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Progress and setbacks as LA fires rage

Rebecca Morin   Paste BN

Harsh winds are expected to pick up as firefighters work to contain the California wildfires. The announcement of the Oscar nominations has been delayed. And the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs draws to an end.

👋 Hello all! New Short List writer Rebecca Morin here. Lots of news this Monday to kick off the week. Let’s get to it.

But first: Do you have this superpower? 🦸‍♀️ In its quest to transcribe historic documents, the National Archives is looking for volunteers with an increasingly rare skill: reading cursive.

Winds to pick up again as LA wildfires burn

After a brief break, a new round of rough winds returned Monday, threatening the incremental progress made to tamp down the explosion of fires across the Los Angeles area that have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

Evacuation orders down: As the fires rage, 92,000 people are under evacuation orders, a drop from the whopping 200,000 people just days ago. An additional 89,000 are under evacuation warnings.

Fires still burning: Three of the six major fires that ignited since last Tuesday continue to burn, including the Pacific Palisades Fire − the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles. It was only 14% contained as of Monday. 👉Follow today’s coverage.

Oscar nominations delayed

The Academy Awards have pushed back announcing this year’s nominations amid the ongoing catastrophic wildfires.

What we know: Nominations for the Oscars will be released on Jan. 23 at a virtual event with no in-person media coverage. The announcement was originally scheduled for Friday.

When are the Oscars? The Oscars ceremony is still scheduled for March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. 👉More on the announcement.

Real quick

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Biden’s farewell foreign policy address

Four years ago, President Joe Biden came into office promising to restore the United States’ partnerships with the world. In his farewell foreign policy address just a week before he leaves office, he argued that he made the country stronger and more secure in the face of several foreign conflicts.

Parting words: “Compared to four years ago, America is stronger," Biden said in a speech Monday at the State Department. "Our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker. We have not gone to war to make these things happen." 👉Biden also poked at Putin.

First round of NFL playoffs almost complete

The Bills, Ravens, Texans, Eagles and Commanders all took one step forward in their quest for the Lombardi Trophy this weekend. Now there's just one game left in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs, as the Minnesota Vikings face the Los Angeles Rams tonight in a game that will be played in Arizona due to the wildfires in southern California. 🏈How the NFL playoff bracket looks.

A break from the news

Rebecca Morin is a senior national news reporter at Paste BN. She can be reached at: rdmorin@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to Paste BN here.

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