Good evening! We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.
Your Weather Planner
A brief ridge of high pressure will build over SoCal, leading to continued warming and above-average temperatures through Friday.
A compressed marine layer will lead to patchy fog and low clouds confined to the coast and basins Friday morning.
Temperatures will quickly cool through the weekend with highs close to seasonal averages.
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Today’s Big Stories
1. Palisades Fire suspect pleads not guilty in LA federal court
The man accused of setting a New Year’s Eve fire that grew into what became the deadly Palisades Fire pleaded not guilty in federal court Thursday in downtown Los Angeles.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, who was a Pacific Palisades resident at the time, was arrested on Oct. 7 in Florida. The 29-year-old was extradited to California and is in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He has been charged with destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
During his arraignment, Rinderknecht had an outburst in court after the judge decided to keep him in detention.
“Can I just say something real quick about detainment?” he said before his attorney quieted him and then asked for a break.
The Palisades Fire began Jan. 7 and quickly grew into a highly destructive wildfire that burned 23,448 acres, killed 12 people and destroyed about 6,800 structures.
2. Judge hears arguments concerning immigrant detainees’ right to see lawyers
A federal judge on Thursday heard arguments but made no immediate ruling on whether to make permanent her temporary order ensuring that immigrants detained at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in downtown Los Angeles are able to see their attorneys in a timely manner.
U.S. District Judge Maame E. Frimpong issued the temporary restraining order in July requiring that detainees confined in the basement facility known as B-18 in the federal building be given access to lawyers as required by the Fifth Amendment right to counsel.
Prior to the start of the hearing in Los Angeles federal court, Frimpong issued her tentative ruling to attorneys for both sides. According to comments made during the proceeding, it was apparent the judge was leaning toward extending the TRO. She is expected to issue her ruling in writing at a later date.
3. Freddie Freeman returns to Canadian roots as Dodgers face Blue Jays in Toronto to open World Series
Freddie Freeman is returning to his family roots when the Los Angeles Dodgers open defense of their World Series championship against the Blue Jays in Toronto on Friday.
The All-Star first baseman’s parents are from the province of Ontario; father Fred is from Windsor and late mother Rosemary was from Peterborough, about 85 miles northeast of Toronto.
“Every time I go back there,” Freeman said, “I feel a little bit closer to my mom.”
Freeman was born in the Orange County city of Fountain Valley after his family relocated to California because of his father’s work.
He was 10 when his 47-year-old mother died of melanoma — the most dangerous type of skin cancer because of its ability to spread to organs — in 2000. Freeman wears long sleeves under his jersey during games as a silent tribute to her as well as to protect himself from the cancer that runs in the family.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman celebrates his walk-off grand slam home run against the New York Yankees during the 10th inning in Game 1 of the baseball World Series, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
4. Trump backs off planned surge of federal agents into San Francisco after talking to the mayor
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’s backing off a planned surge of federal agents into San Francisco after speaking to the mayor, as protesters gathered outside a U.S. Coast Guard base where they were located.
Trump posted on social media that Mayor Daniel Lurie told him Wednesday night that the city was making progress in reducing crime. Trump said he agreed to let San Francisco keep trying on its own.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents began arriving Thursday at Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California, to support federal efforts to track down immigrants in the country illegally. Several hundred people, many singing hymns and carrying signs saying “No ICE or troops in the Bay,” referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, gathered at the base shortly after dawn.
Your Notes for Tomorrow
New York AG makes initial appearance in court
80th anniversary of the United Nations officially coming into being
MLB World Series Begins in Toronto — Dodgers play the Blue Jays at 5:00 p.m. PT
CPI data released
UK pre-trial hearing for Chris Brown, accused of attacking music producer with bottle
Ireland presidential election
In Case You Missed It
(Spectrum News/Ryan Thompson)
The University of California has set a record in academia as five of its faculty and alumni were awarded Nobel Prizes this year, the most ever received by a single institution in one year.
The honors span physics, chemistry and medicine, and bring the UC system’s total Nobel count to 75. Among the newly minted laureates is John Martinis, a physicist at UC Santa Barbara, whose research into quantum systems has helped define the future of computing.
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