6 million: Fire officials in Southern California said over 6 million people are still in danger from four major fires burning in the hills around Los Angeles, with hot, dry winds expected to worsen conditions over the weekend. Herculean efforts from fire crews have contained large sections of the Palisades and Eaton fires, but they are racing against time to save as many lives and houses as possible in America’s second-largest metropolis.
5: Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, says it will lay off 5% of staff this year, amounting to about 3,600 jobs. The announcement comes amid major policy changes at the social media giant, including the end of content moderation for the US and the replacement of its public policy chief with a prominent Republican.
2.9: US inflation rose from 2.7% in November to 2.9% in December, the third straight month of accelerating price hikes while rates remain well above their target levels. That said, underlying pressures of inflation appear to be easing, and analysts still believe the Federal Reserve will be able to proceed with planned interest rate cuts in 2025 – though how the Trump administration’s planned tariffs will skew plans is yet to be seen.
700,000: Have you paid your cat tax? You’ll need to share a cute pic of your favorite feline if you join the 700,000 TikTok users who have set up shop over at rival Chinese video streaming app Xiaohongshu, also known by its English name RedNote. (The literal translation, “Little Red Book” was also the nickname of the collection of Mao Zedong’s sayings that Red Guards used to justify atrocities during the Cultural Revolution). So far, the “refugees” have had a playful welcome, with Chinese netizens teaching the newcomers Mandarin and engaging in absurdist humor in exchange for coveted pet pics.
