“It’s more than just climate change, and it is climate change, but it’s more than that,” Newsom said. “As it relates to PG&E, it’s about dog-eat-dog capitalism meeting climate change, it’s about corporate greed meeting climate change, it’s about decades of mismanagement.”

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/24/fast-moving-wildfire-ignites-northern-california-wine-country-prompting-evacuations/

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Source Article from https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/10/white-house-defends-human-scum-trump-tweet-stephanie-grisham.html

The White House is directing its long list of federal agencies and departments to cancel their subscriptions to two of President Trump’s top targets in the media, Fox News has confirmed.

Agencies will cancel subscriptions to The Washington Post and New York Times, reflecting the president’s long-running issues with the outlets and their reporting on him. White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham announced the decision on Thursday but Trump made the decision days prior.

“Not renewing subscriptions across all federal agencies will be a significant cost saving—hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars will be saved,” Grisham said in an email, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump has repeatedly referred to the Times as a “failing” paper and consistently highlighted the fact the Post was owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

NYT’S FORMER INFORMATION SECURITY DIRECTOR SPEAKS OUT AFTER SUDDEN TERMINATION

It’s unclear when the subscriptions will be canceled but the White House was reportedly working on the implementation as of Thursday morning.

In a statement obtained by Fox News, PEN America, a non-profit dedicated to defending “free expression,” said Trump’s decision was “a terrifying and self-defeating effort at vindictive information control that reeks of totalitarianism. The White House is proposing to deny federal employees essential and credible reporting necessary to inform their work,” the group said. “The press secretary’s reference to saving taxpayer money makes plain that this proposed maneuver is designed to inflict harm, aimed to deprive the papers of subscription revenue as well as influence, and to extend a political vendetta.”

More from Media

In a pair of tweets in August, Trump laid out a sweeping indictment of the Times and its state in journalism.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The Failing New York Times, in one of the most devastating portrayals of bad journalism in history, got caught by a leaker that they are shifting from their Phony Russian Collusion Narrative (the Mueller Report & his testimony were a total disaster), to a Racism Witch Hunt […] ‘Journalism’ has reached a new low in the history of our Country.

“It is nothing more than an evil propaganda machine for the Democrat Party. The reporting is so false, biased and evil that it has now become a very sick joke…But the public is aware!” he said.

Fox News’ John Roberts contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/media/white-house-wapo-nyt-subscriptions

Graham set to introduce a resolution condemning House’s closed-door impeachment inquiry. #FoxNews

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Source Article from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5luptEH7hLE

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is preparing to send tanks and armored vehicles to Syrian oil fields, according to a U.S. official – a stunning reversal of President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. forces from the war-torn country after he declared victory over ISIS.

The deployment of heavy armor to Syria would represent a significant escalation in the fight, requiring a contingent of additional troops to operate and maintain the vehicles, as well as forces to protect their bases.

Earlier this month, Trump ordered that virtually all of the 1,000 U.S. troops be withdrawn from Syria, a move met with bipartisan condemnation as an abandonment of Kurdish allies in the fight against ISIS.

A Defense Department official said the Pentagon is sending additional forces to northeastern Syria to prevent the oil fields from falling back into the hands of ISIS. Both officials were not authorized to speak publicly.

Source Article from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/10/24/pentagon-planning-send-tanks-armor-syria-protect-oil-fields/4089195002/

California firefighters battled multiple flames Thursday morning and with high Santa Ana winds expected, it’s possible the situation could turn dangerous very quickly.

Wildfire season in California runs from mid-May until mid-November, although a combination of weather conditions, including the amount of rain, can change the season’s span. So far this year, California has had more than 5,800 incidents, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), and at least nine were burning at once on Thursday morning.

The Kincade fire, Old Water fire and Palisades fire were all actively burning on Thursday morning, raising concerns among officials that strong winds could cause them to spread rapidly. The threat of the flames prompted officials to order mandatory evacuations for some residents and urge others to prepare to leave quickly.

Kincade Fire

On Thursday morning, a wildfire dubbed the Kincade fire broke out northeast of Geyserville in Sonoma County, California. As of 8 a.m. EDT, the fire burned through 10,000 acres, according to Cal Fire, and officials ordered evacuations for:

  • Red Winery Road
  • Alexander Mountain Road
  • Highway 128 from Geysers Road to River Road
  • All Roads off River Road

Evacuation centers were set up at Windsor High School and the Healdsburg Community Center. Northern unincorporated Healdsburg and Geyserville were also under an evacuation warning and anyone who felt unsafe was encouraged to leave.

As of 8 a.m., the fire was zero percent contained and officials warned it was dangerous and fast-moving.

Old Water Fire

On Thursday morning, a vegetation fire broke out near Old Waterman Canyon Road in San Bernardino, California. Compared to other fires in the area, the Old Water fire was relatively small at 50 to 100 acres, as of 7 a.m. However, the San Bernardino National Forest explained it had the potential for “large growth” if the Santa Ana winds picked up speed.

Firefighters from the San Bernadino National Forest put structure protections in place for about 20 or 30 homes in the area and closed Highway 18 between 40th street and Highway 138 in Crestline, California. They also ordered mandatory evacuations for part of north San Bernardino near Mariposa Drive and David Way and Arrowhead Road. An evacuation center wasn’t set up as of 8 a.m., but one was being determined.

The fire was burning about six miles from the California State University, San Bernardino campus, but the school announced it would be closed on Thursday. At the time of the announcement, the reason for closing was due to high winds that could reach up to 75 miles per hour and the possibility that power could be cut due to the threat of wildfires.

Palisades Fire

The Palisades Fire in Los Angeles broke out on Monday morning and in the days since has grown to 45 acres, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD). The flames, which began as a brush fire, injured one civilian and three first responders. As of Wednesday evening, eight structures were damaged, although, none were destroyed.

Nearly 250 personnel were assigned to the fire and the LAFD credited their “relentless work” for why the fire was at 55 percent containment. However, the strong winds and increased temperatures were expected to bring “critically low relative humidity” to vegetation that may not have burned since 1938, so the LAFD encouraged residents to be prepared, including packing an emergency kit in the event an evacuation is ordered.

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Source Article from https://www.newsweek.com/kincade-fire-palisades-fire-waterman-canyon-fire-california-map-1467480

Rep. Mark Meadows closes his eyes as he walks past the casket after speaking during memorial services for his close friend Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

Joshua Roberts/Pool/Getty Images


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Joshua Roberts/Pool/Getty Images

Rep. Mark Meadows closes his eyes as he walks past the casket after speaking during memorial services for his close friend Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

Joshua Roberts/Pool/Getty Images

Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina gave an emotional eulogy Thursday for his friend and Democratic colleague Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, who is lying in state at the Statuary Hall of the Capitol.

“He’s called a number of things — a father, a husband, friend, chairman. For me I was privileged enough to be able to call him a dear friend,” Meadows said.

“Some have classified it as an unexpected friendship but for those of us that know Elijah,” he continued, “it’s not unexpected or surprising.”

Meadows said he and Cummings shared personal stories and intimate secrets “that Elijah never shared with anyone because he was a man of his word.”

Cummings died last week at the age of 68, having represented Maryland in Congress for more than two decades. Funeral services will be held Friday.

“Scripture talks about, ‘Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me,’ ” Meadows continued. ” ‘In my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.’ “

“So Elijah has left his tent to go to a mansion, a better place. Perhaps this place and this country would be better served with a few more unexpected friendships,” he said. “I know I’ve been blessed by one.”

As chair of the powerful House Oversight Committee, Cummings had taken a lead role in investigating President Trump.

“He had a smile that would consume his whole face, you know that,” Meadows said. “But he also had eyes that would pierce through anybody who would stand in his way.” That sentiment was echoed by other lawmakers who spoke Thursday.

“His voice could shake mountains, stir the most cynical hearts, inspiring us all to better,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

“Elijah Cummings never forgot where he came from,” Schumer continued, “and never lost sight of where he wanted his country to go.”

The moment was a rare glimmer of anything bipartisan on Capitol Hill these days. Meadows was among the Republicans on Wednesday who protested the House impeachment inquiry into President Trump. As a member of the House Oversight Committee, Meadows already has access to the closed-door testimony, but a more than two dozen Republicans said they demand more transparency in the impeachment inquiry process.

There will be a funeral service for Cummings on Friday in Baltimore.

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/10/24/773066835/watch-republican-rep-mark-meadows-tearfully-eulogizes-dear-friend-elijah-cumming

The raging wildfire threatening Geyserville north of San Francisco erupted around The Geysers, the world’s largest complex of geothermal plants where steam from deep in the ground has been tapped for nearly a century to produce electricity.

Initial fire dispatch reports indicated the fire started — possibly with wires down — at 9:27 p.m. Wednesday, even as Pacific Gas and Electric Co. had cut power to nearly 28,000 households and businesses in the area that afternoon to reduce wildfire risk.

Expand

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“A vegetation fire reported as in The Geysers,” a Sonoma County Fire and Cal Fire dispatcher reported around 9:27 p.m. Wednesday. “Also possible power lines down in the area — all units acknowledge life safety hazard.”

On Thursday morning, there was still no indication of how the fire started.

Will Powers, a spokesman with Cal Fire — the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — said Thursday there are no confirmed reports of power lines being down in the area and the dispatcher’s advisory may have just been a precaution.

“I don’t have any reports of lines down,” Powers said. “I haven’t had any confirmation of that.”

PG&E spokesman Paul Doherty said the Kincade Fire is near the “footprint” of the “public safety power shutdown” the utility initiated in the area around 3 that afternoon to reduce risk of power lines sparking an inferno as warm, dry winds prompted “red flag” wildfire warnings.

But Doherty said the utility had no further information and referred additional questions to Cal Fire. He could not answer whether the Geysers plant was producing power at the time, whether outgoing high-voltage lines were charged or de-energized as part of the planned power shutoff, or whether any power lines were down.

The Geyserville area saw winds of 21 mph and gusts up to 42 mph around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, peaking around midnight at 52 mph with gusts up to 76 mph, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Drew Peterson.

Calpine, a Houston-based energy company and the largest geothermal power producer in the U.S., owns and operates 13 power plants at The Geysers that generate up to 725 megawatts of electricity — enough to power a city the size of San Francisco.

Calpine spokesman Brett Kerr said that “due to the wind conditions, we had de-energized our local power line system before the fire started.”

“We do not believe our facilities caused the fire,” Kerr said, but added: “There are power lines operated by third parties across The Geysers.”

“The Kincade Fire flashed through a portion of our Geysers geothermal facilities late yesterday,” Kerr said. “All employees are safe and accounted for. We believe there is relatively minor damage to our facilities and further threat has passed. As safety permits and daylight arrives, we will conduct a thorough assessment. Some of our operations have been temporarily suspended but we expect production will resume very soon.”

The uncontained Kincade Fire has burned 10,000 acres and two buildings east of Geyserville, a Sonoma County Wine Country hamlet north of San Francisco.

The steam beds have a rich history. Tribal people had come to the area for healing and ceremonies. In the mid-1800s the steam beds became a tourist destination. According to Calpine, entrepreneurs in 1923 built a 35-kilowatt power plant there that produced the first geothermal electricity in the Americas. PG&E in 1960 opened the first commercial geothermal plant at The Geysers, and Calpine began operating plants there in 1989.

Fire dispatchers Wednesday night indicated the Kincade Fire originated in the area of Kincade Road and Burned Mountain Road “at The Geysers 9 and 10,” plants. They coordinated access for firefighters with Calpine, which operated the plants.

PG&E equipment has been blamed for sparking a host of recent devastating wildfires, including many deadly blazes that roared through the Wine Country in 2017, as well as the Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise east of Chico last year, the state’s deadliest and most destructive.

Facing multi-billion dollar liability claims, PG&E in January filed for bankruptcy protection. PG&E began initiating “public safety power shutoffs” last year, something San Diego Gas and Electric has used effectively to reduce wildfire danger since the deadly 2007 Witch Fire. PG&E was criticized for its decision not to de-energize high-voltage lines near Paradise during strong fall winds that sparked the Camp Fire.

Wednesday’s power shutoffs in the Wine Country, Sierra Foothills and parts of the coast between San Francisco and Santa Cruz, are the second largest PG&E has initiated to date, following an even larger blackout over much of the Bay Area and Northern California two weeks ago. With strong dry winds in the forecast, additional outages may be needed this weekend, PG&E said

 

Source Article from http://www.mercurynews.com/did-kincade-fire-threatening-geyserville-start-at-geothermal-power-plant

None of the main opposition parties have committed yet to backing the government’s motion for early elections, and it is unclear whether Johnson will have the votes to get it over the line.

Labour lawmaker Ian Lucas rejected Johnson’s demand for a snap poll, saying it was “not in the national interest.”

“What makes sense now is to discuss the Withdrawal Bill in a 3 month extension period, have the various votes and make the decisions. To have a General Election now is not in the national interest,” Lucas wrote.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas tweeted the Johnson was “trying to have his cake and eat it.”

“A General Election will not resolve Brexit, and it must not happen until No Deal is properly secured and until people have had a final say,” she wrote.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Johnson was dangling an election to get his “own way.”

“So Johnson appears to be saying to MPs ‘if you vote for an election, I’ll bring back my bad Brexit bill and try to drag us out of the EU before we go to the polls’,” Sturgeon tweeted.

“Elections should be exercises in letting voters decide, not devices for charlatans to get their own way.”

Plaid Cymru too rejected Johnson’s proposal, with party leader Adam Price describing Johnson as “an increasingly desperate Prime Minister who has run out of road,” PA reported.

“Our priority remains delivering a final say referendum, rather than an election, as the clearest way to end the Brexit chaos,” Price said. “If his gamble fails on Monday, the Prime Minister has no option but to resign.”

Source Article from https://edition.cnn.com/uk/live-news/brexit-boris-johnson-thursday-dle-intl/index.html

Media captionChaotic scenes as Republicans storm impeachment deposition

US Republicans have stormed a high-security impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, forcing a witness to delay her testimony by five hours.

The Republicans chanted “let us in” as they forced their way into the hearing, breaching US House security rules.

This week, Mr Trump urged Republicans to “get tough and fight” for him.

Three committees in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives are investigating allegations of wrongdoing by the president.

Democrats accuse him of illegally pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on a political rival, but Mr Trump and his supporters say he has done nothing wrong.

How did the chaos unfold?

About two dozen Republicans pushed their way into the secure meeting room – known as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, on Wednesday morning.

Some brought their mobile phones in with them, leading Democrats and some officials to accuse them of a security breach.

SCIFs are built to prevent electronic eavesdropping, and allow people to review classified information. Electronic devices are not permitted.

Democrats and Republicans began shouting at each other, reports say, and the Republican protesters refused to leave the room for a number of hours, even ordering pizza at lunchtime.

The protest delayed the testimony of Laura Cooper, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, for five hours, although she resumed her testimony later in the afternoon.

Why did they barge in?

The Republicans argued that Democrats were conducting the impeachment inquiry in secret, with Representative Steve Scalise describing it as “a Soviet-style process”.

“Every member of Congress ought to be allowed in that room. The press ought to be allowed in that room,” he added.

The inquiry is led by a Democrat – Adam Schiff – and being run by the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees.

However, more than 40 Republicans are members of those committees, and permitted to take part in the hearings.

Democrats have argued that it is common for the initial stages of a congressional investigation to be conducted behind closed doors, and say private hearings are needed at the start, to stop witnesses from coordinating their testimony.

“The special counsels in the Nixon and Clinton impeachments conducted their investigations in private and we must initially do the same,” Mr Schiff wrote in a letter to colleagues.

Why is this happening now?

Some commentators have argued that the Republicans, and Mr Trump, have come under increased pressure following Tuesday’s testimony by the acting ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor.

Media captionWhat does it take to impeach a president?

Mr Taylor testified that Mr Trump had made the release of military aid to Ukraine conditional on a pledge that his political rival, Joe Biden, would be investigated, and said relations with Ukraine had been “fundamentally undermined” as a result.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham responded in a statement: “President Trump has done nothing wrong – this is a co-ordinated smear campaign from far-left lawmakers and radical unelected bureaucrats waging war on the Constitution”.

Democratic congressman David Cicilline described Wednesday’s protest as “a stunt that corresponded very specifically to the president’s complaint that they weren’t fighting hard enough for him, and in direct response to devastating testimony… from Ambassador Taylor”.

However, Republican Jim Jordan, who has taken part in the hearings, suggested that the protesters were simply fed up with the lack of transparency.

“It’s finally reached the point where members just said they’re so frustrated at the idea that they can’t be a part of this and see what’s going on,” he told reporters.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50166577

A fast-moving wildfire spurred by powerful winds tore across northeastern Sonoma County early Thursday, burning more than 10,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of up to 2,000 residents — including the entire town of Geyserville.

The Kincade Fire was burning near the Geysers geothermal plant in the Mayacamas Mountains with 0% containment, the glow visible for miles. By dawn, the fire had destroyed or damaged at least a dozen homes and other structures along Geyser Road, including at least two large buildings at Crazy Creek Vineyards in the Alexander Valley.

The fire started around 9:25 p.m. Wednesday on John Kincade Road, in an area where the power had been shut off over weather-related concerns, Cal Fire officials said. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. had shut off power to parts of Sonoma and other Northern California counties Wednesday afternoon in an effort to prevent fires from being sparked by power lines damaged or downed by strong winds.

Gusts reached 76 mph overnight on the region’s highest peaks, according to the National Weather Service.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. PG&E spokeswoman Karly Hernandez said the fire was burning “near the (shut-off) footprint and we are working to gather additional information.” The utility cut power to about 27,830 Sonoma County customers at 3 p.m., she noted.

As crews realized they would need to evacuate residents, one firefighter alerted dispatch that the power was out in the area of the 10000 block of Pine Flat Road and there was “a limited ability to make phone calls. We need to go door to door.”

With electronic evacuation alerts limited to text messages, residents near the fire notified their neighbors while firefighters banged on doors to urge people to leave immediately.

Strong winds and embers pushed the blaze from north to south in steep and rugged terrain, said Amy Head, a Cal Fire battalion chief.

At least 328 firefighters were on the scene, as well as engines, bulldozers and hand crews. At first light Cal Fire planned to put aircraft in the skies for visual inspections and then to battle flames, Head said.

“It’s outpacing us,” Head said of the fire. “We’re just trying to keep up with it and bump ahead of it. It’s growing very rapidly in a short amount of time.”

There were no reports of deaths or injuries.

As the fire spread along Geysers Road, erratic winds kicked up embers and ash that swirled like tiny tornadoes. Along the road, a steady line of bulldozers headed toward the flames as cars filled with evacuees drove to safety.

Flames gutted several structures at the intersection of Red Winery and Geysers Road. A power line drooped over the street at the intersection, and several feet away flames chewed away at a power pole.

With fires still burning small structures, the fire engines at the scene packed up and left.

“More fires to fight,” a firefighter yelled out the window as they pulled away.

One home on Red Winery Road suffered damage when a large tree, cracked at the trunk by strong winds, toppled onto the roof.

By morning, the blaze had pushed west and headed into Alexander Valley vineyards, leaving the hillside to the east of Geysers Road scorched. About a dozen cows huddled together on one small patch of land that hadn’t burned.

Mandatory evacuations were initially ordered for areas east of Highway 128, including the River Rock Casino, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Those orders expanded after the blaze jumped Highway 128 and headed west.

“If you’re in Geyserville, leave now,” officials wrote in an alert, urging people in the town of 860 to head south.

Arch Monson, 69, and his family had already fled from their property, Monson Vineyards, on Geysers Road at 3 a.m. They headed downhill to stay with a neighbor.

The fire “was on our property when we left,” Monson said, adding that his family has lived there since 1957. “As we were pulling out, firefighters were pulling in.

“We were hearing explosions — loud booms — presumably from propane tanks,” Monson said. “It seemed like there was a burst of wind and fire was coming down to the valley floor.”

The neighbor’s home to which he’d fled was no longer safe, Monson said. At 5 a.m., they evacuated again.

“We were pretty far away, but we’re seeing live embers in the air swirling around, landing and a lot of thick smoke,” Monson said. “You could see the fire had moved down the foothills. We just could tell it was time to get out. On the road out we saw fences on fire, landscaping, trees on fire.”

Evacuation centers were in place at Windsor High School, 8695 Windsor Road in Windsor, and at the Healdsburg Community Center at 1557 Healdsburg Ave.

Paula Whitehall, 65, was among 10 evacuees who slept at the Healdsburg center. She fled her house on Moody Lane in Geyserville, which was in a power outage area, and she said she didn’t receive any electronic notification of the evacuation.

“The Fire Department came and said we had to leave,” she said.

Whitehall grabbed a change of clothes, dog food, a couple of gallons of water and her corgi mix, Zoey, before going outside with her sister and brother-in-law, who live with her. She saw the fire raging a short distance away on a hill next to the River Rock Casino.

“We could see the flames once we got outside,” said Whitehall, still wearing her pajamas. “I just thought, ‘Here we go again.’

“I guess I should’ve had a bag packed ahead already,” she said, adding, “I am a California girl. Earthquakes, fires, it’s all part of the seasons.”

Karen Vaughan, 56, an Oklahoma native who owns a small travel company and moved to Healdsburg six months ago, said she saw a wall of flames and freaked out, but nobody else in her neighborhood seemed to be bothered. There was an evacuation warning, a step below mandatory-evacuation status, for the northern part of the city.

“I was sitting on my balcony and I looked out and I saw the whole mountainside on fire,” Vaughan said. “It looked like it was coming toward me.”

She rushed to a neighbor’s house, woke her up and tried to get her to leave.

“I said, ‘There’s a big wall of fire,’ and she said, ‘No, I’m staying.’”

Vaughan hopped into her car and drove to the Windsor High School evacuation center.

“I think people are numb and they’re used to it,” she said. “It’s scary is all I can say, and I’m not a fearful person. It looked close, and these fires move quickly.”

Healdsburg Mayor David Hagele said fire is now a yearly trauma.

“This is the new normal that we live in. It’s disheartening and it’s scary for a lot of people because it does bring back a lot of scary memories from a couple of years ago,” Hagele said. “We’re trying to do what we can to help our neighbors to the north.”

Strong winds and warm temperatures spurred the fire into the morning. By 5 a.m., temperatures at the Santa Rosa Airport had reached 77 degrees with 11% humidity, according to the National Weather Service. Winds gusted up to 45 mph in Sonoma County, with calmer conditions expected starting around 10 a.m.

The conditions were nearly the same as when the Tubbs Fire tore through Napa and Sonoma counties two years ago, said meteorologist Ryan Walbrun.

“Pretty much everything lined up: strong winds, dry fuels, hot temperatures and low humidity,” he said. “This is what can happen.”

In a statement, PG&E officials said Wednesday the decision to power down “was based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather that poses a higher risk for damage and sparks on the electric system and rapid wildfire spread.”

More planned outages could come this weekend.

PG&E Chief Meterorologist Scott Strenfel said this weekend “could bring the strongest wind event of the season” — even stronger than the winds experienced during the 2017 Wine Country fires.

David Huebel, 40, works as a vineyard manager at Hafner Vineyard, which is seven miles outside of Healdsburg. The property was hit by PG&E’s power shut-off Wednesday afternoon, and at first Huebel was worried only about how the family-run vineyard would finish harvesting its Cabernet Sauvignon.

Then, around 9:35 p.m., Huebel stepped outside to turn off his generator, looked toward the Mayacamas Mountains and saw a faint glow.

“I was asking myself, ‘Is that fire?’” Huebel said. “Everything about the scene was wrong. There shouldn’t have been light right there, it shouldn’t have been orange. It was a couple minutes later I saw a column of smoke. We watched it grow for more than two hours before we left.”

Huebel watched the Tubbs Fire burn across Sonoma County in 2017, from Calistoga to Santa Rosa. The strange light that flickered in the hills never seemed to end. He quickly called his neighbors, alerting them to the new fire.

When the evacuation order for Red Winery Road came at 12:32 a.m., Huebel didn’t hesitate. He left with his wife and two children, 11 and 18.

“Here we go,” he remembers thinking, “this one is too close.”

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Lauren Hernández and J.D. Morris contributed to this report.

Peter Fimrite, Megan Cassidy, Matthias Gafni and Jill Tucker are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: pfrimrite@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com, matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com, jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite @meganrcassidy @mgafni @JillTucker

Source Article from https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Kincade-Fire-Homes-burning-in-Sonoma-County-as-14559121.php

Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday accused the NBA of “acting like a wholly owned subsidiary” of China’s ruling Communist Party after a top Houston Rockets executive enraged that country’s authoritarian leaders with his support of pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong.

Pence in a speech also blasted the athletic apparel giant Nike for taking steps to placate China by “checking its social conscience at the door” after the tweet in early October by Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey, which said, “Fight for Freedom, stand with Hong Kong.”

Pence’s criticism of the National Basketball Association during an appearance at The Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., was the harshest from the Trump administration since the pro league effectively apologized for Morey’s tweet.

An NBA spokesman said after the tweet that Morey’s views “have deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China, which is regrettable.”

President Donald Trump previously accused NBA coaches of “pandering” to China. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said it is “completely inappropriate” for China to retaliate against U.S. businesses whose employees have commented on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

China is one of the NBA’s biggest markets. On the heels of Morey’s tweet, nearly all of the NBA’s Chinese partners ended or suspended their relationships with the league.

“Some of the NBA’s biggest players and owners, who routinely exercise their freedom to criticize this country, lose their voices when it comes to the freedom and rights of other peoples,” Pence said in his speech.

“In siding with the Chinese Communist Party and silencing free speech, the NBA is acting like a wholly owned subsidiary of the authoritarian regime,” the vice president said.

Pence also said, “Nike promotes itself as a so called ‘social-justice champion,’ but when it comes to Hong Kong, it prefers checking its social conscience at the door.”

“Nike stores in China actually removed their Houston Rockets merchandise from their shelves to join the Chinese government in protest against the Rockets general manager’s seven-word tweet: ‘Fight for Freedom, stand with Hong Kong.’ ” 

The NBA and Nike had no immediate comment when contacted by CNBC.

 – Additional reporting by Jacob Pramuk and Lauren Thomas 

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/24/vice-president-mike-pence-says-nba-acting-like-subsidiary-of-china.html

A fast-moving wildfire spurred by powerful winds tore across northeastern Sonoma County early Thursday, burning more than 10,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of up to 2,000 residents — including the entire town of Geyserville.

The Kincade Fire was burning near the Geysers geothermal plant in the Mayacamas Mountains with 0% containment, the glow visible for miles. By dawn, the fire had destroyed or damaged at least a dozen homes and other structures along Geyser Road, including at least two large buildings at Crazy Creek Vineyards in the Alexander Valley.

The fire started around 9:25 p.m. Wednesday on John Kincade Road, in an area where the power had been shut off over weather-related concerns, Cal Fire officials said. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. had shut off power to parts of Sonoma and other Northern California counties Wednesday afternoon in an effort to prevent fires from being sparked by power lines damaged or downed by strong winds.

Gusts reached 76 mph overnight on the region’s highest peaks, according to the National Weather Service.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. PG&E spokeswoman Karly Hernandez said the fire was burning “near the (shut-off) footprint and we are working to gather additional information.” The utility cut power to about 27,830 Sonoma County customers at 3 p.m., she noted.

As crews realized they would need to evacuate residents, one firefighter alerted dispatch that the power was out in the area of the 10000 block of Pine Flat Road and there was “a limited ability to make phone calls. We need to go door to door.”

With electronic evacuation alerts limited to text messages, residents near the fire notified their neighbors while firefighters banged on doors to urge people to leave immediately.

Strong winds and embers pushed the blaze from north to south in steep and rugged terrain, said Amy Head, a Cal Fire battalion chief.

At least 328 firefighters were on the scene, as well as engines, bulldozers and hand crews. At first light Cal Fire planned to put aircraft in the skies for visual inspections and then to battle flames, Head said.

“It’s outpacing us,” Head said of the fire. “We’re just trying to keep up with it and bump ahead of it. It’s growing very rapidly in a short amount of time.”

There were no reports of deaths or injuries.

As the fire spread along Geysers Road, erratic winds kicked up embers and ash that swirled like tiny tornadoes. Along the road, a steady line of bulldozers headed toward the flames as cars filled with evacuees drove to safety.

Flames gutted several structures at the intersection of Red Winery and Geysers Road. A power line drooped over the street at the intersection, and several feet away flames chewed away at a power pole.

With fires still burning small structures, the fire engines at the scene packed up and left.

“More fires to fight,” a firefighter yelled out the window as they pulled away.

One home on Red Winery Road suffered damage when a large tree, cracked at the trunk by strong winds, toppled onto the roof.

By morning, the blaze had pushed west and headed into Alexander Valley vineyards, leaving the hillside to the east of Geysers Road scorched. About a dozen cows huddled together on one small patch of land that hadn’t burned.

Mandatory evacuations were initially ordered for areas east of Highway 128, including the River Rock Casino, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Those orders expanded after the blaze jumped Highway 128 and headed west.

“If you’re in Geyserville, leave now,” officials wrote in an alert, urging people in the town of 860 to head south.

Arch Monson, 69, and his family had already fled from their property, Monson Vineyards, on Geysers Road at 3 a.m. They headed downhill to stay with a neighbor.

The fire “was on our property when we left,” Monson said, adding that his family has lived there since 1957. “As we were pulling out, firefighters were pulling in.

“We were hearing explosions — loud booms — presumably from propane tanks,” Monson said. “It seemed like there was a burst of wind and fire was coming down to the valley floor.”

The neighbor’s home to which he’d fled was no longer safe, Monson said. At 5 a.m., they evacuated again.

“We were pretty far away, but we’re seeing live embers in the air swirling around, landing and a lot of thick smoke,” Monson said. “You could see the fire had moved down the foothills. We just could tell it was time to get out. On the road out we saw fences on fire, landscaping, trees on fire.”

Evacuation centers were in place at Windsor High School, 8695 Windsor Road in Windsor, and at the Healdsburg Community Center at 1557 Healdsburg Ave.

Paula Whitehall, 65, was among 10 evacuees who slept at the Healdsburg center. She fled her house on Moody Lane in Geyserville, which was in a power outage area, and she said she didn’t receive any electronic notification of the evacuation.

“The Fire Department came and said we had to leave,” she said.

Whitehall grabbed a change of clothes, dog food, a couple of gallons of water and her corgi mix, Zoey, before going outside with her sister and brother-in-law, who live with her. She saw the fire raging a short distance away on a hill next to the River Rock Casino.

“We could see the flames once we got outside,” said Whitehall, still wearing her pajamas. “I just thought, ‘Here we go again.’

“I guess I should’ve had a bag packed ahead already,” she said, adding, “I am a California girl. Earthquakes, fires, it’s all part of the seasons.”

Karen Vaughan, 56, an Oklahoma native who owns a small travel company and moved to Healdsburg six months ago, said she saw a wall of flames and freaked out, but nobody else in her neighborhood seemed to be bothered. There was an evacuation warning, a step below mandatory-evacuation status, for the northern part of the city.

“I was sitting on my balcony and I looked out and I saw the whole mountainside on fire,” Vaughan said. “It looked like it was coming toward me.”

She rushed to a neighbor’s house, woke her up and tried to get her to leave.

“I said, ‘There’s a big wall of fire,’ and she said, ‘No, I’m staying.’”

Vaughan hopped into her car and drove to the Windsor High School evacuation center.

“I think people are numb and they’re used to it,” she said. “It’s scary is all I can say, and I’m not a fearful person. It looked close, and these fires move quickly.”

Healdsburg Mayor David Hagele said fire is now a yearly trauma.

“This is the new normal that we live in. It’s disheartening and it’s scary for a lot of people because it does bring back a lot of scary memories from a couple of years ago,” Hagele said. “We’re trying to do what we can to help our neighbors to the north.”

Strong winds and warm temperatures spurred the fire into the morning. By 5 a.m., temperatures at the Santa Rosa Airport had reached 77 degrees with 11% humidity, according to the National Weather Service. Winds gusted up to 45 mph in Sonoma County, with calmer conditions expected starting around 10 a.m.

The conditions were nearly the same as when the Tubbs Fire tore through Napa and Sonoma counties two years ago, said meteorologist Ryan Walbrun.

“Pretty much everything lined up: strong winds, dry fuels, hot temperatures and low humidity,” he said. “This is what can happen.”

In a statement, PG&E officials said Wednesday the decision to power down “was based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather that poses a higher risk for damage and sparks on the electric system and rapid wildfire spread.”

More planned outages could come this weekend.

PG&E Chief Meterorologist Scott Strenfel said this weekend “could bring the strongest wind event of the season” — even stronger than the winds experienced during the 2017 Wine Country fires.

David Huebel, 40, works as a vineyard manager at Hafner Vineyard, which is seven miles outside of Healdsburg. The property was hit by PG&E’s power shut-off Wednesday afternoon, and at first Huebel was worried only about how the family-run vineyard would finish harvesting its Cabernet Sauvignon.

Then, around 9:35 p.m., Huebel stepped outside to turn off his generator, looked toward the Mayacamas Mountains and saw a faint glow.

“I was asking myself, ‘Is that fire?’” Huebel said. “Everything about the scene was wrong. There shouldn’t have been light right there, it shouldn’t have been orange. It was a couple minutes later I saw a column of smoke. We watched it grow for more than two hours before we left.”

Huebel watched the Tubbs Fire burn across Sonoma County in 2017, from Calistoga to Santa Rosa. The strange light that flickered in the hills never seemed to end. He quickly called his neighbors, alerting them to the new fire.

When the evacuation order for Red Winery Road came at 12:32 a.m., Huebel didn’t hesitate. He left with his wife and two children, 11 and 18.

“Here we go,” he remembers thinking, “this one is too close.”

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Lauren Hernández and J.D. Morris contributed to this report.

Peter Fimrite, Megan Cassidy, Matthias Gafni and Jill Tucker are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: pfrimrite@sfchronicle.com, megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com, matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com, jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite @meganrcassidy @mgafni @JillTucker

Source Article from https://www.sfchronicle.com/california-wildfires/article/Fire-breaks-out-in-northern-Sonoma-County-near-14558358.php

SONOMA, Calif. — A raging wildfire has forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes after it exploded to thousands of acres in Northern California, authorities said.

The Kincade Fire, ignited Wednesday night, has scorched 10,000 acres, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire, reported Thursday morning.

READ ABOUT SAN DIEGO FIRE DANGER HERE

More than 550 homes — with about 1,700 residents — are under mandatory evacuation orders as the blaze burns uncontrollably, Sonoma County officials said.

Among the communities under mandatory evacuation order was the entirety of Geyserville, about 80 miles north of San Francisco. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office told residents Thursday morning to leave since the fire crossed Highway 128, heading west.

“If you’re in Geyserville,” the sheriff’s office said, “leave now.”

There were 328 personnel from multiple agencies battling the blaze Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire.

A firefighter monitors the Kincaide Fire as it burns through Geyserville, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Fire comes during intentional power outages

The fire erupted the same day that California’s largest utility started another round of intentional power cuts to prevent its equipment from sparking wildfires. It is burning near the outage footprint in Sonoma County, Pacific Gas & Electric officials said early Thursday.

The latest blackouts will continue at least through Thursday in parts of 17 counties, including Sonoma’s wine country. Red flag warnings are in place for more than 25 million people in Northern and Southern California, which means soaring temperatures, low humidity and strong winds will increase fire dangers.

Another utility, Southern California Edison (SCE), shut off power to more than 15,000 customers elsewhere in the state, in Kern, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Even further south, more than 320 customers in Descanso and Alpine lost power after San Diego Gas & Electric turned it off, citing “high winds and dangerous weather conditions.”

Blaze burned 5,000 acres in three hours

The Kincade Fire started at 9 p.m. Wednesday (midnight ET) and torched more than 5,000 acres within three hours, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Sgt. Juan Valencia said. At that speed, a football field would be burned every three seconds, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller.

As the fire burned, winds gusted up to 76 mph nearby, the National Weather Service said.

The River Rock Casino has been asked to evacuate, along with additional areas east of Geyserville, the sheriff’s office said. The American Red Cross has set up two evacuation centers.

A video of the fast-moving blaze was shared by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. It warned residents to be careful. “This is why we issued evacuation orders. Be safe, Sonoma County,” it said.

Ash was “falling like snow,” early Thursday in the burn zone, fire data scientist Nicholas McCarthy tweeted, referring to the burned residue as “pyrometeors.”

In October 2017, the Tubbs Fire ravaged tens of thousands of acres in Sonoma County and killed nearly two dozen people. In Santa Rosa alone, a fire wiped out thousands of homes in the city roughly 50 miles northwest of San Francisco.

Another fire Thursday burned about 75 acres in San Bernardino County, a San Bernardino National Forest Service said. It prompted mandatory evacuation orders.

The Old Water Fire broke out shortly after 2 a.m. and had quickly spread to about 75 acres within a few hours, KTLA reported, citing the forest service. About 80 homes were under mandatory evacuation orders Thursday morning.

Source Article from https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/10/24/raging-wildfire-in-sonoma-burns-10k-acres-forces-1-7k-to-evacuate/

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Evacuation orders were issued late Wednesday night as the fast-moving Kincade Fire burned east of Geyserville, in Sonoma County.

Thursday around 6:15 a.m. the entire town of Geyserville was added to the mandatory evacuation zone because the flames had jumped Highway 128 near Moody Lane.

The map above shows the evacuation area in red: Geyserville; Highway 128 between Geysers and River roads; River Road and all streets off it; Red Winery Road; Alexander Mountain Road; and Pine Flat Road.

The gray tone shows the approximate area of the Pacific Gas & Electric power shutoff, which began on Wednesday afternoon.

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Evacuation centers are Windsor High School and the Healdsburg Community Center.

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Source Article from http://www.mercurynews.com/map-kincade-fire-evacuations-in-sonoma-county

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The other ‘Nixon’ leaves ultimate responsibility for Trump’s removal with Congress – CNN
The other ‘Nixon’ leaves ultimate responsibility for Trump’s removal with Congress – CNN

Trump impeachment tracker: Following all the action in Congress

Trump impeachment inquiry: A visual timeline

Trump’s Ukraine scandal: Who’s who?

The phases of Trump’s coming impeachment proceedings

Trump’s Ukraine phone call, annotated

Key allegations from the Ukraine whistleblower are true, despite what Trump says

The Ukraine text messages, annotated

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/24/politics/the-other-nixon-trump-impeachment/index.html

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Sondland attorney disputes key portions of Taylor testimony: report | TheHill – The Hill
Sondland attorney disputes key portions of Taylor testimony: report | TheHill – The Hill

An attorney representing U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland has disputed parts of the testimony of top diplomat to Ukraine William Taylor

Responding to emailed questions by The Washington Post, Sondland’s lawyer Robert Luskin said his client did not recall conversations recounted by Taylor in his House deposition. 

Taylor testified that Sondland told Andriy Yermak, a representative for Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that security assistance would only come when Zelensky committed to a politically charged probe. 

Luskin said that Sondland “does not recall” a conversation about assistance cutoff. 

“Sondland does not recall any conversation in Warsaw concerning the aid cutoff, although he understood that the Ukrainians were, by then, certainly aware of the cutoff and raised the issue directly with Pence,” Luskin told The Post. 

Taylor also reportedly testified that National Security Council official Tim Morrison told him about a Sept. 7 conversation between Trump and Sondland in which Trump said Zelensky should “go to a microphone” and commit to “opening investigations of Biden and 2016 election interference.”

Luskin told The Post that Sondland does not remember any such conversation. 

He said that the ambassador “was asked about all of his interactions with Trump on this subject matter. These did not include another call on the 7th.”

The lawyer also pushed back on a reported assertion by Taylor that “Sondland told me on June 28 that he did not wish to include most of the regular interagency participants in a call planned with President Zelenskyy. . . . Sondland said that he wanted to make sure that no one was transcribing or monitoring as they added President Zelenskyy to the call.”

Luskin said that Sondland “believes that it was monitored routinely and that an appropriate file memo was prepared. He never suggested otherwise.”

Both Sondland and Taylor were interviewed by House members as part of a Democratic impeachment inquiry into President TrumpDonald John TrumpSchedule for additional depositions in impeachment inquiry revealed Sondland attorney disputes key portions of Taylor testimony: report Impeachment inquiry might be public by mid-November: report MORE over his dealings with Ukraine. 

Democrats see Taylor’s testimony, in which he said he understood the administration to be pushing for a quid pro quo as particularly damaging for Trump. Trump has insisted there was not a quid pro quo or other wrongdoing in his Ukraine dealings. 

 

Source Article from https://thehill.com/homenews/house/467223-sondland-attorney-disputes-key-portions-of-taylor-testimony-report

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Fast-moving wildfire ignites in Northern California wine country, prompting evacuations – The Washington Post
Fast-moving wildfire ignites in Northern California wine country, prompting evacuations – The Washington Post

The Kincade Fire had spread to 10,000 acres just over 15 square miles — by early Thursday, with no containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The department issued red flag warnings for the area, a critical alert for when weather conditions such as high heat, low humidity, lightning strikes and strong winds could result in intense and quick-burning fires. The National Weather Service forecast strong 30 to 40 mph gusts of wind, topping out at 60 mph.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/10/24/fast-moving-wildfire-ignites-northern-california-wine-country-prompting-evacuations/

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Evacuations in place as wildfire burns in Sonoma County – KCRA Sacramento
Evacuations in place as wildfire burns in Sonoma County – KCRA Sacramento

A 10,000 acre fast-moving wildfire has prompted evacuations in Sonoma County, Cal Fire said Thursday.

The Kincade Fire currently has no containment, officials said. About 300 residents are affected by the mandatory evacuation orders.

Evacuation orders are in place for Geysers Road, Cloverdale Geysers Road, Red Winery Road, Alexander Mountain Road, Pine Flat Road and all roads east of Highway 128 to Geyserville, Cal Fire said.

“Leave immediately if you are in or near these roads,” the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said.

The fire is burning in the Geyers area, near John Kincade Road. AlertWildfire cameras captured the flames around 9:30 p.m.

An evacuation warning is in place for northern Healdsburg and Geyserville, and residents are encouraged to be prepared to evacuate.

An evacuation center has been set up at Windsor High School, located at 8695 Windsor Road, and at Healdsburg Community Center, located at 1557 Healdsburg Avenue.

No other details were released.

Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.

Source Article from https://www.kcra.com/article/wildfire-kincade-fire-sonoma-county-california/29570057

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