantra.
After a December meeting with European Union leaders in Brussels, Zelenskyy told reporters, “I think that President Trump is a strong man and I want very much to have him on our side.”
Asked how he would feel when Trump does take office in January, the Ukrainian president responded, “Welcome Donald! What can I say?”
Art of the deal In 2024 unlike in 2016, foreign leaders appeared prepared for a Trump election victory, their immediate reactions tailored to appeal to the president-elect’s transactional world view.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte framed aid to Ukraine as “a good deal” for Trump and the U.S.
Macron said he was ready to work towards “peace and prosperity” with his next American counterpart. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was looking forward to working towards “prosperity and freedom” with the incoming administration.
Ukraine will need to make itself attractive to the self-styled master dealmaker, mindful of the transactional brand of foreign policy he pursued in his first term and promised for his second.
Amid the leaks and innuendos, Yehor Cherniev — a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and the chairman of his country’s delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly — told ABC News he had seen little in the way of concrete policy about the future of Ukraine.
“We’ve used this time to deliver our position and our conditions for these new peace negotiations,” Cherniev said. “We’ve tried to explain and give information — not only to officials, but to U.S. citizens and Western people — that this war was started not for several territories of Ukraine or even for the whole of Ukraine as a country, but for the revision of the world order.”
Without NATO membership or a binding bilateral security deal with the U.S. akin to its agreements with Japan, South Korea or Israel, “it will be a failure of the whole Western world,” Cherniev said. “This is our position, and we try to deliver this position to officials in the Trump administration.”
Jonathan Eyal of the Royal United Services Institute think tank in the U.K., told ABC News there are indications that may encourage Kyiv, despite Trump’s repeated hints at Ukrainian concessions.
“It appears that Trump seems to have bought into the idea that he can’t end the Ukraine war with an American retreat, that this would look very bad for him to start his presidency with — a retreat that would look as humiliating as Biden’s from Kabul in the summer of 2021.”
“So, there is this search for something that could be presented as an end to the war that is also an honorable one and not one that ends up with a sellout — or with the sacrifice of — Ukraine,” he said.
Trump selected retired general Keith Kellogg as his special envoy to Ukraine and Russia. The pick, Eyal said, might pique hope in Kyiv.
“Kellogg is on record in a lot of media interviews and articles saying that the war could be brought to an end only from a position of strength, and only if Putin is impressed by America’s determination to otherwise continue the war,” he said.
“I think there is a level of optimism in Kyiv that somehow the administration seems to have accepted that merely to get Putin to the negotiating table for a ceasefire, the United States will have to appear to be determined to defend Ukrainian interests rather than betray them,” he added.
Peace through exhaustion Some in Ukraine may have their own personal political calculations. Zelenskyy, for example, will be under pressure to quickly hold the presidential election scheduled for spring 2024 but delayed due to the conflict.
The wartime leader became a global icon for his gruff fortitude in the opening stages of the war, but his domestic popularity has since dipped. There is no guarantee that a post-war election will deliver Zelenskyy another term, especially if his legacy is tainted by territorial concessions to Moscow.
“He doesn’t want to lose, obviously,” a former Ukrainian official told ABC News on the condition of anonymity. “And for this, he needs to blame Trump for a fast peace, for a ceasefire, as if Ukraine could win the territories. But everybody knows we cannot, and he also knows he cannot.”
Many Ukrainians are hopeful despite the thorny question of concessions, the former official said. “When people heard that Trump promised to finish the war, they understood it’s not possible to do in 24 hours, but at least it was a break of the status quo,” they said.
“These calls to stay as long as is needed with Ukraine — that lost any meaning long ago,” the former official added of the common refrain offered by allied leaders since February 2022.
“People don’t care anymore about losing territories or how it will happen,” the former official said. “They want suspension, they want a break, they want a ceasefire, any deal.”
“That’s why so many of them were so joyful to see Trump coming in power, and many still have big hopes that he is strong enough to stop this war.”
There remain many unknowns. Lawmaker Merezhko said his efforts to build ties with Trump’s team had so far not been reciprocated.
“I have the impression that they might be hesitant to reach out to Ukrainian politicians before the inauguration,” he said. “Perhaps they don’t know yet what Trump’s policy is with regard to Ukraine.”
But like many of his compatriots, Merezhko said he remained hopeful. “I don’t have a feeling that Trump’s presidency will be catastrophic for Ukraine,” he explained.
“Of course, he will make an attempt to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, but I doubt that it will be a success,” Merezhko continued. “Not because of Trump, but because of Putin, who is absolutely not interested in peace or a ceasefire.”
“Reality — harsh reality — is more powerful than any plans, ideas or desires of politicians.”
