Why It Matters: Money In Politics

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 8, the eighth day of 2025. There are 357 days left in the year. Today in history: On Jan. 8, 2016, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the world’s most-wanted drug lord, was captured for a third time in a daring raid by Mexican marines, six months after walking through a tunnel to freedom from a maximum security prison. Also on this date: In 1790, President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address in New York City. Related Articles National News | Photos: Wildfires race across Southern California National News | Thousands flee as wildfires burn out of control in and around Los Angeles and homes are destroyed National News | Nvidia’s new GPU series led an avalanche of entertainment-related announcements at CES National News | US Justice Department accuses six major landlords of scheming to keep rents high National News | Mourners honor former President Jimmy Carter in Capitol | PHOTOS In 1815, the last major engagement of the War of 1812 came to an end as U.

By DOUG GLASS, Associated Press Strong winds that sent wildfires ripping through the mountains and foothills around Los Angeles on Tuesday fed a spectacle of smoke, flames and flight. Large flames Vivid orange flames lit the sky in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where firefighters dragged hoses to meet blazes flaring up in brush dried out by persistent drought.

By JAIMIE DING, CHRISTOPHER WEBER and JULIE WATSON LOS ANGELES (AP) — California firefighters battled wind-whipped wildfires that tore across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as officials prepared for the situation to worsen early Wednesday. The flames from a fire that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of LA spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot.

Observations and other notes of interest from Tuesday night’s 114-98 victory over the Golden State Warriors: – There was no pretense in this one. – The Heat and Warriors know they need to be better. – The Warriors entered 18-17, the Heat at 17-17. – Now the Heat are 18-17, the Warriors 18-18. – With Heat coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledging his team very much remains stuck in the middle. – “You have a top-of-the-food-chain league right now, and then you have everyone else.

Exhaustion assuredly could have stood as an excuse, considering going double-overtime the previous night in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. Opposing excellence could have created a sense of doom, as Stephen Curry drained eight 3-pointers in a 31-point performance. And there remained the reality of Jimmy Butler missing the third game of a seven-game unpaid suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.” Instead, Erik Spoelstra’s team pushed through it all for a 114-98 victory Tuesday night over Curry and the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. A night after blowing a 17-point fourth-quarter lead in Sacramento, the Heat this time saw an early 15-point lead almost melt away before finding a way at the finish. With solid bench boosts from Nikola Jovic, Duncan Robinson and Alec Burks, the Heat were able to minimize the fatigue for the starters in the back-to-back set. “These are opportunities, when you have a real tough game last night and a quick turnaround, you can rally around each other or you can get overwhelmed and feel sorry for yourselves,” Spoelstra said.

By JESSE BEDAYN DENVER (AP) — The U. S. Justice Department is suing several landlords for allegedly coordinating to keep Americans’ rents high by using both an algorithm to help set rents and privately sharing sensitive information with their own competitors to boost profits. Related Articles National News | Nvidia’s new GPU series led an avalanche of entertainment-related announcements at CES National News | Mourners honor former President Jimmy Carter in Capitol | PHOTOS National News | Biden administration asks court to block plea deals for alleged mastermind of 9/11 attacks National News | Biden administration asks court to block plea deals for alleged mastermind of 9/11 attacks National News | Biden administration finalizes clean electricity tax credits, says Trump should keep in place The lawsuit arrives as U.