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Paris Men’s Fashion Week kicks off Tuesday, headlined by Pharrell Williams’ highly anticipated new show for Louis Vuitton which is set to take over the Louvre in the evening.Transforming the French capital’s most famous museum continues his tradition of using major landmarks as backdrops for his clothes since he began as creative director in 2023.For his debut show, the LVMH-owned brand used the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in the capital, as a giant runway, even painting its paving stones gold.A historic theme park, the Jardin d’Acclimatation, hosted Pharrell’s show last January while in June he sent models down a lawn catwalk built on the rooftop of the modernist headquarters of UN agency UNESCO.The Louvre’s iconic architecture has been used several times in the past by Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquiere, artistic director of women’s collections, most recently in October.Pharrell’s fifth collection for the Autumn-Winter 2025-2026 season is expected to once again draw a star-studded crowd from the worlds of rap, cinema, and sports. Brand ambassadors include American basketball player LeBron James, French basketball sensation Victor Wembanyama, and Olympic swimming star Leon Marchand.South Korean star J-Hope of K-pop group BTS, currently in Paris, shared his invitation on social media: a metallic card bearing his name in a leather pouch.After delivering an ode to multiculturalism during his last show in June, Pharrell Williams might be tempted to send a political message a day after the inauguration of Donald Trump as US president, some observers believe.  – ‘Workwear’ -The opening day of Men’s Fashion Week, which runs until Sunday, will also feature an afternoon show by Japanese brand Auralee, making its third Paris appearance.Founded in 2015 by Ryota Iwai, the label stands out for its simple, functional design.In terms of looks, experts say the aesthetic dominance of streetwear is fading, with designers increasingly focused on “casual tailoring”, emphasising suits and structured pieces with a relaxed twist.A major trend from the spring-summer 2025 collections was dubbed “workwear”, featuring trench coats, Barbour-style jackets, duffle coats and loafers. “There’s a classic, slightly dandy but chic, elegant, and casual silhouette emerging,” Alice Feillard, men’s buying director at luxury Paris emporium Galeries Lafayette, told AFP.Brown colours have dominated for two seasons, and insiders expect them to remain a key shade at the end of the year.A number of top labels are luring new designers or looking for fresh inspiration in the increasingly tough luxury market.Lanvin is set to return after a two-year hiatus, presenting Peter Copping’s debut collection as the artistic director of France’s oldest couture house.After completing his first show in September, Valentino’s new artistic director, Alessandro Michele, will return for haute couture week, which follows immediately after the menswear week.One of the most anticipated shows will be on Sunday by in-vogue French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, whose Jacquemus brand is making its return to the official calendar after a five-year absence.Notably absences include Givenchy, whose new chief designer Sarah Burton has reserved her first collection for the women’s Fashion Week in March, as well as Loewe, whose artistic director Jonathan Anderson is rumoured to be on the way out.Hedi Slimane left his role as artistic director at Celine in October, John Galliano quit Maison Margiela in December, and Chanel unveiled their new creative director, Matthieu Blazy, only a month ago. 

President Donald Trump on Monday announced the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris climate accord for a second time, a defiant rejection of global efforts to combat planetary warming as catastrophic weather events intensify worldwide.The Republican leader also declared a “national energy emergency” to expand drilling in the world’s top oil and gas producer, said he would scrap vehicle emissions standards that amount to an “electric vehicle mandate,” and vowed to halt offshore wind farms, a frequent target of his scorn.”I’m immediately withdrawing from the unfair, one-sided Paris Climate Accord rip-off,” he said to cheering supporters at a Washington sports arena after being sworn in. “The United States will not sabotage our own industries while China pollutes with impunity.”He also signed an order instructing federal agencies to reject international climate finance commitments made under the previous administration, and issued a formal letter to the United Nations notifying it of Washington’s intent to leave the agreement.Under the accord’s rules, the United States will formally exit in one year.Critics warn the move undermines global cooperation on reducing fossil fuel use and could embolden major polluters like China and India to weaken their commitments, while Argentina, under libertarian President Javier Milei has also said it is “re-evaluating” its participation.”Withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement is a travesty,” said Rachel Cleetus, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, adding the move “shows an administration cruelly indifferent to the harsh climate change impacts that people in the United States and around the world are experiencing.”- Agreement to endure without US – The move comes as global average temperatures over the past two years surpassed a critical 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold for the first time, underscoring the urgency of climate action.  Trump previously withdrew the United States from the Paris Accord during his first term. Despite this, the agreement — adopted in 2015 by 195 parties to curb greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change — appears poised to endure.”The US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is unfortunate, but multilateral climate action has proven resilient and is stronger than any single country’s politics and policies,” said Laurence Tubiana, a key architect of the accord. UN climate chief Simon Stiell added the “door remains open” for Washington.Trump also on Monday signed a flurry of sweeping energy-related federal orders aimed at undoing former president Joe Biden’s climate legacy as he pledged to “drill, baby, drill!”He also attacked “big, ugly windmills” and said he’d take on Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which channels billions of dollars into clean energy tax credits.In addition, Trump vowed to reverse offshore drilling bans, unpause permits for liquefied natural gas facilities, and resume drilling on protected land in Alaska.- Praise and scorn – Trump’s actions drew praise from energy industry leaders and immediate outrage from environmental advocates.”The US oil and natural gas industry stands ready to work with the new administration to deliver the common sense energy solutions Americans voted for,” said Mike Sommers, of the American Petroleum Institute. But Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, pushed back: “There is no energy emergency. There is a climate emergency.” “The United States is producing more oil and gas than any country in history,” Bapnda said, accusing the Trump administration of “further enriching billionaire oil and gas donors at the people’s expense.”And China, the world’s largest emitter, said Tuesday that it was “concerned” about the US’ withdrawal from the accord.”Climate change is a common challenge faced by all of humanity, and no country can remain unaffected or solve the problem on its own,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.”China will work with all parties…to actively address the challenges of climate change,” he added.Analyses predict that Trump’s policies will significantly slow the pace of greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Still, experts remain optimistic that emissions will continue trending downward over the long term.Trump’s actions come despite overwhelming scientific consensus linking fossil fuel combustion to rising global temperatures and increasingly severe climate disasters. Wildfires exacerbated by climate change have recently devastated Los Angeles, leaving widespread destruction in their wake.

US President Donald Trump begins his first full day in office Tuesday, riding a wave of executive orders signed just hours after his inauguration on everything from immigration to the environment and culture wars.After the pomp of his inauguration ceremony and stunning array of executive orders, the president’s Tuesday begins with a more solemn event: a prayer service at the National Cathedral.Trump, 78, last visited the neo-Gothic church in the US capital in early January for the funeral of late president Jimmy Carter.It was unclear if or when more executive orders would come from Trump, as the country and world digest the blizzard of actions he took Monday — including initiating withdrawals from the Paris climate accord and World Health Organization.Signed in front of roaring supporters at an arena and then later in the Oval Office, the long list of policy changes offered a vivid symbol of Trump’s increased preparedness versus eight years prior, when he entered the White House with zero governing experience.The Republican said in a speech after taking the oath at the Capitol — in a ceremony held indoors due to freezing weather — that “America’s decline is over” after four years of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidency, pledging “the golden age of America begins right now.”Biden, 82, watched stony-faced during the inauguration ceremony as his political nemesis read the last rites over his single term in office.But after the pomp and ceremony, it was the showman Trump of his first term — along with the sometimes strongman-style rhetoric — who was on display later in the day.”Could you imagine Biden doing this? I don’t think so,” Trump told a cheering crowd at a Washington sports arena as he threw them the pens he had used to sign a first round of orders.- January 6 pardons -Back in the Oval Office, he held an impromptu 50-minute press conference as he signed more orders — including one pardoning around 1,500 Capitol rioters.  They were charged for taking part in the assault on Congress on January 6, 2021 by thousands of Trump supporters seeking to stop certification of Biden’s election victory.”We hope they come out tonight frankly,” Trump said. “They’re expecting it.”He signed orders declaring a national emergency at the Mexican border and said he would deploy US troops to tackle illegal immigration — a key campaign issue that drove his election victory over Kamala Harris.The returning president often struck a nationalistic tone, pledging to impose trade tariffs, rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” and take “back” the Panama Canal, which has been controlled by the Central American country since 1999.But he played down his earlier promises to get a peace agreement in Ukraine before taking office.He confirmed he would meet Vladimir Putin and said Putin was “destroying Russia” by not making a deal to end the war.Trump and First Lady Melania Trump later attended several inaugural balls, beginning with the “Commander-in-Chief” event with US service members.”Instead of worrying about political agendas, you don’t have to worry about that at all,” Trump told the crowd in a brief speech.”It’s only one focus, defeating America’s enemies. We’re not going to be defeated. We’re not going to be humiliated. We’re only going to win, win, win!”Trump is making history — as both the oldest president ever to take office and as the first felon, after a conviction related to paying a porn star hush money during his first presidential run.He is also just the second president in US history to return to power after being voted out, after Grover Cleveland in 1893.

There’s no place like home. And for Donald Trump, home is back in the White House after four tumultuous years.”What a great feeling,” Trump told reporters when asked how it felt to be back in the Oval Office on Monday. “One of the better feelings I’ve ever had.”Trump acted as if he’d never left. Nor was there any mention of how he had left in disgrace after his supporters attacked the US Capitol in January 2021 trying to overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden.Instead, the 78-year-old launched straight into an impromptu, 50-minute press conference in the symbolic heart of the US presidency.But if it all felt familiar to the Republican billionaire, that was largely thanks to the work of an army of White House staff.They had only around five hours to erase every trace of his Democratic predecessor and create Trump’s Oval Office 2.0.Trump wouldn’t confirm reports of the return of the famed “Diet Coke button” — a button on the desk that he would press during his first term to summon a glass of his favorite drink on a silver tray.But signs of other changes were all around. – ‘Extraordinary decorators’ -A portrait of George Washington hung over the fireplace as it did four years ago — replacing Franklin D. Roosevelt who had occupied the spot under Biden — along with one of the third US president, Thomas Jefferson.A bust of British wartime leader Winston Churchill had also reportedly returned to its spot in the Oval, as it was in the first term.The aim, as ever with the presidency, is to portray an image of might and dignity, and Trump seemed to think his staff had done just right.”I just got here. My people came in, they have extraordinary decorators,” said Trump, who has spent much of the last four years at his luxury Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and arrived in a freezing Washington on Saturday.Pointing to the pictures of his predecessors, the 47th president said, “I can live with George Washington, I can live with Thomas Jefferson — they took a very safe route.”  However, Trump did have one surprise, underscoring just how quickly holders of the world’s most powerful job pass the torch.Asked if Biden had left him a traditional handover letter, Trump replied that he didn’t know and checked inside the drawer of the historic Resolute Desk.”Ooh!” Trump said, extracting a white envelope with the numbers “47” in Biden’s handwriting. “It could have been years before we got it.”- ‘Welcome home’ -Despite Biden’s gesture, Trump could not help lambasting his political rival as he kept talking.”Does Biden ever do news conferences like this?” said the Republican, no doubt knowing full well that Biden was often shielded by White House staff and would only take a handful of questions.For Biden and his staff, the day was a harsh reminder of the transitory nature of power.Before he had even left, photos on the walls of the West Wing had been removed and moving trucks were in the driveway.Officials from the Biden and Trump teams had awkward interactions on campus, like it was the first day of school.Social media accounts, websites and even email fonts all changed along with the new administration.Trump’s return was above all a bitter pill to swallow for the man who had branded him a threat to democracy, and was forced to bow out of their 2024 rematch after a humiliating debate performance against his rival sparked concerns about his age.Biden spent his last hours showing just what he thought of Trump, issuing pardons to aides and family members he feared would be prosecuted by the Republican.But as Trump and his wife Melania arrived for a pre-inauguration cup of tea with Biden and his wife Jill, the 82-year-old did his best to hide his feelings.”Welcome home,” he said.

US President Donald Trump repealed numerous executive orders promoting LGBTQ equality and issued new ones decreeing only two genders and ending government diversity programs Monday, definitively breaking with what he decries as “woke” culture.On the campaign trail, Trump vilified diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the federal government and corporate world, saying they discriminated against white people — men in particular.”The Biden Administration forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs, going by the name ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI), into virtually all aspects of the Federal Government, in areas ranging from airline safety to the military,” said one new order ending such programs.While campaigning, Trump also demonized any recognition of gender diversity, attacking transgender people — notably transgender women in sports — and gender-affirming care for children.In front of a crowd of supporters in a Washington arena, Trump wiped out 78 executive orders, actions and presidential memoranda issued by his predecessor Joe Biden.Several of the overturned decrees promoted diversity and equality in the government, workplaces and healthcare, as well as the rights of LGBTQ Americans.In doing so, Trump fulfilled a campaign promise to immediately curtail programs that sought to redress historical inequality but that he has insisted disadvantage white people, particularly men.He scrapped Biden-era executive orders that prevented “discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation,” discrimination against LGBTQ Americans in education, as well as equity programs for Black, Hispanic and Pacific Islander Americans.He later issued a separate executive order requiring federal agencies to only give the option of male or female, removing the option for any other gender identity — such as “X” on passport applications.- ‘Continued backlash’ -“Agencies shall take all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology,” the order said, using a catch-all phrase invoked by Trump to refer to any language inclusive of gender identity other than male or female.His administration would only use “clear and accurate language and policies that recognize women are biologically female, and men are biologically male,” the order said.The policies will almost certainly face legal challenges.Outside the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City, a focal point of the struggle for LGBTQ rights, members of the community were defiant.”These announcements and these policy changes really affect people in a deep level,” Angel Bullard, a 22-year-old transgender student from Wyoming, told AFP.”It’s a horrible place to be when you are unaffirmed and alone in this world.”As a result of the flurry of changes, access to gender affirming medical care could be at risk where federal funds are involved, warned Jami Taylor, a politics professor at Toledo University and an expert on LGBTQ policy.That could apply in cases funded by state-run insurances Medicare and Medicaid, used by older and less well-off Americans, or in federal prisons. Ahead of the election, Trump promised to ban gender-affirming care for minors and to take legal action against any doctors and educators who carry out or enable the practice.The LGBTQ Victory Fund, which seeks to promote political candidates friendly to the community, said “work to elect pro-equality LGBTQ candidates is even more critical as our community faces continued backlash, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and rollback of pro-equality mandates.”The LGBT National Help Center has been receiving about 2,000 calls per day since the election results, instead of the usual 300, according to its director Aaron Almanza.Anti-trans rhetoric was a mainstay of Trump’s campaign rallies, drawing huge cheers from crowds.

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), a body he has repeatedly criticized over its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.Speaking at the White House hours after his inauguration, Trump said the United States was paying far more to the UN body compared to China, adding: “World Health ripped us off.”The United States, the largest donor to the Geneva-based organization, provides substantial financial support that is vital to the WHO’s operations. Its withdrawal is expected to trigger a significant restructuring of the institution and could further disrupt global health initiatives.This marks the second time Trump has sought to sever ties with the WHO. During his first term, the United States issued a notice of intent to withdraw, accusing the organization of being overly influenced by China during the pandemic’s early stages. That move was later reversed under former president Joe Biden’s administration.In his new executive order, Trump directed agencies to “pause the future transfer of any United States Government funds, support, or resources to the WHO” and to “identify credible and transparent United States and international partners to assume necessary activities previously undertaken by the WHO.”The administration also announced plans to review and rescind Biden’s 2024 US Global Health Security Strategy, which was designed to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats, “as soon as practicable.”The timing of the US withdrawal comes amid mounting fears over the pandemic potential of the current bird flu outbreak (H5N1), which has infected dozens and claimed one life in the United States.Meanwhile, WHO member states have been negotiating the world’s first treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response since late 2021 — negotiations now set to proceed without US participation.

US President Donald Trump granted pardons on Monday to more than 1,500 of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Trump, just hours after taking office, also ordered that all pending criminal cases against Capitol riot defendants be dropped.Among those receiving a pardon was Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for directing a military-style assault on the Capitol.Stewart Rhodes, the leader of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, had his 18-year prison sentence commuted to time served. Both Tarrio and Rhodes had been convicted of seditious conspiracy.Describing the rioters as “hostages,” Trump said at a White House signing ceremony that he had granted “full pardons” to more than 1,500 defendants.”We hope they come out tonight, frankly,” he said.A total of 1,583 people were charged in connection with the assault on Congress by Trump supporters seeking to disrupt certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory.Trump repeatedly pledged during his election campaign to pardon those who took part in the attack, calling them “patriots” and “political prisoners.”Trump, whose first term as president ended under the cloud of the Capitol assault, has repeatedly played down the violence of January 6, even going so far as to describe it as a “day of love.”More than 140 police officers were injured in hours of clashes with rioters wielding flagpoles, baseball bats, hockey sticks and other makeshift weapons along with Tasers and canisters of bear spray.- ‘Outrageous insult’ -The Capitol assault followed a fiery speech by then-president Trump to tens of thousands of his supporters near the White House in which he repeated his false claims that he won the 2020 race.He then encouraged the crowd to march on Congress.Former Democratic House speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned the pardons, calling them “an outrageous insult to our justice system and the heroes who suffered physical scars and emotional trauma as they protected the Capitol.””It is shameful that the president has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power,” Pelosi said.Trump was charged by special counsel Jack Smith with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election.But the case never made it to trial, and ahead of the inauguration was dropped under the Justice Department’s policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.Trump’s move on Monday granted a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” to everyone convicted of involvement in the riot and ordered the immediate release of those still in prison.He commuted to time served the sentences of nine members of the Oath Keepers, including the founder Rhodes. Five members of the Proud Boys also had their sentences commuted.- ‘Unrelenting attacks’ -Biden, before leaving office on Monday, issued preemptive pardons to former Covid advisor Anthony Fauci, retired general Mark Milley and close family members to shield them from “politically motivated prosecutions” by the Trump administration.Biden gave similar pardons to former Republican lawmaker Liz Cheney and other members of the congressional committee that investigated the Capitol attack.Just minutes before Trump was sworn in, Biden announced he was issuing pardons to his brother James Biden, James’s wife Sara Jones Biden, his sister Valerie Biden Owens, Valerie’s husband John Owens, and his brother Francis Biden.”My family has been subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics,” Biden said. “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe these attacks will end.”

The US film industry’s first big gathering since fires devastated Los Angeles will begin Thursday at the Sundance festival, where highlights include a glitzy new Jennifer Lopez musical and a dark Benedict Cumberbatch drama.Hollywood’s annual pilgrimage to the Rocky Mountains to premiere the coming year’s most-anticipated indie films is taking place in somber circumstances, after the blazes that killed at least 27 people and brought the entertainment capital to a halt.Festival chiefs held lengthy talks with filmmakers, including those “who lost homes or were displaced” by the blazes, before deciding to press ahead, said Sundance director Eugene Hernandez.Organizers heard “harrowing stories of people running out of their homes, evacuating… with their hard drives under their arms” to ensure their films survived, he told AFP.”Everybody to a person just wants to look forward and wants to look ahead… it’ll be a nice moment of reunion and community.”Among the 88 features being screened in Utah’s Park City is “Rebuilding,” about a rancher who loses everything in a wildfire.”It takes on an added poignance, for those who will watch it next week,” said Hernandez.Josh O’Connor, known for “The Crown” and “Challengers,” plays the lead role. “It’s an incredible film, and one that we felt was important to show, based on that spirit of resilience,” said Sundance programming director Kim Yutani.”I think it will be a particularly moving one for people to see.”- J-Lo, Cumberbatch -A-lister Lopez brings her first film to Sundance, with “Kiss of the Spider Woman.”From “Dreamgirls” director Bill Condon, the film is based on the Broadway adaptation of Argentine author Manuel Puig’s famous novel.Lopez plays Aurora, a silver-screen diva whose life and roles are discussed by two mismatched prisoners as they form an unlikely bond in their grim cell. While harking back to grand Golden Age Hollywood musicals with its fabulous costumes and Lopez’s “knockout musical performance,” the film is a more dramatic and independent take on the genre, said Hernandez.Cumberbatch stars in another literary adaptation, “The Thing With Feathers,” based on Max Porter’s experimental and poetic novel about a grieving husband and two young sons.”It’s one of these juicy roles that big actors relish taking a bite out of,” said Yutani.Family tragedy and fatherhood are also the themes of “Omaha,” with John Magaro (“Past Lives”) delivering “an emotional gut punch of a role” that could spell awards, according to Yutani.Elsewhere, Olivia Colman plays a mother taking her non-binary teen to visit their gay grandfather (John Lithgow) in “Jimpa.”Rapper A$AP Rocky and late-night host Conan O’Brien make up the eclectic cast of mystery “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.”And “The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri teams up with John Malkovich for thriller “Opus,” about a young writer investigating the mysterious disappearance of a legendary pop star.- Music, politics -Music is also a prominent theme of Sundance’s documentary selection, which has launched several of the most recent Oscar-winning non-fiction films.A new “must-see” Jeff Buckley documentary features never-before-seen footage from “three very important women in his life, including his mother,” said Yutani.Elegance Bratton explores the Chicago roots of house music with “Move Ya Body: The Birth of House,” while Oscar-winning director Questlove examines funk pioneer Sly Stone in “Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius).”Politics will again be prominent.Former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern is expected in town to promote behind-the-scenes documentary “Prime Minister.””The Jinx” director Andrew Jarecki explores violence and corruption in the US prison system with “The Alabama Solution.” And, days after the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect, Palestinian-American director Cherien Dabis will unveil her “groundbreaking” new film “All That’s Left of You,” which has been given a highly prominent Saturday evening premiere at Sundance’s biggest venue.”That is not an accident. This is a really special one,” said Yutani.”I have not seen a film about a Palestinian family told in quite this way.”The 2025 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 23 through February 2.

Fire-weary southern California was buffeted Monday by dangerous winds, with forecasters warning of an “extremely critical” risk in a region already staggering from the devastation of horrifying blazes.Firefighters continued to make progress snuffing out fires that ravaged 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) in the Los Angeles area, after erupting on January 7 and killing at least 27 people.But a return of the hurricane-force winds responsible for spreading those initial fires threatened more danger.Winds gusting up to 88 miles (142 kilometers) an hour have been recorded in some spots, where forecasters said they could again combine with exceedingly dry conditions to create the potential for more fast-spreading fires.”We’re expecting this to continue to create extremely critical fire weather conditions across the region,” Ariel Cohen, of the National Weather Service, (NWS) told AFP.”Any fires that form could grow explosively. And so this is a particularly dangerous situation.”Officials said they had pre-deployed engines and firefighters to areas at risk, after facing criticism that they were unprepared earlier this month.”I believe that we will be very, very prepared for what the worst possible case scenario (could be) over the next couple of days, and then hopefully we don’t get there at all,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters.The largest conflagration, the Palisades Fire, was 59 percent contained by Monday, and the area affected by evacuation orders has now shrunk to effectively match the fire’s footprint.The Eaton Fire, which wrecked a large part of the Altadena area, was 87 percent contained.- No ‘magical spigot’ -As Los Angeles grapples with the scale of the devastation, political bickering has intensified.Donald Trump, who was sworn in as US president on Monday, has said he will be visiting the fire-ravaged areas at the end of the week.That trip could include an awkward encounter with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been the target of Trump’s barbs over his handling of the disaster.Moments after being sworn in as the 47th president, Trump again side-swiped California’s Democratic leadership.”We are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense,” he said.”We can’t let this happen. Everyone is unable to do anything about it. That’s going to change,” he added, musing it was “interesting” that some wealthy people had lost their homes.Newsom did not directly address the gibe, but offered an open hand to the newly installed president.”This moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to facts, and mutual respect — values that enable civil discourse, effective governance, and meaningful action,” he wrote on social media.”I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild.”While the immediate cause of the fires is not yet known, scientists say humanity’s behavior is altering weather patterns, making them more volatile, which can increase the destructiveness of any blaze.Southern California has had no significant rain for around eight months, even though it is well into what is usually the rainy season.Officials have cautioned that if rain does materialize, it could create dangerous debris flows in the disaster zone, and spark mudflows and hill collapses.

Billionaire Elon Musk sparked controversy Monday after making a gesture at an event celebrating US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, with some calling it a “Nazi” or “fascist” movement.The X, SpaceX and Tesla chief appeared on stage at the Capital One Arena in Washington, where supporters of the newly inaugurated president had gathered for a rally.Upon thanking the crowd for returning the 78-year-old Republican to the White House, Musk tapped the left side of his chest with his right hand and then extended his arm with his palm open, repeating the gesture for the crowd seated behind him.Claire Aubin, a historian who specializes in Nazism within the United States, agreed Musk’s gesture was a “sieg heil,” or Nazi salute.”My professional opinion is that you’re all right, you should believe your eyes,” Aubin posted on X, aligning with those who found the gesture was an overt reference to Nazis.Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a historian of fascism, also found the gesture “was a Nazi salute — and a very belligerent one too,” she said on X.Democratic Party members also quickly responded with alarm.Congressman Jimmy Gomez reacted to the moment by posting on X: “Well, that didn’t take long.”Musk, who has posted a dozen times on his social network X since making the gesture, did not immediately react to the swirling controversy.One attendee at the rally told AFP he thought Musk was making the gesture as a joke.”He’s very humorous, and he uses a lot of sarcasm. So when he did that on the stage, I don’t think he meant it,” said Brandon Galambos, a 29-year-old pastor and tech worker.Reports by Wired and Rolling Stone magazines said far-right personalities in the United States were celebrating the move, like the writer Evan Kilgore, who called the salute “incredible.”Musk has also made several statements in recent weeks in support of Germany’s far-right AfD party and British anti-immigration party Reform UK.The Anti Defamation League (ADL), an organization founded to combat anti-Semitism which has criticized Musk in the past, defended his actions this time around.”It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” the organization said in a statement posted on X.Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted the ADL’s reaction, saying on X: “Just to be clear, you are defending a Heil Hitler salute that was performed and repeated for emphasis and clarity.”Another historian, Aaron Astor, also rebuffed accusations of Musk’s Nazi emulation.”I have criticized Elon Musk many times for letting neo-Nazis pollute this platform,” he wrote on X, adding: “But this gesture is not a Nazi salute.””This is a socially awkward autistic man’s wave to the crowd where he says ‘my heart goes out to you.'”In 2021, Musk announced he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.