LA Mayor Cut LAFD Funding Before Fires, 9/11 Masterminds Plea Deals?, S.Korea Presidential Standoff, Fed Has Inflation Worries, N. Korea Bans Hot Dogs!

 Los Angeles is literally burning while Mayor Karen Bass faces blistering criticism over her recent $17.6 million cut to the city's Fire Department budget. The timing couldn't be worse as three massive wildfires tear through the city, forcing 70,000 residents to evacuate their homes in what's becoming the most destructive fire in LA's history. 

 And where was Mayor Bass during this crisis? Seven thousand miles away in Ghana, celebrating a presidential inauguration on the taxpayers' dime. As up to 100-mile per hour gusts and flames devoured neighborhoods, the LAFD had to make a desperate plea for off-duty firefighters to join the battle. Former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso didn't mince words, calling it a complete failure of leadership as residents pay the ultimate price. Reports of fire hydrants running dry only add fuel to the criticism. The New York Post reports this budget slash wasn't even as deep as Bass wanted – she initially pushed for a $23 million cut. Bass finally touched down in LA Wednesday, meeting with Governor Gavin Newsom amid the scorched ruins. But when Sky News reporter David Blevins repeatedly asked if she had any words for citizens dealing with this disaster, Bass maintained a stone-faced silence. 

 The numbers paint a grim picture – five people dead, over 1,000 buildings destroyed, and three fires still raging. The Pacific Palisades Fire has already consumed 15,000 acres, while the Eaton Fire exploded from 2,000 to 10,000 acres in just one day. The Hurst Fire adds another 500 acres to the inferno. One evacuated resident summed up the city's frustration perfectly: "I'm born and raised in Los Angeles. I plan my trips around fire season and natural disasters. For someone to be in charge of my town and be nowhere to be found – where were you?" 

 The Pentagon just dropped a bombshell, filing an emergency request to block plea deals for three of the most notorious 9/11 terror suspects, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. These deals would've spared them from the death penalty in exchange for life sentences, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin isn't having it. According to the Washington Examiner, Austin was blindsided when prosecutors and defendants struck these agreements back in July. The Secretary quickly moved to revoke the offers, arguing that the American people deserve to see full military commission trials for these attacks. Principal Deputy Solicitor General Brian Fletcher didn't pull any punches in the appeal, stating that this is a case of "unique national importance" and that preserving the Secretary's authority in these prosecutions is absolutely critical. But here's where it gets interesting – a military judge already ruled in November that these plea deals are valid, throwing out Austin's attempt to cancel them. 

 Mohammed, who's spent over two decades in U.S. custody, was set to enter his guilty plea this Friday, with his co-conspirators Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al Hawsawi following next week. This is all playing out at Guantanamo Bay, where only 15 prisoners remain – a stark drop from the 40 detainees there when President Biden took office. Despite Biden's campaign promise to close the facility, it looks like Gitmo will stay open through the next administration. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh made it clear that Secretary Austin believes the American people deserve their day in court with these cases, not plea bargains behind closed doors. 

 These developments mark a critical turning point in one of the longest-running legal sagas in American history, with the Department of Defense making an unprecedented move to maintain control over how justice is served for the 9/11 attacks.