News Wrap: Canyon Fire, DOJ Subpoena, IRS Commissioner, Apollo 13 Astronaut Death

Canyon Fire Near Los Angeles

• 🔥 Thousands of residents were forced to flee the Canyon Fire in the mountains north of Los Angeles, near Santa Clarita and the Las Padres National Forest.
• 🚒 The fire, which erupted yesterday, covered eight square miles and was 25% contained as of this morning, with 14,000 people under evacuation warnings.
• ⚠️ Some residents reported the flames coming within 300 feet of their homes.
• 🌲 California's largest fire, the Gifford Fire, has spread to 155 square miles in the state's center, injuring at least four people.

DOJ Subpoena and IRS Commissioner Change

• ⚖️ The Justice Department subpoenaed New York Attorney General Letitia James as investigators examine potential violations of President Trump's civil rights related to lawsuits.
• 🏛️ Her office stated that any weaponization of the Justice Department should disturb every American, calling it an instance of investigating perceived enemies.
• ❌ President Trump is removing IRS Commissioner Billy Long after less than two months on the job, despite his confirmation in June.
• 📉 The former congressman had sponsored legislation aimed at eliminating the IRS, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner.

International and Economic News

• 🕊️ President Trump hosted leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for a peace summit aimed at creating a transit corridor connecting an autonomous region within Armenia.
• 🤝 The countries also signed separate economic deals with the U.S. to boost cooperation in energy and technology.
• 🌊 In China, state media reported that floods and landslides in the northwestern province killed at least 10 people, with 33 missing.
• 🏘️ Heavy rains caused homes to collapse and strained over 4000 people, prompting a rescue operation and evacuations.

Space and Science Discoveries

• 🔭 The Hubble Space Telescope captured the sharpest image yet of an interstellar comet traveling at 130 miles per hour.
• ☄️ Astronomers estimate the comet's icy core is about 3.5 miles across, and it poses no threat to Earth.
• 🧑‍🚀 Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell has died at the age of 97 in Lake Forest, Illinois.
• 🚀 Lovell, who famously commanded the mission where a near catastrophe was turned into a triumph, was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1995.