Today’s edition of quick hits.
* The latest from California: “A series of destructive wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people and forced 180,000 from their homes. The true death toll is not known, authorities said, as fires destroy entire streets and thousands of structures. As of today, 153,000 residents remain under evacuation orders.”
* Can things get worse for Giuliani? Evidently, yes: “A federal judge on Friday found Rudy Giuliani in contempt of court for his continued defamation of two former Georgia election workers, just days after a different federal judge held him in contempt for failing to turn over his assets to them as ordered. In a courtroom in Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell excoriated Giuliani for continuing to defame Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, saying he violated a permanent injunction that he agreed to in May ‘in at least six ways.’”
* A closely watched case: “The Supreme Court on Friday appeared likely to uphold a law that would effectively ban social media platform TikTok in the United States. The nine justices on the conservative-majority court heard oral arguments from lawyers for TikTok, some of its users and the Biden administration, with at least a preliminary decision likely in days, if not hours.”
* In Caracas: “Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in Friday to serve a third six-year term, extending his increasingly repressive rule until 2031 despite protests and credible evidence that his opponent won the election. Venezuela’s legislative palace, where he was sworn in and delivered a fiery speech, was heavily guarded by police, military and intelligence officers.”
* Speaking of Venezuela: “The Biden administration on Friday issued sweeping extensions of deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of people from Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela in a move that makes it almost impossible for President-elect Donald J. Trump to swiftly strip the benefit when he takes office.”
* Something to keep an eye on over the weekend: “The federal appeals court covering Florida rejected a defense request to block the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report on his office’s investigations into Donald Trump. But an order temporarily blocking its release from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is still in place for now, which would keep the report blocked for three more days absent further appeal.”
* It’ll be worth watching to see if Trump reverses this policy: “The United States on Friday announced new sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector and its ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers in what could be a final attempt by the Biden administration to cripple the Russian economy in response to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.”
* It doesn’t generate a lot of conversation, but infrastructure investments will be a key element of Biden’s legacy: “The Biden administration is making its final major infrastructure spending announcement on Friday, devoting $5 billion to 560 projects across all 50 states, DC, and US territories, according to an announcement shared first with Semafor.”
Have a safe weekend.