Trade negotiations between the United States and Canada fell apart Friday night, shortly before a midnight deadline for the 50% tariffs to take effect on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, including some dairy products, alcoholic beverages, cement and hockey equipment.

Prime Minister Carney said on Friday night that “Canada will match those tariffs dollar for dollar to protect our workers and businesses.” He later said the retaliatory tariffs set to kick in next month will focus on American sectors such as “steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics.”

The move came hours after the Trump administration began enforcing 50% tariffs on a slew of Canadian goods. Trump imposed a new set of sweeping tariffs this week, arguing they will benefit the U.S. economy — and American workers. But there is plenty of signs tariffs will end up hurting many households.

In a statement shared on social media, Mark Carney said important progress had been made in recent weeks toward “improving Canada’s position as having the best deal in the world with the U.S.” That progress, however, did not meet Canada’s objectives, he said.

The prime minister blamed the U.S. for the collapse in negotiations. “Last-minute changes in the U.S. proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal,” Carney said, concluding, “Canada has what the world wants. And we will not allow any nation to determine our future.”

Saturday morning Carney had written on social media that his negotiators had worked “in good faith” for more than a year, and his government would in the coming days “release the details of these new tariff measures, which will come into force the Tuesday after Labour Day.”

Overnight Saturday, President Trump posted on social media saying: “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!! They have also charged our great farmers, for many years, massive amounts of Tariffs. No more!!! President DJT.”

The U.S., in turn, pointed the finger at Canada. Shortly after midnight, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer responded to Carney on social media by saying that Canada had “declined to finalize the trade deal under the terms agreed earlier this week.”

“Despite the U.S. offer to Canada to receive the best treatment of any major exporter to our market, new demands and walk backs of other commitments by Canada have upended the careful balance reached in the past days,” Greer said.

He added that earlier this week “the United States agreed to provide even better treatment to Canada, offering significant tariff reductions on steel, aluminum, autos, and lumber.”

“The offer would have led to supply chain coordination on aerospace, complementary actions to address unfair trade practices, critical minerals cooperation, increased enforcement against imports produced with forced labor, and the announcement of formal U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) negotiations,” Greer said in his statement.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a bulletin to businesses Friday warning that its officers would be ensuring importers complied with the new rates starting immediately after the deadline passed.

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The 2nd detainee dies a week after Dallas ICE facility shooting as Authorities said a sniper opened fire “indiscriminately” at the ICE building and an ICE van, striking three detainees.

Last week, Presner Nelson went to a shopping mall with one goal in mind: to find a suit his brother, who died in immigration federal custody in March, would wear in his casket.

Nelson’s brother, Emmanuel Damas, died after allegedly complaining for roughly two weeks of a toothache that Nelson believes could have been treated.

“This was the first time I had to do this in my life — it was not easy,” Nelson told ABC News.

The death of Damas, a Haitian immigrant who Nelson says arrived in the U.S. legally and had a pending Temporary Protected Status application, comes amid growing concerns from lawmakers and immigrant advocates about the conditions in migrant detention facilities, and a sharp increase in immigrant deaths in detention under the second Trump administration as it pursues its immigration crackdown.

Most deadly period

As of March 25, 44 people have died in government custody during the current Trump administration, according to figures shared by lawmakers, with two of those fatalities being victims of a shooting last September at a Dallas detention facility. The rise in fatalities comes as the detention population reaches record highs, with over 70,000 people currently detained in federal immigration custody.

The data analysis by the ABC news reveals a stark and rapid acceleration in the mortality rate within federal facilities. While the figure was as low as one death per 100,000 admissions in 2022, that number surged to about seven deaths per 100,000 admissions in 2025, even when excluding the two people shot while in custody. And in just the first ten weeks of 2026, the rate is currently at 12 deaths per 100,000 admissions.

Using a methodology established by researchers and detention statistics provided by ICE, ABC News calculated estimated mortality rates per 100,000 detention admissions for the calendar years 2019-2025, plus Jan. 1 through March 16, 2026. Using a rate shows whether mortality is increasing beyond what would be expected from higher detention admissions alone.

“There is really no contest — fiscal year 2026 is on track to be the deadliest year ever in the history of ICE,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, an immigration policy expert with the American Immigration Council who did his own data analysis of ICE deaths, ABC news reports.

“Things are dramatically worse this year. We are seeing more deaths than ever,” Reichlin-Melnick said.

Scrutiny over the deaths of detainees has grown as the Trump administration has pressured ICE to increase arrests and has dramatically expanded detention space by converting warehouses and other spaces into detention facilities. A document shared by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency with New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte shows the government expects to spend $38 billion converting these spaces and increasing detention capacity by 92,600 beds.

Under previous administrations, the government has found ways to mitigate the number of people in detention by enrolling detainees in “Alternatives for Detention” efforts, which can involve scheduling regular check-ins with ICE, and mandating the use of ankle monitors.

The Trump administration has doubled down on invoking mandatory detention for undocumented immigrants, and in some cases even for those who are in the process of obtaining legal status. The government has also restarted detaining families with children at facilities like the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.

“They’re making a decision to take a U.S. citizen child and detain them with their parents. They’re making a decision to detain someone who’s lived here peacefully for 20 years. That is their choice, and they need to be pushed further on that,” said Andrea Flores, an attorney and immigration policy expert who is a former DHS and White House official. “Nobody should lose their life because they went through our immigration system — but that, in and of itself, has been a problem across administrations. And so there’s been work that’s needed to be done on this.”

The case of Emmanuel Damas

In a statement, ICE described Damas as a “criminal illegal alien” arrested in Boston for assault and battery. His brother Nelson disputes this, saying Damas was in the country legally under a humanitarian parole program and had a pending petition for Temporary Protected Status.

Nelson also said Damas was never convicted following his arrest and that the arrest stemmed from a misunderstanding when someone called police to report that Damas’ 12-year-old son appeared to be walking by himself on a sidewalk. Damas mistakenly believed his son had called the police on him, became angry, and gestured as if to hit him but never made physical contact, Nelson said.

Damas was taken to jail where he was transferred into ICE custody before Nelson could bail him out, Nelson said.

Nelson said when he last spoke on the phone with his brother on Feb. 16, Damas complained about a toothache he’d had for the last two weeks. According to Nelson, his brother had claimed he was denied multiple requests to see a dentist.

Two days later Damas called their mother but he had difficulty speaking, Nelson said. Nelson believes his brother could not speak clearly because the toothache had developed into an abscess and his jaw had swollen. He did not complain of shortness of breath, Nelson said.

The next day, according to ICE, Damas was “immediately” taken to a hospital on Feb. 19 after allegedly reporting shortness of breath and was subsequently transferred to an Intensive Care Unit at a hospital in Phoenix for a “higher level of care.”

It’s unclear when he was placed on a ventilator, but ICE said that by Feb. 20, Damas “remained intubated” and underwent a series of tests.

On Feb. 22, the hospital in Phoenix “reported the likely diagnosis to be septic shock due to pneumonia,” ICE said.

Before he was transferred to Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center on Feb. 25, Damas “had two chest tubes placed on his right side and a thoracentesis was completed to help remove excess fluid from the pleural spaces around the lungs,” ICE said.

On Feb. 28, Nelson said his family was told they’d be allowed to visit him in the hospital and four of his relatives, including his mother, were able to see him the next day.

“But at that point on, it was too late, there was not much I could be done to save his life,” Nelson said. “So when my mom got there, he was in a coma.”

‘I don’t believe he took his life’: Family of Nicaraguan man seeks answers after his death in ICE detention facility

At 1:12 p.m. on March 2, Damas was pronounced deceased.

In a statement provided to ABC News about Damas and the number of recent detainee deaths, a DHS spokesperson said Damas “refused” dental extraction and had claimed in January that his toothache had gone away. The spokesperson said that in February, Damas was again seen “for bleeding gums and loose front teeth” and again refused to have two teeth extracted.

“It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an individual enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services, access to medical appointments, and 24-hour emergency care,” the spokesperson said. “Many individuals receive healthcare in ICE custody that exceeds what they have previously experienced.”

Damas believes his brother would be alive if he had received adequate medical care for his toothache.

“They waited for too long to take him to the hospital to be seen by a dentist. So on the nineteenth, when they finally realized, it was too late because he had that infection going on for two weeks,” Nelson said. “He asked for help for two weeks — they said that he was faking it.”

‘Presumed suicides’

The recent surge in detainee deaths includes a number of “presumed suicides,” including 19-year-old Royer Perez-Jimenez, who died on March 16 in Florida, and Victor Manuel Diaz, who died in a Texas facility in January.

In a press release, DHS said that Diaz died in ICE custody on Jan. 14 at Camp East Montana in El Paso, after staff found him “unconscious and unresponsive in his room.” A DHS spokesperson confirmed this month that Perez-Jimenez was found “unconscious and unresponsive” by a Glades County detention officer.

While the department noted that “the official cause of death remains under investigation,” they labeled the incident a “presumed suicide.” However, Diaz’s family told ABC News they do not believe he took his own life and are calling for a full investigation.

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President Donald Trump on Thursday said Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin will replace Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security secretary.

Trump made the announcement on social media Thursday afternoon saying he was “pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026.”

“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland,'” Trump said in the post.

Shortly after the announcement, Mullin told reporters that he was “excited” about leading DHS and “ready to get started.” Mullin still needs to be confirmed by the Senate.

“My focus is to keep the homeland secure,” he said.

Trump’s decision comes as some parts of DHS — from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Transportation Security Administration to the Coast Guard — are shut down amid a funding fight over Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrats have said they will fund the department only if changes are made to the agency in the wake of the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Noem’s testimony on contracts ‘false,’ Democratic senator claims

Asked by reporters about replacing Noem, Mullin said she “is a friend” who was “tasked with a very difficult job.”

In a social media post Thursday afternoon, Noem thanked Trump for the new appointment.

“In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security,” Noem said.

Several Democrats celebrated the news that Trump had fired Noem.

“Kristi Noem is gone. Good riddance,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference, adding that “a change in personnel is not sufficient” to reopen DHS.

“We need a change in policy that has to be bold, dramatic, transformational and meaningful,” he said.

Sen. Chuck Schumer  said in a social media post that “the problems at DHS go much deeper than any one person. They’ve got to rein in ICE and end the violence.”

Noem has faced criticism in recent weeks over her handling of ICE operations in Minneapolis after the killings of Good and Pretti by federal law enforcement. She was removed from leading operations in the state following the scrutiny, and Border Czar Tom Homan was sent in to take over.

During hearings on Capitol Hill this week, Noem also refused to apologize for labeling the conduct of Good and Pretti as “domestic terrorism” without evidence.

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The Nov. 22 memo, first reported by the New York Times and after confirmed to USA TODAY by a source with knowledge of its content, came from Brandon Williams, the administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Williams, a former Navy submarine officer and one-term Republican congressman representing western New York, took the reins at NNSA in late September.

Williams’ “urgent” admonition about leaking classified info was framed as “an order,” according to the Times, and appealed to the oaths of office that government personnel swear upon beginning their duties.

The new administrator, who lacks the deep technical experience of some of his nuclear physicist and retired senior military predecessors, is a key figure in President Donald Trump’s ambiguous push to restart nuclear weapons testing.

Trump and the White House have repeatedly refused to clarify whether the president intends to order explosive nuclear tests − whether full scale or extremely small scale in nature − which would upend a nearly three-decade period where none of the world’s major powers is confirmed to have detonated a nuke.

The White House has previously said that Trump’s directive to the Department of Energy and Pentagon is to test nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” as rivals like Russia and China. The State Department has accused Russia of conducting extremely small-scale nuclear explosions at a remote Arctic archipelago where testing historically occurred, and China has expanded its historical nuclear testing grounds in recent years as well.

The memo against leaking came days after a Nov. 14 CNN story reported that Williams, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and directors of the U.S. national laboratories planned to meet with Trump at the White House in an effort to dissuade him from resuming explosive nuclear tests.

Although Williams told lawmakers in his April confirmation hearing that he would advise against resuming explosive nuclear weapons testing, administration officials, in the wake of the CNN report, said all options were being considered.

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A NBC News reports said the unprecedented show of security cooperation comes as the Trump administration has threatened to impose 25% tariffs on all Mexican imports starting Tuesday.

 “For those of us who have investigated Mexican cartels for many generations, this is truly an historical moment,” Ray Donovan, the former chief of operations at the Drug Enforcement Administration told s NBC news. “We have never seen this many sent from Mexico to the U.S. in one day” he added.

According to the NBC report, Among those deported by Mexico is Rafael Caro Quintero, who U.S. officials believe is responsible for the 1985 murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena and others.

Caro Quintero has been on the DEA’s most-wanted fugitives list for four decades. “Today we can proudly say he has arrived in the United States where justice will be served,” acting DEA Administrator Derek S. Maltz said.

The suspects sent to the United States included members of five of the six Mexican organized crime groups the Trump administration designated this month as “foreign terrorist organizations.”

Those sent to the United States on Thursday were taken from prisons across Mexico to board planes at an airport north of Mexico City that took them to eight U.S. cities, according to the Mexican government.

Among them were two leaders of the now-defunct Los Zetas cartel, Mexicans Miguel Treviño Morales and his brother Omar Treviño Morales, known as Z-40 and Z-42. U.S. authorities have accused the brothers of running the successor Northeast Cartel from prison.

The removal of the Treviño Morales brothers marks the end of a long process that began after the capture in 2013 of Miguel and two years later of his brother Omar. Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero had described the delay as “truly shameful.”

Besides Caro Quintero, there were cartel leaders, security chiefs from both factions of the Sinaloa cartel, cartel finance operatives and a man wanted in connection with the killing of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy in 2022.

Vicente Carrillo Fuentes was among those turned over to the United States. He is a former leader of the Juárez drug cartel, based in the border city of Ciudad Juárez, across from El Paso, Texas, and brother of drug lord Amado Carrillo Fuentes, known as “the Lord of the Skies,” who died in a botched plastic surgery procedure in 1997.

According to prosecutors in both countries, the prisoners sent to the United States on Thursday faced charges related to drug trafficking and in some cases homicide, among other crimes.

“We will prosecute these criminals to the fullest extent of the law in honor of the brave law enforcement agents who have dedicated their careers — and in some cases, given their lives — to protect innocent people from the scourge of violent cartels,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

The deportation of the drug cartel figures coincided with a visit to Washington by Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente and other top economic and military officials, who met with their U.S. counterparts, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

In exchange for delaying tariffs, President Donald Trump had insisted that Mexico crack down on cartels, illegal immigration and fentanyl production, despite significant dips in migration and overdoses over the past year.

Mexico’s surprise handover of one of the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives was weeks in the making.

Caro Quintero had walked free in 2013 after 28 years in prison when a court overturned his 40-year sentence for the kidnapping and killing of Camarena, the DEA agent, in 1985. The brutal murder marked a low point in U.S.-Mexico relations.

Caro Quintero, the former leader of the Guadalajara cartel, had since returned to drug trafficking and unleashed bloody turf battles in the northern Mexico border state of Sonora until Mexican forces arrested him in 2022.

The United States had sought Caro Quintero’s extradition shortly after he was arrested in 2022. But the request remained stuck at Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry for unknown reasons as President Claudia Sheinbaum’s predecessor and political mentor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, severely curtailed Mexican cooperation with the DEA to protest undercover U.S. law enforcement operations in Mexico targeting senior political and military officials.

“This moment is extremely personal for the men and women of DEA,” said Maltz, the acting head of the DEA.

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The Delta plane flipped over on Pearson International Airport runway on Monday was traveling from Minneapolis to Toronto. When the plane landed and flipped upside-down on the snow-covered ground.

Toronto Pearson President and CEO Deborah Flint said that from Thursday to Sunday there were “extreme conditions” at the airport from two separate storms.

As investigators work to determine what caused Delta Flight 4819 to crash and overturn at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is leading the investigation and investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are assisting. Investigators are expected to review the aircraft at its current position on the runway for the next two days, officials said Tuesday. They will also examine the runway.

 The Pearson president and CEO noted the “extreme conditions” at the airport in the days before the dramatic incident.

“On Thursday and Sunday, we got more than 20 inches, 50 centimeters of accumulated snow. That is actually not typical. In fact, it is more snow within that time window than we received in all of last winter,” Flint said at a news conference Tuesday. “There were many delays and cancelations across this part of Canada and the U.S. Northeast during this time, creating numerous flight delays and backlogs.”

“Monday was a clear day, though, and it was an operational recovery day for Toronto Pearson,” Flint said.

The plane, which departed from Minneapolis, crashed amid blowing snow and strong wind gusts in the Toronto area. Winds reached 40 mph on the ground and were even stronger several hundred feet in the air.

Toronto Airport Fire Chief Todd Aitken said Monday that the runway was dry and there were no crosswind conditions at the time of the crash. When asked Tuesday if the runway had light snow or slush, he deferred the question to investigators.

Investigators have removed the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder — known as the black boxes — from the aircraft and sent them to a lab for further analysis, Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s Ken Webster said in a video update on Tuesday.

“At this point, it’s far too early to say what the cause of this accident might be. However, we will share more information once we’re able to,” Webster said.

Flint on Tuesday praised the flight crew, saying they “heroically led passengers to safety.”

She said she was grateful there was no loss of life or life-threatening injuries.

“I cannot commend enough the crew, the flight attendants, pilots and our emergency responders for their quick and effective response,” Flint said. “It’s really, really incredible, and when you see that aircraft, it just makes me really thankful.”

Twenty-one passengers were taken to hospitals, and as of Wednesday, 20 of them have been released, according to Delta.

Injuries range from minor to critical, but none are life-threatening, Flint said.

There were 22 Canadian citizens among the passengers, Flint said.

The Toronto Airport temporarily stopped flights in the wake of the crash, with departures and arrivals resuming at 5 p.m. ET Monday, the airport said. Two runways remained closed, which Flint said may impact operations.

“Our most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said. “We’ll do everything we can to support them and their families in the days ahead, and I know the hearts, thoughts and prayers of the entire Delta community are with them. We are grateful for all the first responders and medical teams who have been caring for them.”

Delta said Wednesday that it “will begin the process of reuniting customers with baggage and personal belongings as soon as possible after authorities have safely removed the items from the aircraft. Securing, identifying, sorting and cleaning all belongings left onboard could take a matter of weeks before all items can be safely returned.”

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“Three days ago, I took the oath of office. And we began the golden age of America,” Trump opened over a large screen over the stage, explaining later that he couldn’t be in Davos due to a quick turnaround from his inauguration, but he hoped to attend in person next year.

“The United States has the largest amount of oil and gas of any country on Earth, and we’re going to use it,” Trump boasted. “Not only will this reduce the cost of virtually all goods and services, it will make the United States a manufacturing superpower and the world capital of artificial intelligence and crypto. My administration has also begun the largest deregulation campaign in history, far exceeding even the record setting efforts of my last term.”

President Trump shared a direct message to the wealthy businessman: Invest in the U.S. or else.

“My message to every business in the world is very simple: Come make your in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth. We’re bringing them down very substantially, even from the original Trump tax cut,” Trump said. “But if you don’t make your product in America, which is your prerogative, then, very simply, you will have to pay a tariff. Differing amounts, but a tariff which will direct hundreds of billions of dollars and even trillions of dollars into our treasury to strengthen our economy and pay down debt.”

Later, Trump put pressure on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates.

“With oil prices going down, I’ll demand that interest rates drop immediately,” he said. “And likewise, they should be dropping all over the world. Interest rates should follow us all over. The progress that you’re seeing is happening because of our historic victory in a recent presidential election, one that has become quite well-known throughout the world.”

“Our efforts to secure a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway. It’s so important to get that done,” Trump told the forum, calling the war “an absolute killing field.”

Millions of soldiers are being killed. Nobody’s seen anything like it since World War II. They’re laying dead all over the flat fields. It’s a flat field, farmland. And there’s millions of Russians and millions of Ukrainians, and nobody’s seen anything like it since World War II. It’s time to end it,” Trump said.

Trump said he would talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping in efforts to end the war. Former President Joe Biden seemed to give Xi a similar message during a rare bilateral meeting on the sidelines of APEC in November.

“Hopefully, China can help us stop the war with, in particular, Russia, Ukraine. They have a great deal of power over that situation. And we’ll work with them,” Trump said. And I mentioned that with, during our phone conversation with President Xi and hopefully we could work together and get that stopped,” Trump said.

Trump called for NATO nations to up their defense spending from 2% to 5%, something he has advocated for since his first term in office. Asked if there would be a peace agreement with Ukraine and Russia by the time Trump takes the stage next year, he pointed his finger at Russia.

“Well, you’re going to have to ask Russia,” he said. “Ukraine is ready to, to make a deal.”

On Wednesday Trump called out Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Truth Social post, telling him “It’s time to ‘MAKE A DEAL.’ NO MORE LIVES SHOULD BE LOST!!!”

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The Pala Fire, which was burning at a slow rate of speed, had burned about 30 acres and was also zero percent contained, the department said in another post.

An evacuation order was issued early Tuesday for the area near Old Highway 395 and W. Lilac Road in Bonsall, a community in an unincorporated area in northern San Diego, officials said.

“An evacuation order has been issued for people who live in the red shaded areas as shown on the maps below,” the San Diego Sheriff’s office said. “It means there is an immediate threat and you need to leave right now.”

Windy conditions that could help spread any fires that ignite are set to return to Southern California next week.

Winds gusting up to 60 mph are possible on Monday and Tuesday, with relative humidity as low as 3% is possible.

More than 10 million in Southern California are under a fire weather watch. Should fire ignition occur, extreme fire behavior and rapid fire growth is expected.

For now, these are just fire weather watches for the Burbank and Malibu areas, but could be upgraded to red flag warnings.

The strong winds could last longer than Tuesday as winds may stick around along with very dry conditions expected throughout the week.

There is still no rain in the foreseeable future for Southern California.

At least 27 people have died as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong winds, rage across Southern California.

Thousands of firefighters have been battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, remain active.

The Palisades Fire, which began in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, has destroyed or damaged over 6,000 structures. It’s covered more than 23,700 acres and is at 59% containment.

The Eaton Fire north of Pasadena also began on Jan. 7 and has destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures. It’s burned over 14,000 acres and is at 87% containment.

5th ‘particularly dangerous situation’ alert issued for LA area

A huge area of Southern California, including fire-ravaged Los Angeles County, was under a “particularly dangerous situation” alert on Monday as the National Weather Service forecast the return of strong Santa Ana winds to the region.

For an unprecedented fifth time in a single fire season, the NWS issued the rare PDS alert, warning residents of extreme fire danger and to be prepared to evacuate if new fires break out.

Monday morning, just two blazes, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena was  active. But officials said firefighters had gained the upper hand on both wildfires.

In anticipation of the next round of Santa Ana winds forecast for Monday and Tuesday, thousands of firefighters spent the weekend increasing fire containment lines and extinguishing hot spots.

Gov. Newsom mobilizes firefighting resources ahead of ‘particularly dangerous’ fire weather

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday announced that he would deploy additional resources ahead of the extreme fire weather expected this week.

A statement from the governor’s office said that he is mobilizing and pre-positioning more than 170 fire engines, water tenders, and aircraft to Southern California, along with personnel. It explained that the state is “surging additional resources to provide rapid-attack capabilities for early fire starts.”

The region can expect possible peak wind speeds of up to 70 mph in the coasts and valleys and 100 mph in the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The National Weather Service has designated this a “Particularly Dangerous Situation.” It is the fifth such designation since November 2024.

 “The recent firestorms in Los Angeles have illustrated the importance of being in the right place at the right time,” Newsom said in the statement. “By strategically placing specialized personnel and equipment in areas prone to wildfires, crews are able to respond faster and more aggressively. These conditions are dangerous, so it’s incumbent upon all families to stay vigilant.”

The number of resources being deployed for the upcoming weather is twice as high as those allotted when the firestorms broke out on Jan. 7.

Containment of the Palisades Fire is up to 59% while containment of the Eaton Fire grew to 87%, according to the Cal Fire.

The Palisades Fire, which started on Jan. 7, has burned 23,713 acres and has destroyed 5,828 structures, including homes and businesses, according to an update from Cal Fire on Monday. At least 10 fire-related deaths have been reported in the Palisades Fire.

The Eaton Fire, which also started on Jan. 7, has burned more than 14,000 acres and has destroyed 9,391 structures in the communities of Pasadena and Altadena, according to Cal Fire. At least 17 fatalities have been blamed on the fire.

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Rubio’s experience as the top Republican on Senate Intelligence Committee gave his resume the necessary credentials to earn the public backing of a number of Democrats. The newly-confirmed Secretary of State talks about becoming the first Latino to occupy the job, plans for the TikTok ban and President Donald Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 defendants. There’s currently one vacancy in the chamber due to Vice President J.D. Vance resigning in mid-January.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee had voted Monday to advance Rubio’s nomination to the Senate floor on a unanimous vote, 22 to 0, and Idaho Sen. James Risch, chairman of the committee, had said he expected to call Rubio’s nomination up for the full Senate later Monday.

State Department officials  that told assuming all went to plan, the new Secretary of state Rubio would give a speech to mark his arrival on Tuesday. He will also meet both one on one and as a group with the foreign ministers of India, Australia, and Japan — the three countries that, along with the United States, make up the “Quad,” a diplomatic partnership seen as critical to countering China’s influence in the Pacific.

 “Leading the U.S. Department of State is a tremendous responsibility, and I am honored by the trust President Trump has placed in me,” Rubio said after he was tapped by Trump in November. “As Secretary of State, I will work every day to carry out his foreign policy agenda. Under the leadership of President Trump, we will deliver peace through strength and always put the interests of Americans and America above all else. I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate so the President has his national security and foreign policy team in place when he takes office on January 20.”

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Justin Trudeau’s departure comes amid mounting pressure for him to step aside before an upcoming election that his Liberal party is forecasted to lose badly. The leader also has a complicated, oft-adversarial relationship with U.S. president elect Donald Trump, who is set to be sworn  on 20^th January.

Donald Trump has proposed new tariffs on imports from Canada — the United States’ third largest supplier of agricultural products, according to the Department of Agriculture — as well as China and Mexico.

Trudeau traveled to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Florida, last month to meet with the president-elect.

Prime Minister Trudeau’s move also comes before an emergency meeting of Liberal legislators that was planned for Wednesday.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corp said more than 50 Liberal members of parliament from Ontario − the most populous of the 10 provinces and the party’s main stronghold − held a call Dec. 21 and agreed Trudeau had to step down.

Trudeau has attempted damage control, even jetting out to West Palm Beach, Florida in late-November for a meeting with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate days after the president-elect vowed to enact a 25% tariff on all products coming into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico.

Trudeau has often been at odds with Trump, who has mocked Trudeau as “governor” of Canada while repeatedly joking that the nation should become the 51st U.S. state.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust, nationwide, competitive process,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday from Rideau Cottage in Ottawa.

“Every morning I’ve woken up as prime minister, I’ve been inspired by the resilience, generosity and the determination of Canadians,” Trudeau said in a news conference. “It is the driving force of every single day I have the privilege of serving this office.”

“I’m a fighter. Every bone in my body has always told me to fight because I care deeply about Canadians. I care deeply about this country, and I will always be motivated by what is in the best interest of Canadians,” the prime minister said.

“This country deserves a real choice in the next election, and it has become clear to me that if I’m having to fight internal battles, I cannot be the best option in that election,” he said.

Trudeau said at the news conference that parliament would be suspended until March 24.

Trudeau’s leaves the Liberal Party before the next federal election, that must be held on or before the Oct. 20.

The announcement of resignation of Prime Minister Trudea comes a month after Canada’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, resigned from Trudeau’s Cabinet, a sign of apparent turmoil in his government.

In her letter last month, Freeland said Trudeau told her he no longer wanted her to serve as finance minister and offered her another position in the Cabinet.

In a letter to the prime minister announcing her resignation, Freeland cited her differences with Trudeau over how to deal with President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threat.

“Our country today faces a grave challenge,” Freeland wrote in the letter, which she shared on social media. “The incoming administration in the United States is pursuing a policy of aggressive economic nationalism, including a threat of 25 percent tariffs.”

“We need to take that threat extremely seriously,” she continued, with actions that included the need for Canada to push back and resist “costly political gimmicks” and “building a true Team Canada response.”

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