📌 LA Fire, Oscar Nominations, $31,000 Tip

Firefighters stopped the expansion of a new wildfire north of Los Angeles on Thursday after it spread rapidly.

The Hughes Fire, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, broke out on Wednesday as emergency services continued to battle two fires on the city's eastern and western flanks that have burned for more than two weeks.

The Hughes Fire quickly burned some 10,176 acres, but that held steady as 4,000 firefighters dropped water and retardant from the air and used hand tools and hoses on the ground. The fire had led to evacuation orders for 31,000 residents and evacuation warnings for a further 16,000 people.

Firefighters contended with strong winds and low humidity that were expected to persist throughout Friday. Rain and mountain snow are forecast for the Los Angeles area from Saturday to Monday, which could bring relief but also create other risks.

In the metropolitan area, Eaton and Palisades fires burned for the 17th consecutive day after incinerating entire neighborhoods, killing 28 people and damaging or destroying nearly 16,000 structures. The Eaton Fire was 95% contained and the Palisades Fire 72% contained, Cal Fire said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $2.5 billion relief package for the fire-devastated region.

Emilia Pérez, a musical about a drug kingpin undergoing gender-affirming surgery, tops the 2025 Oscar nominations with 13 nods.

It was followed closely behind by The Brutalist, a historical epic that examines the immigrant experience, and Wicked, the hit screen version of a long-running Broadway sensation, which both nabbed 10 nominations.

Conclave, a thriller about the election of a new pope, and A Complete Unknown, a look at Bob Dylan’s early, freewheelin’ years, each had eight nominations.

All five films are up for best picture, the ceremony’s top prize, alongside indies like Anora, Nickel Boys, and I’m Still Here, as well as the body horror film, The Substance, and Dune: Part Two, one of the rare studio blockbusters to garner Oscar attention.

The Academy Awards nominations were unveiled Thursday after voting had been extended twice because of the wildfires that have devastated Los Angeles. Earlier, the Oscars announced that its March telecast will “acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”

Despite the low unemployment rate, 59% of Americans can’t cover an unexpected $1,000 emergency expense.

A Bankrate report that surveyed more than 1,000 US adults about their ability to handle a surprise bill said unexpected costs often spell serious financial trouble for many Americans. “We are essentially a paycheck-to-paycheck nation,” Bankrate senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick said in a statement.

“Fewer Americans have the equivalent of a financial safety net to cover inevitable unexpected expenses, despite low unemployment and steady growth. This is one of the consequences of elevated prices stemming from inflation, the impacts of which are still being felt.”

Bankrate's survey shows 73% of Americans saving less for unexpected expenses, compared with 68% in 2024. A whopping 80% of Gen Zers worry about being able to cover immediate expenses if they were to suddenly lose their primary source of income, compared with 72% for Millennials and Gen Xers.

Some 58% of Baby Boomers say they regularly fret about having enough money put away, a particular concern given many are retired. Only 41% of Americans said they would be able to tap their savings to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense — down 3% from 2024 and the lowest percentage since 2021 (39%).

While 36% of adults said their credit card debt exceeded their emergency savings, Bankrate found over half the respondents, 55%, had more emergency savings in 2024 than credit card debt — the highest percentage since 2018.

NASA honored its fallen space explorers during its annual Day of Remembrance on Thursday.

The agency held events at its facilities around the nation, including Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida and Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The proceedings commemorated the lives lost in NASA's three space tragedies — the Apollo 1 fire in January 1967, the space shuttle Challenger explosion in January 1986, and the shuttle Columbia disaster in February 2003.

The Apollo 1 fire erupted on Jan. 27, 1967, while team members were testing the mission's command module on the ground. The three Apollo 1 astronauts were inside the spacecraft at the time, and all were killed.

Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. Columbia was lost while reentering Earth's atmosphere on Feb. 1, 2003, claiming the lives of all seven astronauts.

A study finds that men worldwide gained height and weight twice as fast as women over the past 100 years.

“We’re seeing insights into how sexual selection has shaped the male and female body and how improved environments, in terms of food and a lower burden of disease, have freed us from our shackles,” said Prof. Lewis Halsey at the University of Roehampton.

The study used data from the World Health Organization, overseas authorities, and UK records to see how height and weight have changed with living conditions — measured by the human development index (HDI), based on life expectancy, time in education, and per capita income, which ranges from 0–1.

Analysis of numerous countries’ records found that, for every 0.2 point increase in HDI, women were on average 0.67 inches taller and 5.95 pounds heavier; men were 1.57 inches taller and 14.33 pounds heavier. This suggests that, as living conditions improve, height and weight increase, but over twice as fast in men.

Michael Wilson, professor of ecology, evolution and behavior at the University of Minnesota, said it was consistent with a long-standing idea that females are “the more ecologically constrained” sex because of the demands of reproduction.

“Investment in greater body size by males appears to be sensitive to nutritional conditions,” he said. “When men grow up with more energy-dense food, they grow bigger bodies, to a greater extent than women.

Solar overtook coal in the European Union's electricity production in 2024, with renewables rising to almost half of its power source.

Gas generation declined for the fifth year in a row and fossil-fuelled power dipped to a “historic low,” climate think tank Ember said in its European Electricity Review 2025.

“Solar remained the EU's fastest-growing power source in 2024, rising above coal for the first time. Wind power remained the EU's second-largest power source, above gas and below nuclear,” Ember said.

Strong growth in solar and wind boosted the share of renewables to 47%, up from 34% in 2019. Fossil fuels fell from 39% to 2%. Ember said more storage and demand flexibility are needed to “sustain growth and for consumers to reap the full benefits of abundant solar.”

Connor Stephanoff, who delivers pizza for Rock Star Pizza in Indiana, saw a $2 tip turn into $31,000.

Stephanoff braved his way a half mile through a snowstorm wearing sneakers and sweatpants to deliver a $40 order to a home in an affluent neighborhood. All he got for a tip was $2.

Officer Richard Craig saw the delivery man’s incredible effort to get the pizza to the right home, recorded it on video, and posted it online. His dedication astounded the officer, but he couldn’t believe how the young man was treated.

“I ran to my police vehicle to grab my wallet to give him the little cash that I had (about $15), which I didn’t feel was enough. After the videos went viral, Craig started a GoFundMe campaign for the delivery man to reward him for his efforts and prevent him from becoming discouraged.

Craig wrote: “I would LOVE to raise at least $500 for this guy!” As of January 23, donations exceeded $31,000.