First Thing: Death toll expected to rise in Los Angeles as another fire erupts

At least 20 arrests have been made over looting, with Santa Monica declaring a curfew. Plus, the arguments for and against banning TikTok

Good morning.

Los Angeles officials expect the death toll from the wildfires in the county to continue to rise, as workers comb through incinerated neighborhoods with cadaver dogs.

Nearly 180,000 people have been evacuated and at least 10 have been killed in the fast-moving fires that have torn through the county, propelled by hurricane-force winds. The burnt areas now cover more than 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres), with about 10,000 structures charred by the two biggest blazes. Meanwhile, Santa Monica declared a curfew because of looting, officials said, with at least 20 arrests made.

After briefly easing on Thursday, the gales were expected to intensify again in the evening and into Friday. Even as officials expressed cautious optimism that the Sunset fire in the Hollywood Hills was now under control, a new fire, the Kenneth fire, erupted on Thursday afternoon in the San Fernando valley, triggering evacuation orders.

How big are the fires? The Palisades fire is 8,085 hectares and just 6% contained; Eaton is 5,540 hectares and not contained at all; Kenneth is 405 hectares and 35% contained; Hurst, 312 hectares and 37%; Lidia, 141 hectares and 60%.

Donald Trump faces sentencing in hush-money case

Donald Trump will be sentenced on Friday in his New York hush-money case. He is the first US president – former or sitting – to have faced a criminal trial, let alone a conviction and sentencing.

Despite the unprecedented guilty verdict, Trump appears unlikely to face the force of the law. The judge presiding over his case, Juan Merchan, has strongly hinted that Trump will not be punished for committing 34 felony counts in an effort to influence the 2016 election.

Why is he unlikely to be jailed or fined? In July, a US supreme court ruling granted presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. Merchan said that in weighing all the factors and concerns about presidential immunity, a sentence of “unconditional discharge appears to be the most viable solution”. That means that apart from being named a convicted felon, Trump won’t face any penalty.

US supreme court to hear arguments to determine TikTok’s fate

The US supreme court will on Friday consider oral arguments in the battle over whether to ban TikTok, after a federal law to do so passed overwhelmingly in the Senate and House last April.

The ban is scheduled to go into effect on 19 January, unless TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, sells it to a non-Chinese firm, which it is refusing to do. TikTok and ByteDance took the case to the supreme court after a lower court upheld the government ban.

The court told both sides to be prepared to argue whether the ban violates the first amendment. While those backing the ban argue that TikTok could be manipulated by China’s Communist party, the company and others opposed to its prohibition say that stopping tens of milllions of Americans from accessing the app would violate their free speech.

Who backs the ban and who’s against it? A bipartisan group of Congress members support the ban, while influencers and civil liberties groups oppose it.

In other news …

The gunman involved in the 2016 “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory attack on a Washington DC pizzeria has been fatally shot by police in North Carolina during a traffic stop.

The UK’s first legal drug consumption room will open in Glasgow on Monday, allowing addicts to use drugs in a safer environment under the supervision of health professionals.

Joe Biden has hailed Jimmy Carter’s strength of character at his state funeral,as the president’s lying in state ends.

Stat of the day: World’s richest 1% have already used up their 2025 carbon budget

Only 10 days into the year, the world’s richest 1% – those earning above $140,000 a year – have already used up their carbon budget for 2025, underscoring the unequal impacts individuals have on the planet. In contrast, it would take someone from the world’s poorest 50% three years to create the same amount of pollution.

Don’t miss this: Jesse Eisenberg on his Holocaust comedy

Jesse Eisenberg’s new film A Real Pain, a comedy which was inspired by seeing an ad for “Auschwitz tours (with lunch)”, features two cousins who travel to Poland to explore their Jewish heritage. The Guardian’s film editor, Catherine Shoard, speaks to Eisenberg and his co-star Kieran Culkin about the movie’s inspiration, identity – and why, while they back younger people opening up about their wellbeing struggles, they won’t be doing so themselves, thank you very much.

Climate check: Earth passed 1.5C of heating for first time in 2024

The climate emergency pushed global heating beyond the internationally agreed 1.5C target for the first time last year. Global heating is supercharging extreme weather events such as the wildfires raging in southern California, as well as big storms, hurricanes, droughts, and heatwaves. Last year was the hottest on record, with an average temperature 1.6C above preindustrial levels, EU data shows.

Last Thing: Birkenstock sues ‘copycat’ rivals, claiming its sandals are applied art

Birkenstocks have experienced a boom in popularity recently, shedding their reputation as footwear for unfashionable hippies to even clinch a starring role in the Barbie movie. Now, the German company is suing three rivals, which is claims are ripping off the cork-soled sandals’ design, and is even bidding to have them recognised as nothing less than a work of art. In fact, the case of the ergonomic sandal has reached Germany’s highest court.

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