Elon Musk swoops in to help wildfire victims in devastated areas of Southern California
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is planning to use Tesla Cybertrucks and Starlink technology to provide free internet to areas devastated by wildfires in California.
Musk, who is the CEO of both Tesla and Starlink, wrote in a post on X, another one of his companies, that Cybertruck deliveries would be delayed over the next few days.
“Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California over the next few days,” he wrote. “We need to use those trucks as mobile base stations to provide power to Starlink Internet terminals in areas of LA without connectivity. A new truck will be delivered end of week.”
In another post, Musk said Cybertrucks outfitted with Starlink and free internet would be positioned in a grid pattern in areas that need the technology the most, throughout Greater Los Angeles and Malibu.
ELON MUSK ANNOUNCES SPACEX WILL PROVIDE FREE STARLINK TERMINALS IN LA AMID RAGING FIRES
Musk also said security personnel would be added to the Cybertrucks, along with snacks and beverages for people passing by.
The move comes three days after Musk announced he would be providing free Starlink terminals to areas in Los Angeles.
He made the announcement when retweeting footage of a reporter crediting Starlink internet service with connectivity.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES DEVASTATE LOS ANGELES COUNTY, KILLING 5 AND THREATENING THOUSANDS OF HOMES
The reporter said Starlink “is the only reason we’re able to hear and communicate with you guys right now, because there’s absolutely no cell service at all in this whole area.”
On Sunday morning, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman wrote in a post on X that putting out fires before they spread did not seem like a “serious technological challenge” to overcome with the help of companies like SpaceX, xAI and Anduril Industries, a defense company specializing in autonomous systems, unmanned aerial systems and counter-unmanned aerial systems started by Palmer Luckey.
“So [Elon Musk] and [Palmer Luckey], why don’t we start a company that uses satellites, AI, and drone technology to put out fires before they spread?” Ackman asked in the post. “One can envision satellite monitoring, rapid drone investigation, and drone swarm water delivery. The number of drones sent to extinguish the fire and the nature of the extinguishing agent (water, foam, dry or wet chemicals etc) would be a function of the nature and scale of the fire. No human lives would be put [at] risk and there is no risk of DEI involvement in drone selection. What do you think? I would love to invest. And it would be very good for real estate values in California.”
SWALWELL SLAMMED ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR QUESTIONING HOW TRUMP WILL LOWER GROCERY PRICES
Despite Musk’s efforts to help, one user wrote to him on X, “California hates you and Trump,” which the SpaceX CEO acknowledged was true.
“That is true of some people in California, and the press will of course accuse me of grandstanding, but, if this helps save even one house or maybe even someone’s life, we should still do it,” Musk responded.
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES RAGE ACROSS LOS ANGELES COUNTY, FORCING THOUSANDS TO EVACUATE THEIR HOMES
But another user asked how he could donate his Cybertruck to help with the efforts.
“Ride around in your truck in the devastated areas with a Starlink terminal on the roof and open WiFi,” Musk said.
Musk has claimed that wildfires in the Golden State could have been prevented but that regulations get in the way of taking steps to prevent the infernos.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
“These fires are easily avoidable, but nonsense regulations in California prevent action being taken, so year after year homes burn down, and more people die,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Departing FBI boss warns China ‘prepositioning’ to wreak havoc with critical US infrastructure
FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed why he decided to resign “during such a dangerous time” and with nearly three years left to go in his term during an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” Sunday.
“If it’s such a dangerous time, why resign?” asked host Scott Pelley.
Wray, 58, had just been outlining the United States’ greatest threats from communist China’s ability to attack critical US infrastructure to domestic terrorists like New Orleans attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar who became radicalized “not in years, but in weeks.”
EX-FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY BEGS VOTERS TO RE-ELECT JOE BIDEN: ‘YOU MUST VOTE FOR HIM’
“My decision to retire from the FBI was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make,” Wray responded.
The outgoing FBI boss said that while he cares deeply about the FBI and “our people,” his decision to leave after having only served seven years of his ten-year term was motivated by President-elect Donald Trump’s stated desire for a change in leadership at the bureau. Wray announced he was leaving his post in December.
“President-elect had made clear that he intended to make a change… my conclusion was that the thing that was best for the bureau was to do this in an orderly way. To not thrust the bureau deeper into the fray,” Wray said.
FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION
Wray, a graduate of Yale Law School who joined the DOJ in 1997, was nominated by Trump to run the bureau in 2017 after he fired then-FBI Director James Comey.
Trump and Wray’s relationship has since deteriorated after the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago after the president-elect was accused of possessing classified documents in his private residence.
“Our job at the FBI is to follow the facts wherever they lead, no matter who likes it,” Wray told “60 Minutes.”
Wray further inflamed tensions with Trump after he questioned whether he was actually shot with a bullet at his July 2023 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray told House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) at a hearing on the attack.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Trump’s campaign spokesman and incoming White House communications director slammed Wray at the time as peddling “conspiracist bulls—t” for “political reason” in a statement given to the New York Post.
Trump nominated his longtime ally Kashyap “Kash” Patel to succeed Wray as head of the bureau.
Patel, 44, who served on the National Security Council during Trump’s first term and authored the book “Government Gangsters,” has been one of the president-elect’s more controversial picks.
Former Reagan CIA Chief William H. Webster, 100, wrote to senators urging them not to confirm Patel, saying his confirmation would set a “dangerous precedent.”
“The resignation of Christopher Wray is a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice,” Trump posted to Truth Social after Wray announced his resignation in Dec. 2024.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
During his “60 Minutes” interview, Wray expressed his view that China poses the greatest threat to the United States.
“Chinese government is prepositioning on U.S. civilian critical infrastructure to lie in wait on those networks to be in a position to wreak havoc and inflict real world harm at a time & place of their choosing,” he said.
Former Trump lawyer pleas for mercy move from Biden: ‘I’m somebody’s son also’
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen is demanding President Biden pardon him like he pardoned his son Hunter before President-elect Donald Trump can take office.
Cohen discussed his efforts to reach out to the Biden administration for a pardon on MSNBC’s “The Weekend” Saturday morning. He claimed that not giving him a presidential pardon would continue to allow him “to be in danger” of a Trump prosecution.
Cohen argued Biden has an obligation to protect him and other critics from Trump, like he protected his son Hunter.
“Yeah, I put in the application for a presidential pardon because I believe that Joe Biden has the same responsibility to me that he had to his own son,” Cohen said. “And I would expect that the same exact pardon that he gave his son has to go to me and to anybody else that’s on that enemies list, whether they want it or not, because I assure you, solitary confinement, where I did 51 days, sucks.”
BIDEN WOULD MAKE MISTAKE ISSUING PREEMPTIVE PARDONS FOR TRUMP FOES: WASHINGTON POST COLUMN
MSNBC host Symone Sanders agreed with Cohen’s concern over being on Trump’s “enemies list” but disagreed with invoking Hunter Biden for his case.
“I mean, Hunter Biden is the president’s last surviving son,” Sanders said.
“I’m somebody’s son also, by the way,” Cohen responded.
“Agreed. You are somebody’s son,” Sanders said. “But I mean, to be very clear, you’re not the president’s son. And he pardoned Hunter primarily because that is his son, I think.”
Cohen insisted on how important it was to take Trump seriously as a threat.
“You have to take Donald Trump for his word when he turns around,” Cohen said. “So far, everything that he said that he intends to do, he actually intends to do. And he has been doing it one by one by one. Now, it may not all happen on day one, as he said, but ultimately he’ll have four years plus with a whole group of individuals that are now going to be filling government positions in order to help him effectuate his goals.”
Cohen spent three years in prison for federal crimes of tax evasion, campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress while working for Trump. He has since become a vocal critic of the president-elect and testified against Trump in Alvin Bragg’s New York criminal case earlier this year.
Cohen also said in September that he had plans to leave the country if Trump were re-elected.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
“I’m already working on a foreign passport with a completely different name. I don’t know how it’s going to work as far as dealing with my wife and my children. I certainly don’t want them moving to where I’m looking to go,” Cohen said.
Biden was attacked on both sides for giving his son Hunter a pardon in December, despite insisting he would not. In the weeks leading up to the end of his term, Biden has also said he is still considering pre-emptive pardons for some of Trump’s political foes, like former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney and Dr. Anthony Fauci.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Family stunned by what survived wildfires after home burns to the ground
A California family’s unshaken faith emerged in the form of a lone statue of The Virgin Mary — untouched by the relentless flames of southern California’s wildfires — her resilience amid the smoldering ruins leading them to sing in praise.
“It was remarkable how everything had gotten fried, but the statue of The Virgin Mary and another statue of Saint Joseph were in perfect condition,” Peter Halpin, the family patriarch, told ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ on Sunday.
“Obviously, they were a little singed, but we just took that opportunity to pray,” he continued. “Our home is dedicated to the sacred heart of Jesus and always has been and all my family members, my extended family, so we said a prayer to the sacred heart of Jesus, and then we sang that special song that our entire family has known for decades to The Blessed Virgin, and it was a remarkable thing.”
POWER GRID FAULTS SURGED RIGHT BEFORE LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES BEGAN: EXPERT
According to Halpin, the family “broke the law” by visiting what remained of their home of 37 years last week. When they discovered that the deadly Eaton fire had diminished the rest to rubble, they leaned on faith, singing in praise alongside their six children and other loved ones in a since-viral video posted to Instagram.
“Our intention was not for this thing to go viral at all,” he continued. “It was pretty much just a family thing, but the response from the community has been unbelievable and so heartfelt.”
Peter’s wife Jackie said she fell to her knees in emotion after her son-in-law snuck up to the site of the home the day before, snapping a photo that revealed the statue was still standing.
She knew then they had to make their own pilgrimage to the site to thank God for the years they spent there.
CALIFORNIANS ‘ANGRY’ AMID DEVASTATING WILDFIRES, ASKING WHERE HIGH TAX DOLLARS WENT: LOCAL RESEARCHER
“That was my intention,” she said. “We’re going to pray. We’re going to thank God that we’re safe, and we have entertained a lot for years. We feel very strongly in the virtue of hospitality, so I just wanted to pray and say, ‘If we can do it again, that would be great.’
“The song [in the video] kind of came about on its own, so I just wanted to pray. I just want to be grateful as much as I can for what we’ve had.”
Wildfires continue to tear through southern California with no end in sight, devastating communities and claiming 16 lives so far.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Biden called out for making ‘nonsensical’ claim that VP Harris could have beaten Trump
CNN host Jake Tapper ripped President Biden on Sunday for what he described as a “nonsensical” claim during a recent conversation with reporters, which was that Vice President Kamala Harris could have beaten President-elect Donald Trump.
“Okay, first of all, just I think Kamala would have beaten Trump? She ran against him, and she lost, so that’s just nonsensical,” Tapper said during “State of the Union.”
Biden told reporters Friday that his decision to drop out was more about unifying the party, and said, “And I think that Kamala could’ve beaten Trump, would’ve beaten Trump,” according to Mediaite. Biden has said multiple times he believes he would have won a general election against Trump.
“I think he was trying to backtrack after he’s been spending the last couple of months, like, basically dissing her,” the CNN host added.
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN WHO RAN AGAINST BIDEN CITING ‘PHYSICAL DECLINE’ DEFENDS HIS DECISION: ‘VINDICATION’
Former Biden communications aide Kate Bedingfield appeared to defend the president and said he was likely trying to give Harris “kudos” for running a strong campaign.
“I think I would’ve beaten Trump, could’ve beaten Trump. And I think that Kamala could’ve beaten Trump, would’ve beaten Trump. It wasn’t about – I thought it was important to unify the party. And when the party was worried about whether or not I was going to be able to move, I thought, even though I thought I could win again, I thought it was better to unify the party,” Biden told reporters on Friday.
Bedingfield said Tapper’s analysis was unfair and said, “I think what he was trying to do there was acknowledge that she ran a strong race, that he was proud of her. That‘s that‘s how he articulated it.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
When asked in a USA Today interview if he would have won had he not dropped out on July 21, Biden replied, “It’s presumptuous to say that, but I think yes.” USA Today summarized that he continued by “adding he based that view on polling he had reviewed.”
CNN poling guru Harry Enten said Biden’s claims were nonsense.
“Based on the polling data, I categorize Biden’s statement that he could have beaten Trump as ‘flat out bonkers,’” Enten wrote in a Wednesday X post. “Biden was well behind Trump when he dropped out. Biden never led in all of 2024. And no incumbent president who was anywhere near as unpopular as Biden has ever won.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Why do I say that his statement is flat-out bonkers that he could have won the 2024 election if he had stayed in the race? Just take a look here,” Enten added.
He then showed the polling numbers from around the time Biden dropped out of the race, particularly in the Great Lake battleground states, where it was “Donald Trump ahead in all 3.”
Fans slam the refs for glaring missed call in make-or-break NFL playoff game
NFL officials are expected to be sharp in the playoffs with a shot at the Super Bowl hanging in the balance, but fans found they missed a crucial penalty during Sunday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.
The Bills drove down the field right out of halftime. Josh Allen got the offense within a few yards of a touchdown. On third down, Allen was forced to take a sack because there were no receivers open. But there was a reason why no pass-catchers could break away from their defender.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid appeared to be held in the end zone by Denver Broncos defensive back Patrick Surtain II. The officials didn’t throw a flag on the play and the Bills were forced to settle for a field goal to make the game 13-7.
Head referee Bill Vinovich was seen talking to Allen before Buffalo kicked the ball away.
STEELERS’ GEORGE PICKENS MAKES STUNNING REMARK AFTER PLAYOFF LOSS VS RAVENS
NFL fans were not happy with the lack of a penalty, especially in such a crucial spot.
Buffalo was looking to stave off any Denver comeback attempt. They were able to score a touchdown in the second half to take the lead. The Broncos had a chance to tie the game but Will Lutz missed a field goal.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Bo Nix started the scoring with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin in the first quarter. The Broncos haven’t scored since.
Trump trolls Harris with spoof of his conversation with former President Obama
President-elect Trump trolled his political adversaries by posting a spoof of his conversation with former President Barack Obama on his Truth Social account, with the former president telling Trump, “I knew you’d win.”
The video shows Trump and Obama trashing VP Kamala Harris’ doomed presidential campaign at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral, with what appears to be AI-generated dialogue that mimics the pair’s voices.
The “conversation” begins after Obama takes his seat next to Trump, and the two presidents exchange pleasantries as a funeral dirge is sung in the background.
DAILY SHOW POKES FUN AT OBAMA LAUGHING WITH ‘FUTURE HITLER’ TRUMP DURING CARTER FUNERAL
Quickly, the discussion moves toward Trump’s victory over Harris in the 2024 presidential campaign.
“I knew you’d win,” Obama said in the video.
“Come on,” Trump replied, “Anyone could beat her.”
The internet has been abuzz with speculation over what Trump and Obama were discussing ever since the video of the two having a friendly chat at Carter’s Jan. 9 funeral took social media by storm.
“It’s a little weird for Obama though, right? To go from ‘this guy is future Hitler’ to ‘oh, man, cool story, future Hitler!'” The Daily Show host Desi Lydic said in a segment mocking the incident.
“It did look very friendly,” Trump told Fox News’ Peter Doocy at a Mar-a-Lago press conference after the funeral. “Boy, they look like two people who like each other, and we probably do… I don’t know we just got along.”
In the spoof video, Obama proceeded to slam President Biden for stubbornly running for a second term, before ultimately being forced to drop out of the race following a disastrous debate performance in June 2024.
“He just didn’t want to leave, I did what I could to help [Kamala], she was horrendous,” Obama said to a smirking Trump.
WHAT WERE OBAMA AND TRUMP SAYING TO EACH OTHER?
The video continues with the president-elect telling Obama he realized that Hillary Clinton still “hates” and will “never forgive” him, before cutting away to a stone-faced HRC.
The parody concludes with the two presidents making plans to meet when Kamala Harris and her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, enter the church and take their seats in the row in front of them.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“You see that, she won’t even look at me,” Obama said.
Trump has been known to use social media to needle his political opponents. Trump trolled Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by posting a map that showed Canada as part of the United States with the caption “Oh Canada!” to his Truth Social account on Tuesday Jan. 7.
Baptism of the Lord reveals four ‘key truths’ of Jesus’ identity and ministry
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).
This verse is from the Gospel of Matthew, one of the three synoptic Gospels in the New Testament of the Bible, and is about the baptism of Jesus Christ — celebrated in the Catholic faith with a feast on the Sunday following Epiphany, or Jan. 12 this year.
Jesus’ baptism “is one of the most pivotal moments in His life, revealing His divine mission, identity and relationship with the Father,” David Rives, a Christian author and columnist based in Tennessee, told Fox News Digital.
During the baptism, “the Spirit descended like a dove and the Father’s voice proclaimed, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,'” Rives said.
WORLD’S OLDEST PERSON IDENTIFIED AS 117-YEAR-OLD NUN WHO LOVES SOCCER
This line, he said, is “a powerful declaration that resonates across time.” It serves to highlight “four key truths about Christ’s baptism essential to understanding His identity and mission.”
The first of these key truths, Rives said, is Jesus’ “identity as the Son of God and the Messiah.”
“This declaration not only validates Jesus’ identity but also announces to the world that He is the long-awaited Messiah, the Anointed One sent to redeem humanity,” he said.
With the baptism of Jesus Christ, He is “revealed as the fulfillment of the prophecies,” Rives said.
The second key truth is the “profound humility” of Jesus Christ, said Rives.
POPE FRANCIS KICKS OFF HOLY YEAR AT VATICAN WITH OVER 32 MILLION VISITORS EXPECTED
“Despite being the sinless Son of God, He chooses to be baptized — an act that, according to the Book of Acts, is symbolic of the washing away of sins,” he said. “Even this event was symbolic and prophetic of the indwelling Holy Spirit that is available to believers in Christ.”
Jesus was baptized not due to any sin — “but to fulfill all righteousness,” Rives said.
“This act sets the tone for His ministry, showing that He came not to be served, but to serve and identify with those He came to save,” he said.
Rives said that Jesus “is the King who comes not in grandeur, but in meekness, offering His life for the redemption of all humankind.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Christ’s baptism, additionally, marked the start of His public ministry, Rives said – the third key truth.
Prior to this, “Jesus lived a relatively quiet life in Nazareth.”
“His baptism, however, signals the start of His mission. At this time, He begins to reveal Himself as the Savior through His teachings, healings, and, ultimately, His sacrifice for the sins of the world,” Rives told Fox News Digital.
Jesus’ baptism was more than just a ritual, Rives said. It was “a pivotal point where His redemptive work begins, leading to His death and resurrection.”
The fourth of these key truths revealed in Christ’s baptism, Rives said, is “the fullness of the Godhead presented: The Son is baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove and the Father’s voice speaks from the heavens.”
This, he said, is “a powerful scene, revealing God’s plan for salvation, as the Father affirms the Son, the Spirit empowers the Son for His mission and the Son humbly submits to the Father’s will.”
Jesus’ baptism is “a beautiful reminder” for Christians as well that they should “work together to present the Good News of the Gospel with the world.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The story of Christ’s baptism is a view not only into “the heart of Jesus’ ministry, but also the heart of the Gospel itself,” Rives said.
“God’s incredible love, His redemptive plan and His invitation for us to boldly proclaim our faith in Him – symbolized through the act of baptism,” he said.