Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump to meet with him at the White House.

An Israeli official confirmed Wednesday that Netanyahu is expected to arrive in Washington, D.C., early next week and does not have any other meetings scheduled with any other U.S. officials at this time.

RELATED STORY | Israel frees 90 Palestinian prisoners as ceasefire takes hold

"I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbors, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries," a letter from Netanyahu's office said, according to The Associated Press.

It comes as Netanyahu was meeting earlier Wednesday in Jerusalem with Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East.

Witkoff worked closely alongside former President Biden's special envoy to the region to help negotiate the ceasefire and hostage release deal earlier this month between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

RELATED STORY | Trump calls for a US 'Iron Dome' missile defense system

This is expected to be the first time President Trump and Netanyahu will meet in-person since July, when Netanyahu took a trip to Florida to meet with then-presidential candidate Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

At the time, Trump pressed the Israeli prime minister on the importance of ending his country's war against Hamas and bringing peace to the Middle East.

Following widespread confusion, lawsuits and backlash, the Trump administration rescinded a memo that attempted to pause federal funding for grants and loan programs.

A memo to heads of executive government departments says, "OMB Memorandum M-25-13 is rescinded. If you have questions about implementing the Presidents Executive Orders, please contact your agency General Counsel."

The original memo stated the order was set to go into effect on Tuesday, but was halted after a federal judge granted a "brief administrative stay."

The order stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Democracy First on behalf of the National Council of Nonprofits, American Public Health Association, Main Street Alliance and SAGE.

Facing legal pressure from our clients and in the wake of a federal judge ruling in our case last evening, the Trump-Vance administration has abandoned OMBs ordered federal funding freeze. We are proud of our courageous clients -- who represent communities across the nation -- for going to court to stop the administration's unlawful actions," said Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attempted to clarify why the Trump administration rescinded the memo.

"In light of the injunction, OMB has rescinded the memo to end any confusion on federal policy created by the court ruling and the dishonest media coverage," she stated. "The Executive Orders issued by the President on funding reviews remain in full force and effect and will be rigorously implemented by all agencies and departments. This action should effectively end the court case and allow the government to focus on enforcing the Presidents orders on controlling federal spending. In the coming weeks and months, more executive action will continue to end the egregious waste of federal funding."

About two dozen states, including New York and California, also sued to fight against the funding freeze, which could have impacted federal infrastructure projects, foreign aid commitments and grants for nonprofit organizations and services.

https://x.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/1884675329496649832

The proposed pause was not meant to be permanent and was intended to give federal agencies time to ensure their grants, loans and programs comply with Trump administration policies and goals, officials said.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to halt what he calls radical indoctrination in K-12 schools, specifically targeting "critical race theory" and "gender ideology."

The order prohibits federal funding for schools that incorporate critical race theory and other teachings Trumps administration deems inappropriate.

It also directs the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Defense, who oversees Department of Defense-run schools, to develop a strategy within 90 days to halt such teachings from classrooms.

The order fulfills a promise President Trump made while campaigning.

On day one, I will sign a new executive order to cut federal funding for any school pushing Critical Race Theory, transgender insanity, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children, Trump previously said.

RELATED STORY | Trump order aims to end federal support for gender transitions for those under 19

The executive order reinstates a previous Trump-era policy, which reintroduces the 1776 Commission. It's an initiative aimed at promoting patriotic education.

"Unfortunately, some versions of American history offer a misconstrued and one-sided account of our founding in an effort to paint America as a systemically racist country," the original policy stated.

The wide-ranging impact of Trump's latest executive order remains to be seen as most education decisions are made a the local level.

What is critical race theory?

Critical race theory is an academic concept that was originally taught at the college level. It involves analyzing how race and racism intersect with social structures and institutions.

The extent to which critical race theory is taught in K-12 schools. While it may not be taught in its original form, critical race theory has taken on a new meaning for some. Some conservatives argue discussions around diversity, equity and inclusion amount to critical race theory.

President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law on Wednesday, marking the first law enacted during his second term.

The act requires members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain any illegal immigrant who is arrested, charged or convicted with burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. In passing the bill, the Senate also added two acts to the list of offenses that force ICE to act: assault of a law enforcement officer and acts causing death or injury.

RELATED STORY | President Trump pardons about 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants, commutes sentences for 14 others

The act is named for Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student who was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan immigrant who entered the country illegally in 2022. Ibarra was sentenced in November of 2024 to life in prison for the murder.

The bill passed by a vote of 263-156 in the House. All GOP members of the House who voted were in favor of passing the bill, while 156 Democrats voted against it. Before that, the bill passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 64-35, where the yes votes included 12 Democratic senators.

The act was signed as President Trump has touted stepped-up deportations of migrants in the U.S. illegally.

RELATED STORY | Nearly two dozen states sue over Trump's order to end birthright citizenship

One day after President Donald Trump proposed offering buyouts to the entire federal workforce, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed his support for the plan.

President Trump's plan would allow federal workers to resign but remain on the government payroll through September 30. The Trump administration has stated it wants to shrink the size of the government. It also has vowed to end work-from-home practices.

But it's unclear whether President Trump has the power to offer unilateral buyouts of federal employees. When asked by Scripps News about whether he is comfortable with thousands of workers on payroll while not doing any work, Johnson said, "Drastic times call for drastic measures, and they've been doing this for four years under the Biden administration."

Johnson said this is an example of President Trump "thinking outside of the box."

"They had full license apparently to not come to work, and it's a terrible frustration for us and for the American people and because it's civil service laws," he said. "This is not like a private company, it should be that way, but it's not."

Johnson believes the plan would cut billions from the federal budget.

"They estimate that maybe 5 to 10% of the federal workforce will take their golden parachute," he said. "Fantastic, I hope they do. But if the estimate is if 5 to 10% leave, you can save $100 billion for taxpayers."

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 800,000 federal workers, voiced its opposition to buyouts.

"The number of civil servants hasn't meaningfully changed since 1970, but there are more Americans than ever who rely on government services," said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. "Purging the federal government of dedicated career civil servants will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government. This offer should not be viewed as voluntary. Between the flurry of anti-worker executive orders and policies, it is clear that the Trump administration's goal is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to.

A federal judge granted a "brief administrative stay" on Tuesday, halting enforcement of the Trump administration's federal funding freeze just before it was set to go into effect.

But many programs across the country are still dealing with new uncertainty and questions, particularly those that receive government funding.

On Tuesday Scripps News spoke with Josh Protas, the chief advocacy and policy officer at Meals on Wheels, the national nonprofit dedicated to addressing hunger and isolation among America's senior citizens.

"There's a lot of confusion out there right now," Protas said. "Meals on Wheels programs get a substantial amount of their funding through the federal government that is granted to state units on aging, that in turn goes to area agencies on aging, to local providers. So it's not a benefit that goes directly to individuals, and our understanding is that it would still be subjected to the proposed funding freeze."

"About 37% of funding for Meals on Wheels programs around the country comes from the federal government. That helps to feed and provide social connections to 2.2 million seniors every year. So this would be a huge blow if there were a loss of that federal support, and the uncertainty right now that providers are facing and that seniors are facing is really harmful."

Watch the full interview with Protas in the video above.

RELATED STORY | Judge temporarily puts part of Trumps federal funding freeze on hold

The U.S. Senate voted 51-50 Friday to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense in President Donald Trump's new administration, with a tiebreaking vote cast by Vice President JD Vance.

Hegseth's narrow confirmation follows a protracted and contentious nomination process, during which he faced allegations of sexual assault, questions over his history with alcohol and criticism for opinions he held for women in combat roles.

Just hours before the final confirming vote, Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine continued to push back against GOP support of Hegseth.

"I remain concerned about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join," Sen. Murkowski said in a statement on Thursday.

Both Sen. Collins and Sen. Murkowski, as well as Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, voted against Hegseth's confirmation.

The resulting 50-50 vote in the chamber necessitated a tiebreaking vote by Vice President JD Vance in his role as presiding officer in the Senate.

RELATED STORY | Allegations against Pete Hegseths past behavior shared with lawmakers in new affidavit

During confirmation hearings, Hegseth backtracked on earlier comments about women serving in combat posts.

"Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles, given the standards remain high and will have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded in any one of these cases. That'll be part of one of the first things we do at the Pentagon is reviewing that in a gender-neutral way, the standards ensuring readiness and meritocracy is front and center, but absolutely," he said.

Senators on Capitol Hill received a sworn affidavit this week from Danielle Hegseth, Pete Hegseth's former sister-in-law, expressing concern over Hegseths ability to serve if confirmed.

In the affidavit, obtained by Scripps News, Danielle alleges that Hegseth displayed behavior described as erratic and aggressive ... over many years. Danielle also alleged that she witnessed Hegseth abuse alcohol, stating: Hegseth would drink to the point of passing out, calling him an erratic, volatile personal with an alcohol abuse problem. She also alleged Mr. Hegseth may have mistreated his then-wife, Samantha, who feared for her safety who took steps including hid[ing] in her closet" and utilizing a safe word out of fear of her husband.

Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017. The Associated Press reported that a woman told police Hegseth refused to let her leave a California hotel room and took her phone. Hegseth, who was not charged, reportedly told police the sexual encounter was consensual.

RELATED STORY | Mother of Pete Hegseth reportedly told son he was an 'abuser of women' in email

Shortly after his nomination for defense secretary, The New York Times published a letter written to Hegseth by his mother Penelope in 2018. In it, she accused him of a history of abuse.

"You are an abuser of women that is the ugly truth and I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego," Penelope Hegseth wrote in the letter. "On behalf of all the women (and I know its many) you have abused in some way, I say get some help and take an honest look at yourself."

When contacted by The New York Times, Penelope Hegseth did not deny sending the email but reportedly explained that she wrote it in anger while her son was going through a divorce. She also stated that she later sent her son another email apologizing for her comments, adding, I know my son. He is a good father and husband.

During confirmation hearings, Hegseth dismissed allegations against him as "smears." He has promised not to drink alcohol while on the job.

Hegseth has served in the Army National Guard since 2003. He served with his unit at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, volunteered to serve in Iraq and was also deployed to Afghanistan. He currently holds the rank of Major.

Hegseth is a former co-host on "Fox & Friends Weekend." He worked for the network from 2014 and left after his nomination by then-President-elect Trump.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Spirit Airlines has a new dress code for passengers banning certain tattoos, clothing or not enough clothing.

The airline updated its contract of carriage stating passengers "may not be permitted to board" or "may be required to leave an aircraft" if they are barefoot, inadequately clothed," or if clothing or tattoos are obscene or offensive.

The rules specify inadequately clothed as see-through clothing, not enough coverage, exposed breasts, buttocks or other private parts.

It also stated people who are considered too smelly can be removed from a flight.

RELATED STORY | Spirit Airlines filing for bankruptcy as it faces looming debt payments

The rules requiring shoes already existed as well as the banning of obscene or offensive clothing. The recent changes expanded on these rules.

When you book a flight with the airline, you automatically consent to following the dress code within the code of conduct.

The dress code updates come after two women claimed they were kicked off of their Spirit flight from Los Angeles to New Orleans for wearing crop tops.

RELATED STORY | JetBlue becomes the first airline to accept Venmo payments

Republican Congressman Andy Ogles wants to amend the constitution so President Donald Trump can run for a third term in office.

Ogles, a U.S. representative from Tennessee, says he introduced a House Joint Resolution this week that would allow a president to be elected no more than three terms.

"I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to revise the limitations imposed by the 22nd Amendment on presidential terms," Ogles said in a statement. "This amendment would allow President Trump to serve three terms, ensuring that we can sustain the bold leadership our nation so desperately needs."

RELATED STORY | Donald Trump wins 2024 presidential election, beating VP Kamala Harris

The 22nd Amendment currently states, "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of President more than once."

Amending the Constitution is no easy task. It requires a two-thirds majority in Congress or at a national convention to propose an amendment, and a three-fourths majority of state legislatures or state conventions to ratify it.

The last time the Constitution was amended was in 1992, with the ratification of the 27th Amendment, a process that began over 200 years earlier.

Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the Oath Keepers, cannot enter the U.S. Capitol under his conditions of release.

A federal judge outlined the condition on Friday following President Donald Trump's decision to commute Rhodes' 18-year prison sentence for orchestrating the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy related to the breach at the Capitol.

The judge's order extends to several others who were convicted following the attack, including Kelly Meggs, the leader of the Florida chapter of the far-right extremist group.

RELATED STORY | Son of man pardoned for Jan. 6 riot involvement says hes terrified

Not only are they barred from entering the Capitol, but they are also not allowed to visit Washington, D.C. without getting permission from the court.

Hours after the judge issued the conditions of release, the Department of Justice filed a motion to vacate the order claiming the court "may not modify the terms of supervised release" because of the president's executive order.

President Donald Trump signed the executive order on Monday officially pardoning about 1,500 of those charged and convicted of offenses related to the Jan. 6 attacks and commuting the sentences of 14 others.

An estimated 140 police officers were assaulted on the day of the riot, including about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Meta, the parent company of popular social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, is denying that users were ever forced to follow the accounts of President Donald Trump and others in his administration following his inauguration.

"People were not made to automatically follow any of the official Facebook or Instagram accounts for the President, Vice President or First Lady," said Andy Stone, Meta policy communications manager, in a statement. "Those accounts are managed by the White House so with a new administration, the content on those Pages changes."

"This is the same procedure we followed during the last presidential transition," he continued. "It may take some time for follow and unfollow requests to go through as these accounts change hands."

RELATED STORY | Trump reportedly met with TikTok CEO as potential US ban looms

It comes after some users on Facebook and Instagram complained following President Trump's inauguration, claiming they were forced to follow certain government-run accounts. But many were likely unaware they were already following those accounts when power shifted from the Biden administration to the Trump administration.

The backlash against Meta also comes in the wake of the company announcing earlier this month that it was eliminating it's fact-checking team a move some claim was done to better align with the incoming president, who has often accused social media companies of unjust censorship.

Instead, Meta said Facebook and Instagram will move toward a "Community Notes" model similar to what has been established on Elon Musk's X formerly Twitter allowing users to collaboratively add context to posts. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims the transition will "dramatically reduce the amount of censorship on our platforms."

RELATED STORY | Mark Zuckerberg says the White House pressured Facebook to remove COVID-19-related content

"It's time to get back to our roots around free expression on Facebook and Instagram," Zuckerberg said in a video announcing the changes, pointing to an increase in the politicization of censorship online and pressures from "governments and legacy media."

"After Trump first got elected in 2016, the legacy media wrote nonstop about how misinformation was a threat to democracy," he added. "We tried in good faith to address those concerns without becoming the arbiters of truth. But the fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they created, especially in the U.S."

The United States Senate voted 74-25 to confirm John Ratcliffe as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Ratcliffe is a former Texas congressman who also previously served in Trump's first administration as the director of national intelligence.

RELATED STORY | Trump CIA director pick vows to bring renewed focus to US intelligence gathering

Last week, he fielded questions from both Democratic and Republican senators about his vision for the nation's premier spy agency, which is responsible for conducting foreign operations and gathering critical information on U.S. adversaries.

Ratcliffe said his goal is to bring a renewed focus to the CIA by bolstering intelligence gathering while focusing resources on evolving technologies that superpowers like China and Russia may use against the U.S.

RELATED STORY | Senate confirms Marco Rubio as US secretary of state

Ratcliffe is the second of President Donald Trump's cabinet picks to be confirmed.

Marco Rubio was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of State hours after President Trump was sworn into office on Monday.

A farm in New York has been forced to euthanize over 100,000 ducks after a bird flu outbreak.

Officials said the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was detected at Crescent Duck Farm in Long Island city of Aquebogue through testing on Jan. 17.

The commercial duck farm had to seize all of its operations and now, it must euthanize its entire flock, officials said.

RELATED STORY | CDC expands testing protocols for avian flu cases in influenza patients

According to the farm's website, it's a family-owned operation that has been in business since 1908 and was named after the shape of the creek alongside the farm's original land.

The latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said most of the ongoing bird flu outbreaks in commercial poultry flocks have occurred in California and Ohio.

RELATED STORY | Possible case of bird flu found in a San Francisco child, health officials say

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responding to critics who claim Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave a "Nazi salute" not once, but twice during an inauguration celebration for President Donald Trump.

"[Elon Musk] is being falsely smeared," Netanyahu wrote on Musk's social media platform X. "Elon is a great friend of Israel. He visited Israel after the Oct. 7 massacre in which Hamas terrorists committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust."

FROM THE ARCHIVES | Studies: Social media giants fuel antisemitism, extremism, hate speech

"He has since repeatedly and forcefully supported Israel's right to defend itself against genocidal terrorists and regimes who seek to annihilate the one and only Jewish state," Netanyahu added. "I thank him for this."

The Israeli prime minister's statement was in response to Musk's claim that "radical leftists" took time out of their "busy day praising Hamas to call me a Nazi."

The firestorm of criticism against Musk came after he gave a stiff-armed, flat-handed gesture to a large crowd at a rally for President Trump on Monday, with some linking it to European fascists like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Scripps News spoke to Adam Zimmerman, a grandson of Holocaust survivors, and he called Musk's gesture "appalling."

"When I saw him do those salutes, to me it was immediate. I know what a Nazi salute looks like," Zimmerman said. "That salute has been one of the driving forces in my family's history. To me, there is no question he knew exactly what he was doing. It was incredibly painful in the moment and it remains so now."

FROM THE ARCHIVES | Musk meeting with Israeli leaders amid concerns over antisemitism on X

It's also not the first time Musk has faced backlash over actions that some people deemed antisemitic.

In 2023, after Musk took control of X formerly Twitter the liberal advocacy group Media Matters published a report accusing Musk of endorsing antisemitic conspiracy theories on the platform.

It came at a time when several major companies also pulled advertisements from Musk's site amid claims that their ads had appeared next to content that touted Adolf Hitler and Nazis.

X then sued Media Matter, arguing that it fabricated the report in order to "drive advertisers from the platform and destroy X Corp." to spite Musk.

"Obviously I am against antisemitism," Musk said at the time. "I am against anything that promotes hate and conflict, and I am in favor of that in which that helps society and takes us to a better future."

President Donald Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, discussing key economic policies and international relations.

Speaking virtually to an audience of global economic and world leaders, President Trump reiterated his administration's stance on NATO defense spending, tariffs and tax cuts.

My message to every business in the world is very simple: Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on Earth," President Trump said. "Were bringing them down very substantially, even from the original Trump tax cuts. But if you dont 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.

RELATED STORY | Republicans unite to codify Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship

President Trump also mentioned plans to engage with Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower oil prices, linking this to his broader economic strategy.

In his first address to an international audience since returning to power, President Trump said he would like to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin about putting an end to the war in Ukraine.

We really have to stop that war," President Trump said. "That war is horrible."

Trump also said he would ask NATO allies to increase defense spending to 5%. NATO guidelines currently recommend that member countries spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.

San Antonio Police confirmed that seven of its officers were shot late Wednesday while responding to a "suicide in progress" call.

At least four of the officers had non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Police Chief William McManus said an officer arrived on the scene and was shot by the shooter. Moments later, six additional officers arrived and were also shot.

RELATED STORY | Teen kills 1 student, wounds another in Nashville school shooting

McManus said the shooter then barricaded themselves for several hours as SWAT arrived. SWAT then encountered the shooter, who was found dead.

It was unclear if the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound or was shot by police, McManus said.

"The suspect had three arrests on Jan. 18, two for assault offenses and one for DWI," McManus said. "He was out on bond at the time."

In a newly filed ethics report, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he plans to keep his financial stake in some pharmaceutical litigation if confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary.

Kennedy said in the report that he has earned more than $2.4 million referring clients to the law firm WisnerBaum. That firm is suing a drug maker over its HPV vaccine, Gardasil.

Kennedy said he is contracted to receive 10% of contingency fees awarded to the firm.

Ethics records show he intends to keep collecting fees related to past referrals. That could pose an issue because, as head of Health and Human Services, he would be in a position to oversee policies that affect drug makers.

RELATED STORY | Attorney for RFK Jr. petitioned FDA to repeal polio vaccine approval

Kennedy said he is not an attorney of record for the cases and will not provide representational services in connection with cases during his appointment.

Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, was nominated to be the Trump administration's head of the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA.

In the ethics report, he said that he resigned his positions at Children's Health Defense. The organization has been known to spread misinformation on vaccine safety and has filed lawsuits against the makers of vaccines.

Dozens of Nobel laureates have asked senators to reject Kennedy's nomination based on concerns that Kennedy would put the publics health in jeopardy and undermine Americas global leadership in the health sciences.

RELATED STORY | RFK Jr. poised to help shape health care policy in new Trump administration

In the ethics report, Kennedy revealed that he will continue receiving royalties for his book, "Vax-Un Vax: Let the Science Speak." He also revealed that he was under contract to write three more books but said he would not engage in writing activities while serving as secretary.

Kennedy is scheduled to appear before two Senate committees next week as part of his confirmation hearings.

Two weeks after a pair of massive wildfires swept through the Los Angeles region, a new wildfire raged north of Los Angeles on Wednesday, burning over 10,000 acres near Castaic, California.

The wildfire expanded quickly on Wednesday despite numerous resources remaining in the area to help contain the Palisades and Eaton Fires.

Unlike the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which struck heavily populated parts of Los Angeles County, the Hughes Fire is mostly contained to remote and mountainous sections of Northwest Los Angeles County. Still, 31,000 residents were told to evacuate as the fire started spreading.

RELATED STORY | How exposure to wildfire smoke can put your health at risk

Officials said that the type of conditions that fueled wildfires earlier in the month persist in Southern California.

"The conditions that we're under aren't as severe as what we've been facing over the last week or two, but what you saw today is indicative of the conditions in terms of the vegetation," said Chief Robert Garcia of the U.S. Forest Service "Our wildland fire condition is critical. Absent wind, the fire is going to move through the vegetation like you saw today with the slope and chasing fuel."

Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said resources were quickly dispatched Wednesday morning to combat the wildfire.

"The situation that we're in today is much different than the situation we were in 16 days ago. We have so many resources from Northern California, from the western United States, international resources, aircraft resources. The number of helicopters and fixed-wing retardant tankers that are available to us really allow us to attack a fire like this and have it laid down," he said.

RELATED STORY | It's not really the right time for nasty California fires. What are the factors that changed that?

Red flag conditions are expected to persist in the region on Thursday, as officials monitor hot spots and potential new fires.

Forecasters are hopeful the Los Angeles area could experience its first significant rain in months this weekend. The last time Los Angeles had a day with more than 0.01 inches of precipitation was May 5, 2024.

Scripps News was honored on Wednesday with the prestigious duPont-Columbia Award for its investigation into the October 2023 mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine.

National investigative correspondent Lori Jane Gliha, investigative producer Brittany Freeman and the Scripps News Investigates team spent more than a year uncovering information about the shooter, a member of the Army Reserves.

RELATED | Maine Shooting: Missed Warnings

Scripps News revealed that at least 26 law enforcement officers in New York and Maine knew of the shooter's mental decline and access to guns in the months and weeks before the shooting, but no one triggered state red or yellow flag laws that are intended to prevent mass shootings.

Scripps News was one of two first-time winners of the duPont-Columbia Awards on Wednesday. The Outlaw Ocean Project also won its first award for its investigative series, China: The Superpower of Seafood."

The duPont-Columbia Awards have been honoring journalists for extraordinary work for more than 80 years.