howard: fox news alert, we're awaiting a press conference by l.a. mayor karen bass on the devastating wildfires in

southern california 'em i'm howard kurtz and this is "mediabuzz." but first, judge juan merchan gave the president-elect an unconditional damager, but he didn't stop there and neither did donald trump. >> never happened in our country before. and i'd just like to explain that i was treated very, very unfairly. >> despite the extraordinary breadth of those protections, one power they do not provide is the power to erase a jury verdict verdict. howard: joining us now to analyze the coverage, mary katharine ham, co-host of "getting hammered," and meghan hays, former official of the biden campaign and the if white house. mary katherine, why did the judge not just say, case closed, he's not going to impose a jail sentence on the guy who's being inaugurated in a week? >> well, i think he felt like he had to finish this job even though, in my opinion and many american voters' opinions, it was kind of a sham from the beginning and quite a reach when you're talking about cobbling these charges together that were

past the statute of limitations and were not felonies finish do. howard: alvin bragg, and many if liberallals thought it was a partisan case. >> both in the way he's doing it and giving this unconditional discharge and in the coverage of it by much of media, there's a sort of donation that we're just making the doughnuts here. we're just finishing this thing. the point actually wasn't the verdict and the justice, the point was to impede him becoming president of the united states. i believe that that was -- [laughter] the object here, and it didn't work out that way, so now it's just like we're going to check the box. howard: megan? >> i agree and disagree a little bit. this was a case that was put together, but he was convicted by a jury of his peers, so i do think this conviction needs to stand, and i think that's what the judge was doing here. i do think the coverage is being breathless, i think we need to move on -- howard: a little breathless? [laughter] >> i do think it's important to note that this is the first time and hopefully the last time that a convicted felon will be the president of the united states. howard: so that was the idea here, to be able to say that

that that the convicted felon in the person of donald j. trump taking office for the first time, that's -- but he still could have just said case closed. >> i don't know if that was the idea, but he was convicted by a jury of his peer, and no one is above the law. he's not getting any sentence or having tad to do anything, but it is important that he was convicted by 12 jurors. >> the fact that he's getting no sentence sort of suggests that we spent a lot of time and money and resources on something that, again, was cobbled together in this novel form of charging that maybe wasn't worth a punishment, it turns out. howard: okay. are we getting ready to go to that? fox news alert, officials in los angeles are provide an update on the city's devastating wildfires. let's watch. >> these winds combined with low relative humidities and low fuel moistures will keep the fire threat in los angeles county very high. i ask our county residents and in wildfire-prone areas to

understand that the necessary public safety power shutoffs are important for our collective safety in preventing the next wildfire if natural disaster. i would like to express my gratitude to the los angeles county board chair, supervisor katherine barger and supervisor lindsey horvath for their leadership and unwavering support of our residents, my fire department and me as fire chief. to our first responders battling these wildfires, thank you for your relentless and fearless dedication in protecting residents and property. throughout this great county. and finally to all l.a. county residents, please be assured that we will continue to to battle these wildfires from the air and on the ground until they are fully contained. we stand alongside all of you as

we begin repopulation of evacuated areas, establishment of disaster recovery centers and the rebuilding of your homes, your communities and your lives. i would now like to introduce my trusted partner in public safety, l.a. city fire chief kristin crowley. >> good morning, everyone, and thank you, chief. here we are, so good morning. yesterday i spent the day in the palisades community and visited a number of our fire stations, fire station 23 and fire station 69, and and had the opportunity to talk with our members who are the first on scene at pal the palisades -- palisades fire. even without running water, gas or electricity, your lafd firefighters are doing everything they can to help the community.

although it was devastating to see firsthand the destruction of this fire,s it is tremendously uplifting to see the outpour of support from all over los angeles region. there are donations of food, water, supplies literally spilling over and out into our local fire stations that have become hubs for if all of us to grieve, to have a warm meal and to to also gather together and support one another. your lafd firefighters and everybody involved in these active fire incidences will continue to work relentlessly around the clock. i will now provide a brief update on the two active fires that are burning within the city of los angeles. palisades fire. air and ground crews worked tirelessly overnight with favorable wind conditions to prevent further spread into the mandeville canyon area. finish the fire is currently at

23,707 acres with 4,720 personnel that are assigned with 11% containmentment if -- containment. evacuation orders and warnings remain in place. i know this is incredibly frustrating, but i would like to understand and i'd like to express and explain the why. why our residents are not allowed to come back into that area. there's still active fires that are burning within the palisades area making it extremely, extremely dangerous for the public. there's no power, there's no water, there's broken gas lines, is and we have unstable structures. the first responder s are working -- responders are working as quickly as possible to ensure that it is safe for you to return into your communities. k-9 search teams have been deployed to assist with our recovery efforts.

the hurst fire. i'm extremely pleased to report that this fire has been held to 799 acres and is now 89% contained with over 300 firefighters signed. assigned. now, today strong north to northeast wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour with low humidity will be observed. a red flag warning is in effect and will remain until 6 p.m. wednesday evening. strong santa ana winds are also expected to last through wednesday with the strongest winds occurring on tuesday. with the next wave of wind events, i want to be very, very clear here, it's very important that the community understands that these wind events are coming into los angeles, and i want to reassure you that mayor bass, chief mcdonnell and i are united and focused on exactly e what we need to do to

prepare the city with these next strong winds that are coming. every available lafd fire fighter is on hand and will remain in place through this wind event. additionally, firefighters continue to pour into southern california region to to bolster the our fire fighting capabilities. next i'd like to introduce l.a. county sheriff luna. thank you. >> good morning. i'd like the start off with talking about staffing. we've increased our l.a. county deputy sheriff staffing to about 1,20 the 0 personnel -- 1,200 personnel, and that probably will continue to grow. many of them are on 12-hour shifts which means 12 on, 12 off. they're working incredibly hard. they have been assigned close to 1,500 missions and a lot of

work, a lot of good work that's still continuing. the missions continue to include hard road closures, traffic control points, roving security, welfare checks, evacuations as needed requested by fire and, at times when able to, escorts for essential services and need. we also have assigned at least 60 california highway patrol officers split up for us some at the eaton fire location, others at the palisades location. i personally would like to thank commissioner -- who i will be meeting with, he's coming down here to thank him for his incredible help. national guard deployment is still at approximately 400. they're assisting the following agencies: the los angeles county sheriff's department, the los angeles police department, the the california highway patrol, pasadena, santa monica, arcadia, azusa and sierra madre.

yesterday i it?ed additional -- submitted additional requests for more national guard assistance specifically to the los angeles police department and the l.a. county sheriffs' department. so i'm hoping that you'll see additional national guard personnel arriving today. i will be meeting with one of their very high ranking executives later today. if evacuations for the palisades and eaton fires, these numbers are for both county and city area. they have dropped in the last couple of days which is some good news, but as you hear, it's still a very fluid situation and that could change. so be aware of that. we're at approximately 105,000 residents under evacuation -- [no audio] howard: we seem to have lost the audio for this, so let me ask you both on the question of fires. donald trump said it was gavin

newsom's fault because of the way in which water or is concerned. and gavin newsom, the governor of california, came back and said kids lost their schools, families torn asunder, churches burned down, in this guy wants to politicize it. does everything get politicized these days? >> everything does, but newsom is not without fault. he was on a political podcast talking about this very quickly after this happened. here's the thing, there are very real regulatory issues and water issues and issues with preparedness in the state of california. that cannot be denied as part of this. there have been problems with even communication about those spanish shoes because -- issues because people are trying to save their jobs and point dippingers. in this press conference -- fingers. this press conference is a bit of an improvement. howard: meghan? >> i'm from northern california. these water issues are older than i am, and they'll continue to go on. i do think there is blame that goes all around. i don't think it's just gavin newsom or the mayor's fault.

i don't think president trump coming out right at the temperature here saying, and making it political was helpful. we're still in evacuations, people still don't even know if they have their homes atta a point. so there is a point in time to have these conversations, it just wasn't right, and the to your point, newsom did return the favor by going on the podcast. howard: it is clear that in many ways l.a. was with not prepared, the water system simply couldn't support multiple fires at once. more is coming out about how, for example, a reservoir was reported to have been empty. so it's not like los angeles did everything right. i just was so struck by the back and forth between the governor and the president-elect. >> well, and meghan's right, it's not a time to be taking pot shots at people, right? but there needs to be accountability for these things. make basics great again. the basics of government need to happen. the fire chief needs to understand how migrants -- hydrants work, and she admitted

she did not. howard: we can pick up that feed again. we temporarily lost -- >> -- curfew if violations with additional charges including carrying a concealed firearm and narcotics-related charges. i just gave you stat stats about things our deputies are dealing with on the street. i want to put out a caution to people. if you are thinking about scamming using this incident to take advantage of residents that have already been victimized from a white collar perspective, i have been in close communication, we had a press conference yesterday with chief mcdonnell and i, the state attorney general. we've been in constant communication with district attorney nathan hockman. i also received a call a day ago from the u.s. attorney here. they are all earring to prosecute -- eager to prosecute anybody who is taking advantage of our residents during this very difficult time whether it is a burglary or it is some kind

of white collar crime and a scam or anything that you may be thinking about doing. the next issue which is a little more difficult to talk about is yesterday we started a search and rescue operation out in the eaton area where in the first day of this operation grid searching, we searched approximately 364 properties in the altadena area and, unfortunately, during that search we did locate three deceased. as these searches continue, i unfortunately anticipate that those numbers will increase. we will start a similar operation in the northern side of the county here very soon. so the numbers i have -- and, again, it's going to change, unfortunately -- we have confirmed 14 deaths, and that is in our specific l.a. county

jurisdiction can. 11 at the eaton fire and 3 in if our portion or our jurisdiction of the palisades fire. l.a. city's, that's in addition, our partners at the coroner if reporting numberings -- numbers, that that's a little bit different. missing persons. i cannot emphasize, because i'm getting texts and calls, if you believe somebody is missing, please report it to your local law enforcement agency. if right now with the sheriff's department we have 16 missing person reports. we have 12 in eaton and 4 in palisades. if there's any good news, there's no juveniles that are missing within those numbers, but i know just coming here this morning it sounds like we just got dozens and dozens more. i have to reconcile those numbers. we'll report 'em at a later time. but, yeah. and then as i conclude, i know i

talk about arrests, that is negative. some of the things we're talking about are sad. but in this time of crisis, the calls for people wanting to help and doe a nate are enormous. if -- and donate. and that's who we are in the county of los angeles, the city of los angeles. so i just want to throw this out. if you are interested in donating food, money, clothing, whatever that a may be, the emergency network los angeles by visiting www.enla.org. and thank you for all of you who are amazing out there who want to help. and then if you want updated information about evacuation orders, warningsings or road closures, l.a. county.gov/emergency. and with that, i'm going to turn it over to the los angeles police chief, jim mcdonnell. >> morning. thank you, sheriff. in the wake of the devastating

fires, i just want to to acknowledge the incredible strength and resilience that our community has shown during these very challenging times. it's fewly inspiring to see neighbors -- truly inspiring -- coming together to support one another, and i want to assure you that the lapd remains fully committed to your safety and well-being as we move forward together. lapd has currently over 600 officers deployed to these areas with support from the los angeles airport police, port police and national guard who has 100 soldiers assigned to the palisades incident, and we're grateful for their support. excuse me. if i want to just -- excuse me -- touch on during the evacuation at the early stages, thousands of people fled their homes without notice and without much of anything but the clothes on their back. traumatic experience, certainly, for everybody involved. we tried to be as compassionate if as we could be by putting together escorts that provided limited access for people to get

into the area very deliberately and be able to to retrieve medication or pets in some cases. what we found was that was successful for those who we were able the accommodate, but the numbers became overwhelming. this was frustration, there were long waits to be able to do it, and we still tried to facilitate it although we weren't able to do that for everyone. today we need to suspend that a practice effective immediately. we have search operations now beginning. we will have ca a dafer dog deployment -- cadaver dog deployment, and that will result in crime scene preservation efforts and then the recovery of remains working closely with the l.a. county coroner. more winds will be picking up as you heard, further complicating our efforts and creating an additional fire danger. and so the atmosphere is very continuously changing. we have to adapt to the conditions that are presented to us and in this case this is a

modification that some will have difficulty with, and i apologize for that. we recognize the importance of protecting fire-affected areas not just from the physical if dangers left behind, but also from those who might if exploit this tragedy. to that end, our officers are conducting increased patrols in the areas impacted by the fires. identifying the cause of these fires is critically important. in conjunction with our partner agencies and led by the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms, we've created the los angeles regional wildfire investigative task force who's actively working to identify the cause of the palisades fire and, ultimately, all of the fires that we have experienced. lapd is still enforcing a curfew in los angeles city areas where mandatory evacuations are still in place. last night we made an arrest for an individual who violated that curfew if order. as sheriff luna referred to the night before, there were three individuals in a vehicle. they were stopped, they were

where they weren't supposed to be. one had on fire jacket and a fire hat, and he was additionally arrested for impersonating a firefighter. we have people who will go to all ends to be able to do what it is they want to do to exploit the victims of this tragedy. lapd -- sorry, the order will remain in place tonight, curfew order, from 6 p.m. and the to 66 a.m. and unless you're public safety personnel or other disaster workers, you have no reason to be at these locations, and if you are in those areas, you will be subject to arrest. enforcing a curfew is an important tool to keep the burn areas and evacuated property secure, keeping looters out. this effort also helps protect public safety personnel who are operating in darkness in very difficult conditions, and as you heard previously, the threat there there from gas lines, from electricity, downed power lines and many other not to mention the toxic environment that is,

exists in that area due to the fire that a burned plastics and different types of composite material, we all know what the long-term effects of exposure the that can be. i won't go in here to the scams, the very refered to that -- the sheriff referred to that, but there are a lot of scams. for those looking to donate to fire victims, do so with caution. take time to thoroughly research a charity or organization that you're considering. reputable groups will have clear information about their mission and proven if track records. web sites like charity navigator and the better business bureau are excellent resources to help verify their legitimacy. it's also good practice to to avoid cash donations whenever possible, opting instead for secure, traceable payment meds to insure -- meths to to insure -- methods to insure they reach those in need. and if you come across fraud, please notify us. together we can prevent further

harm and protect the generosity of our community. i just want to reiterate that our department and all of us standing here before you and so many others are with you. we're here for you for the duration not only to ensure your safety, but provide support and resources necessary to recover and, ultimately, rebuild. i want to assure the community that we're working tirelessly every day to protect lives, property and maintain public safety during this critical time. thank you all for your resilience and cooperation during this very difficult time. now i'd like to introduce from the los angeles county board of supervisors, chair katherine baggerrer. katherine barger. >> thank you, chief. good morning. yesterday i sent a letter to president-elect trump inviting him to visit our county to see the delaware saw station of these -- devastation of these wildfires first -- firsthand, to meet with our impacted residents, to thank our first responders and, most

importantly, to see how the federal government can help our communities heal and rebuild. in my years at the county, i have seen time and time again how essential of a partner the federal government is when responding to an emergency and helping our communities recover. i look forward to welcoming president-elect trump to our communities so he can see the desperate if need but also the incredible opportunity, hope and perseverance of our impacted neighbors. it is in seeing this hope that i am confident that our communities will recover and rebuild. i also met with representatives from the state yesterday and discussed what we will need to rebuild l.a.. legislative leaders exited to working with the county to cut the red tape that will slow and

limit residents rebuilding their homes. i also a want to the share that california governor newsom announced a sweeping executive order this morning related to the rebuilding efforts. notably, he is suspending sequel reviews in california coastal permitting for reconstruction of properties substantially damaged or destroyed in the fires devastating a los angeles county. i also appreciate the directive of state agencies to identify additional permitting requirements that can be safely suspended or streamlined to accelerate rebuilding and make it more affordable. i want to thank the governor for hearing my request and taking swift action to ensure that our residents will not be burdened by unnecessary requirements as they begin the process of recovery and rebuilding. we are also going to need full partnership from the county, city, state and federal governments, and i am committed

to bringing everyone to the table for the betterment of our residents that right now are in tremendous need. every day since these fires began i have gone out to the impacted communities the hear directly from our neighbors and and see the devastation for myselfment -- myself. i'm also meeting multiple times a day with our incident command. the focus, sacrifice and determination of our firefighters and our first responders is unmatched. and i have no doubt that they are doing all they can to protect our communities and that they are going to get these fires out. there have been so many questions about availability of resources for impacted residents, specifically the the resources available through fema. yesterday the county announced they will be hosting fema if staff at seven and new eight libraries for residents to get direct assistance for disaster

relief. for fire victims in the san gabriel and crescenta area, libraries include la canada flint rimm, santa gabriel and alhambra. for victims in west l.a. or in the san fernando valley, west hollywood and san fernando libraries. they will be open from 9 a.m. to the 5 p.m. today and tomorrow. and following this, the local assistance centers that will be co-located with fema if disaster recovery centers will be opening soon. if additional information will be announced in the coming days. while fighting the fires remains our top priority, we are rapidly deploying resources to ensure that the displaced residents have access to the resources they need in the short and the long term. my equipment to these -- commitment to these that are impacted is simple. i'm going to see this through

with you. we will not let up using every resource to fight exists -- existing fires. displaced residents will be served to the highest level as we address your housing, welfare, health care and economic needs. i met a couple yesterday who lost their home, and the business burned down and he lost his job. and they have in insurance. no insurance. people are suffering. and when we rebuild, i can assure you that the county will lead the restoration of neighborhoods that are safe, prosperous and and reflect the beautiful and loving community that has always stood there. with that, i'd like to to introduce the the city of los angeles mayor, karen bass. >> good morning, everyone, and thank you, supervisor. let me assure you that you will have a full partner in the city of los angeles.

yesterday i was at the hurst command post in sylmar, and it was an example of our heroic first responders. the department, the deputy chief, jamie moore, is an example of one of those heroic first responders. i received an in-depth briefing about the fires. the successes and the upcoming threats. i also met with many volunteers. it was very inspirational to be there and the see groups of people coming up the entire time i was there delivering all sorts of supplies for the first responders. it was an example to me of the spirit of our city and how we need to continue to act in a unified manner. those people that are affected by the fires, we give all of our possible support to. and those people who are not

affected by the fires but who are willing the come out and volunteer and help. we will be prepared, we will get through this, but it takes the unity and the spirit that i saw yesterday to make sure tata los angeles come -- that los angeles comes out of this a much better city. as we fight these fires, my office is already working to make sure that we can rebuild as fast as we can by cutting through the bureaucracy that holds us back even in normal times. i want to join the supervisor in thanking the governor for his action in this morning. that will go a long way to making los angeles stronger than ever. and the generosity we are seeing proves that we will. more than 13,000 people have donated over $6 million to the california community foundation's wildlife recovery fund. please join them in supporting the most vulnerable people affected by the fire at calfund.org.

also support the los angeles fire department foundation at supportlafd.org. let me thank every los angeles fire fighter and the thousands of firefighters from across the state, the nation and even the world. people are coming from everywhere to help us ask make shower that we are ready for the days -- make sure that we are ready for the days ahead. to them, i want to say thank you. for angelenos impacted by the firestorm and for those looking to help, the city has created an online hub at lacity.gov to create a single place for people to go for assistance or to find ways to the help our community. this includes evacuation zones, fema support, resources for small businesses and more. in the upcoming days, you will see as we continue to fight the fires, pear for what is to come this week, but we will also

prepare for our recovery. thank you. >> good morning. i want to start by extending my sincere condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims who have been identified and who continue to be identified through the heroic work of our first responders. for updates in the 3rd district, power is back on in to pang georgia, and significant progress has been made in standing down the fires. i want to thank everyone who's on the front lines in topanga. i know we're working on the generator issue at the library, and i thank everyone who is staying strong in topanga to protect that special area. grateful, again, last night for the firefighters who also worked to protect the mandeville canyon area. the chief and i were on site last night and witnessed firsthand the the heroic efforts

that are happening there, and i know they'll continue to happen throughout the today to protect the region. socal gas is starting to restore connections many malibu today as well. in malibu. shifting gears to our public health issues, l.a. county is currently under a local health emergency. this is also declared by secretary becerra. our smoke advisory has beenish shouped that -- been issued that will likely be extend thed through next week. malibu, pacific palisades, altadena, pasadena, downtown los angeles and areas nearby the fires currently have unhealthy air quality. everyone in areas with visible smoke or the smell of smoke should limit outdoor activities. if you must go outside, we strongly recommend wearing an n99 5 or 9100 mask to remove smaller particles from the air. at home close your windows and your doors, run air-conditioning

or air purifiers and check your filters regularly. in your car close your windows or your vents. turn air-conditioning on recirculate. do not use leaf blowers or other actions that will push ash into the air. i know we're working to clear areas. we're not using these blowers. there's currently a do not drink notice for pacific palisades and adjacent communities north of san vicente boulevard under evacuation notice. ladwp is distributing bottled water at the westwood recreation center and adjacent to the brentwood country club. please continue to follow all drinking water advisories. l.a. county department of public health is also currently providing n-95 masks at all evacuation shelters and to community-based organizations. due to ocean contamination,

please avoid the beaches at the following locations: malibu point at surf rider beach near malibu tower 3, 100 yards up and down the coast from the lifeguard tower 3. solstice canyon at dan blocker county beach 100 yards up and down the coast from the creek, inner if cabrillo beach in san pedro. as you heard, fema staff are available to provide assistance at eight county libraries today. we also are providing additional mental health support, and you're able to call 800-854-7771. for more information, continue to check emergency.lacounty.gov for the latest updates and resources. i want the to echo my thanks to the governor for his swift action as well as to the president and vice president of the united states who personally reached out to extend their support.

i want to conclude with my deepest gratitude the all of our first responders who are fighting tirelessly to keep us safe. i know we're trying the help get you a break before the red flag event begins, but i know deep down you will not let us down, and you're going to persevere, and we will have your back. thank you. >> good morning, helen chavez, communications director for board chair katherine barger. chair barger recognizes and thanks the following elected representatives for joining us this morning and for their ongoing support during this emergency: assembly member jessica -- and senator maria elena if -- we will now transition to the question and answer portion of our press conference. when you are called upon, please announce your name and the media outlet that you are with. you can raise your hands if you want to be called on. anybody have a question.

[inaudible conversations] >> oh, okay. i'm -- [inaudible] with nbc if l.a. you spoke about the arrests that were made overnight in recent days. can you speak to the biggest challenges when it comes to to accessing these fire areas, and do you find that these individuals are from the area or coming from further away? thank you. >> in regards to the challenges in our areas for the l.a. county sheriff's jurisdiction, the individuals that we're contacting do not live in the areas where we're arresting them. we're finding out they have zero so i do want to to reiterate to our communities if you do not belong in these affected areas, do not go there. you are subject to arrest.

i listed some of the the charges. we are contacting people, and we are finding a variety of things including people with firearms, with narcotics. don't go there. hopefully, that answers your question. >> any other questions? we're going to go over here in the plaid shirt. microphone. >> oh, thank you. okay. how, how troubled are you that there's a lack of communication between city of los angeles and the incoming trump administration? >> there isn't a lack of communication between the city of los angeles and the incoming trump add administration. i have spoken with representatives of the incoming administration. i'll be talking more about that in the coming days. >> mayor bass, where do conversations stand about

long-term housing for the displaced? >> well, you will hear more from us this week in terms of moving into the recovery phase. there's a lot of things that we need to do, but one of the things that a we're looking at -- and, you know, something i've been working on for a long time in term of expediting the process, but given this emergency looking back at efforts that have taken place in the past and how we move full stream ahead. and this is where i was saying that we're going to be lockstep with the county, because we need to cut through the red tape. that has always been a problem. but now it's over. we absolutely have to get past this and get the rebuilding going as fast as possible. >> thank you, mayor bass. any other questions? we're going to go right here in e middle. name and media outlet. >> hi. this is kirsten with kcal news. on the missing people, i understand there was the family assistance center that was

opened in pasadena. is that that still open? if i mean, how many are you talking about that are still unaccounted for? >> so in regards to missing persons, i reported 16 earlier today. i want the make sure -- to make sure that anybody who believes their family members are missing, that they do contact us at least at the very's department in our county areas. and then we do have the family assistance center so they can go there to report 'em or ask any questions that they may have. but it is critical that we are aware of these situations. and when i talk about reconciling numbers, hour by hour the numbers increase. sometimes they decrease because people are being found. so i expect or anticipate that the number of missing persons

will absolutely go up. but if there's a doubt in anybody's mind, please, that's what we're here for. please contact us right away, and we'll guide you through the process so it's easier for you because very difficult circumstances that we're all under right now. if. >> we're going to go in in the middle in the magenta shirt. >> beth -- knbc news. nbc news is at brentwood where yesterday and today there's been massive lines of people waiting to to get into the evacuated area to get things from their homes, medicines, etc. we're being told by folks here that they a heard the city was allowing people up to their homes if they came to this location but then they're not allowed. some say they're being told by lapd three cars can go up with an escort every 15-20 the minutes, but it's not happening. a lapd officer is telling some residents, it's all up to the fire department. what's the plan for tease theme?

what's the plan for these residents? >> yeah, thank you, i addressed that in my comments earlier. we had tried to facilitate as best we could people going in for a very short time escorted, the situation controlled, to get medication and in some case small pets. in the early days in particular, that got unwieldy. if people came out. they wanted to see, understandably, their property and the condition of their property. today, effective will -- effective today we've stopped that a practice, and as we moveforward, we'll reassess down the road. as i mentioned, we're beginning search operations, bringing in cadaver dogs and beginning the recovery of remains process. so in addition to the threats that are posed by downed power lines, gas lines open, we've made the determination that we're no longer able to accommodate that. the winds are coming back tomorrow presenting additional issues for us to deal with. thank you. >> can i add on to that?

i know for pasadena and i'm sure it's out in the evacuation locations, kaiser and and the county have personnel, doctors on skype for those that need to get their medication. recognizing that people didn't bring it with them. so if they can't get in, i would really encourager them to go to one of the evacuation centers because it's important for them to know that we, in fact, do have people writing script, and we're going to put that up on our l.a. county web site so people know where they can go to to access prescriptions for medication. >> any other questions? okay. >> and i apologize, tom hanson with cbs news. what, if any, concern is there about animosity from the incoming trump administration toward california and its efforts to fight this fire?

and that that's, mayor bass, that's directly to you. >> actually, i'm not worried about that. i mean, i joined in the invitation to the incoming president to come to los angeles. i joined with the supervisor and the governor, spoke directly with the incoming administration yesterday. it was a fine call. so i'm not concerned about that. there also, as i mentioned before, a number of my former colleagues who are up for confirmation. i feel like i will have good relations there. >> is, is the incoming president expected to come here? >> i believe so. i mean, i certainly -- it was a positive response yesterday. >> i will say knowing what i know and i represent altadena which is probably the most diverse community in the district, this is the exact constituency that he was talking

to. you've got socioeconomics from all walks of life. and they are suffering. so i am confident that this president will come. >> well, and my conversation also yesterday was throwing around possible time, points of time, timing. no. >> okay. and, sorry, just one more question. so we are expecting severe gusts of wind in the coming days. is the city prepared regarding fire hydrants and water pressure is? >> i believe the city is prepared. i'm going to receive reports in a couple of hours from a couple of the other city departments and, chief, if you want to expand on that. ing thank you. >> thank you. we had -- oh, i'm sorry. chief. any other comments? okay. thank you, go ahead. >> could you clarify the total death count related to the

wildfires? and if i could also clarification or guidance from the health departments regarding the air quality for residents. thank you. >> i can confirm for the los angeles county jurisdictional areas that we are at 14 deaths. that's 11 in the eaton area and 3 in the palisades -- i'm sorry, palisades area. but that's just for los angeles county. los angeles would have different numbers, and the city of pasadena may have different numbers as well. i would say that the best source for that is the l.a. county coroner if's office because with they encompass the entire county of los angeles including the jurisdictions i just mentioned. >> i'm the chief deputy director of l.a. county public health. the air quality is improving. as we have seen the smoke lessen with the better containment of the fires.

at this time the air quality management division is indicating a smoke advisory specifically in those areas close to the fires, in the northwest component of the county. county residents should continue to monitor the air quality index, the aqi levels, wherever they are, but we are seeing improved awi -- aqi numbers. we encourage residents who are smelling smoke or seeing it, who have the the aqi levels in the unhealthy zones to be using masks when they're to outside. >> any other questions? all right. thank you -- >> over here. >> oh, i'm sorry. go ahead. >> -- [inaudible] cbs network news. just clarity on the discussions with the incoming administration about a visit or communication regarding this disaster. just to be clear, has mayor bass, have you or you, supervisor barger, or has anyone in the governor's office

actually had a conversation with the president-elect since this disaster has happened? he's been on social media making lots of comments -- >> i have not had a conversation directly with the incoming president. >> so it's only been with his administration, not with him? and supervisor? same question to you. >> no. i sent my letter yesterday. i'll be following up today. we have been in discussions similar the what mayor bass said with high ranking people within the incoming administration. obviously, you know, it's a work in progress, but there is no question in my mind that that we will be touching the base -- >> the stating president was here earlier this week. is it not disturbing that nearly a week after what could ultimately be the worst disaster in the state's history that no one in leadership at the county, local and seemingly the governor's level has had a conversation with the incoming president? >> i -- well, given the fact that the administration is being put together, i don't, i don't necessarily agree with you on that. >> okay.

i haveth another -- i have another question about the forecast for next week. the forecast going monday night into tuesday is calling for winds up to 75 miles our higher. looking at preemption, are the hydrants working again in the palisades specifically, question one. question two, are water trucks going to be displaced throughout the can county and the city preemptively? and also has there been any conversations or maybe they're already happening, preemptive phos-check drops on homes next to veried wooded areas like we had mandeville canyon the other day while we have cooperative conditions. just curious. >> yeah. good morning. i can address the water truck or water tender sithere in l.a -- situations here in l.a. county. i haven't explained before that on wednesday cal fire, after coordination with l.a. county fire department, did request 70 water tenders to come into the

area for our multiple fires. they have arrived.we have lots r tenders available to us. all of the reports that i've received is that the l.a. county water system is ready, and it will be prepared to the assist us in fighting the wildland fire. your concerns with the toes if check drops -- phos-check drops, cal fire and our federal partners who drop fire retardant only use products that are qualified and on a list. so we're not dropping any products here in l.a. county that aren't approved. i believe that the use of retardant is safe, it's effective. i know that there's been some social media postings that it is not. i consider that that the sinister side of social media where they're trying to divide us, and we've seen that that already. but everything we're doing is approved. it's appropriate, it's efficient and it's effective.

but we are prepared for the upcoming wind event. >> chief crowley? chief crowley, any comment from you? >> deyes. so also -- yes. so also just to add off of that i want the make sure that everybody understands as these additional resources are flooding into our region, the helpful part of that is it's freeing up our other local resources. so as we continue to move forward and predeploy if fire, air, ground, the more resources that are flooding in to help us with our current fires, the better we are prepared to pre-deploy knowing that this wind event is coming. i just wanted to add that on top of what chief marrone said. >> thank you, chief. we're actually at the end of our press conference. i'm happy to help support one-on-one interviews. so, please, come forward if you

still have questions. we will connect you with the appropriate spokesperson. thank you. ♪ ♪ howard: you see tv reporters asking questions that have already been answered so they can get themselves on television. i think the only question for mayor bass is why she spent two days in africa before hopping on a plane and coming back to a city that was burning. i spoke earlier with new york, from new york, excuse me, with bari weiss, the founder and ceo of the free press. bari weiss, welcome. >> thank you so much for having me, howie with. howard: so many media liberals are angry at mark zuckerberg for giving up on fact checking. is he right that this has been a giant failure, and it's time to let the readers do the fact checking? >> look, i think what we're seeing with zuckerberg not just9 with the fact checkers, but with the decision to move if i think it's the trust and safety group, but you'll tell me, to texas, the decision to sort of unwind dei, the decision to put dana

white on the board of advisers, what we're seeing is just a -- and i think that 6-minute video he put out is maybe the biggest sign of the so-called vibe shift that we have seen since the election of november 5th. like, one of the things that we have been focused on at the free press over the past since it started, right, two and a half years ago, is on the power of beg tech and the way big tech has censored not just neo-nazis, not just, you know, pornography, the things that no one really wants on any social media platform, but they have censored essential political conversations about things like immigration, gender, obviously, the origins of covid, hunter biden's laptop. we're sitting in the building where the new york post is right now. so i think the about face is really kind of a mea culpa pa and, frankly, an honorable one that not a lot of people do when they get something wrong in public life. howard: but he admits copying this from x. what gives the people on the

community notes talent to do this? >> well, i don't think it's about a talent, i think it's about group sourcing information. and, obviously, look, we're in a really strange world. we're in a world in which the gatekeepers of the old world have revealed themselves to be corrupted, have revealed themselves to be deeply politically biased, out of touch. and so the majority of americans, i would argue, no longer believe in those institutions and no long e -- longer believe in those gatekeepers. what has replaced it is a kind of, and there are positives and megs -- negatives to to, in this a kind of group-sourced information world which is what you see on x. the downside of that, obviously, is that the power, is the mob, right, and the risk of mob mentality and the risk of mob hysteria and the risk of mob on the jay john. and that's -- contagion. that's all real too. both of these ways of getting

information have flaws in them, but i think the i would rather live in a world -- and i think most americans would rather live in a world -- in which information and opinions even if they are disgusting, even if they are bigoted are free flowing and not one that prevents us from knowing essential information including things like, you know, where can covid came from, including things like, you know, hunter biden's laptop was a real thing. i think more information, like, generally that that's a good thing. being on the side of free flow of information, generally that's a good thing when we look back to history. and generally, the the people that are calling for more censorship in the sense that we know better than you are wrong. howard: it's been reported, and feel free to push back on this, that when trump won many 2016, you were at "the wall street journal" and you were sobbing at your desk. have you -- the. [laughter] has your view of him evolved

since then? >> it's a good question. i mean, look, i'm the first to to admit that that i was a sufferer of what conservatives at the time would have called tds, trump derangement syndrome, and i was alarmed and really nervous about everything i was reading and especially -- and this hasn't changed -- can about his character. i'm someone that that believes, call me to old fashioned, that everything is sort of downstream of character. and the kinds of things that he had said and the way he talked and the way i felt he would -- our public discourse, all those things have turned out to be true. howard: more of that interview when we can bring it to you. quick thoughts on the l.a. a press conference. >> yeah. i mean, there was a couple things i heard that were good there. for instance, when it comes to rebuilding and working on the future, cutting down some of the red tape and making sure that permits are available to to people to do that and -- able to do that and a recognition, karen bass called it a bureaucracy that holds us back even in

normal times. there seems to be more information and people available to give the information at this press conference which is vital for people to hear. but being prepared starts before the catastrophe, not after. >> and on that same note, this is why something like the infrastructure bill that president biden passed is so critically important. this infrastructure for their water system was decades if not a century old, and that is playing a huge part in the response here. howard: right. well, it's sort of like closing the barn door afterwards. i mean, the devastation is almost unbelievable. but thanks for sticking the around, mary katharine ham, meghan hayes. that's it for this edition of "mediabuzz." i'm howard kurtz, we'll see you next time. thanks for watching. ♪ ♪ always dry scoop before you run. listen to me, the hot dog diet got me shredded. it's time we listen to science. one a day is formulated with key nutrients to support whole body health.

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