The World is smoldering:

Deep South braces for a rare winter storm threatening heavy snow, sleet and ice
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/21/deep-south-braces-for-a-rare-winter-storm-threatening-heavy-snow-sleet-and-ice.html

Millions of people across the northern Gulf Coast braced Tuesday for a rare winter storm that’s expected to scatter heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain around the Deep South as a blast of Arctic air plunges much of the eastern U.S. into a deep freeze.

Two Americans Freed by Taliban in Prisoner Swap
https://www.wsj.com/world/two-americans-freed-by-taliban-in-prisoner-swap-06e4a270?mod=world_lead_story
As one of its last acts in office, the Biden administration struck a deal to free two Americans held in Afghanistan in exchange for one Taliban member held in a U.S. prison.
The Taliban released Ryan Corbett and another American in exchange for Khan Mohammed, who was serving two life sentences for drug trafficking for the Taliban. Corbett’s family confirmed his release, but neither the Taliban nor U.S. officials have named the second American.
In a statement, the Taliban said it appreciated the U.S. for actions “that contribute to the normalization and expansion of relations between the two countries.”

Why Trump Sees a Chinese Threat at the Panama Canal, and Locals Don’t
https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/china-panama-canal-development-what-it-means-7c5dc870?mod=world_lead_pos5
Every day, dozens of cargo ships pass by blue cranes at a port near the Pacific Ocean entrance, the towering skyline of Panama City visible across the horizon. About eight hours later, they drift past another terminal stacked with containers as they exit into the Atlantic. 
These facilities are run by a giant Hong Kong port operator, Hutchison Whampoa. And that is the crux of the problem for the Trump administration, which sees the Chinese infrastructure that has been built up around the canal in the past three decades as a national-security threat.
“China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China,” Trump said in his inaugural address, referring to the 1977 treaty that handed control of it to Panama. “We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”

Los Angeles Fires Ravaged a Historic Black Neighborhood. Now Residents Wonder Who Will Return. 
https://www.wsj.com/us-news/los-angeles-fires-ravaged-a-historic-black-neighborhood-now-residents-wonder-who-will-return-554e7964?mod=us-news_lead_story
In a time of declining Black homeownership in California, Altadena stood out as an exception.
Since the 1960s, Black families have settled in this slice of the San Gabriel Valley, building a community around churches, schools, restaurants and other small businesses. Some 81% of Black households in Altadena own homes, compared with 32% across Los Angeles County. Median home values for Altadena’s Black households were $961,000 in 2023, compared with $677,700 countywide. 
“Until this past week, it was kind of a sterling example of what could be possible,” said Char Miller, an environmental analysis professor at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif. 

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