QUOTE OF THE DAY

'Thank you, sir, for that stark warning. But I've got to say, delivering it in your trademark low-power-mode whisper-ramble robbed it of a certain essential urgency.'

"Late Show" host Stephen Colbert joking about President Joe Biden's farewell address in which he warned of a looming oligarchy threatening democracy

TODAY'S BIG QUESTION

Will auto safety be diminished under Trump?

With the second iteration of the Trump administration only days away, some are wondering how the incoming president's likely lackadaisical stance on regulations will affect the U.S. And questions about auto safety are high on the list.

What did the commentators say?
Many of the concerns revolve around self-driving cars, such as those manufactured by Tesla. There are currently "no federal regulations that specifically govern autonomous vehicles, and any regulation is left to states," though federal guidelines have been proposed, said The Associated Press.

It's not only cars, as some are worried about trucking regulations under the new administration. Not only did Trump "promise to reduce regulation, but incoming Vice President J.D. Vance, while in the U.S. Senate, co-sponsored legislation to block the proposal requiring truckers to use speed limiters," said the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The "last time the Trump administration was in the White House, they did not advance safety regulations," Harry Adler, a principal at the Institute for Safer Trucking, said to the Post-Gazette. Autonomous vehicle executives, though, are "excited by the prospect of Republicans using their new power to set standards that will help them expand from a handful of cities to communities across the nation," said The Washington Post.

There are also hopes by advocacy groups that Trump will help them slash drunk driving fatalities. He "could be motivated by his personal approach to alcohol," as he does not drink due to his brother's alcohol-related death, said The Detroit News.

What next?
Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Transportation, Sean Duffy, has said he intends to allow a federal probe into Tesla's autonomous driving system. He additionally "committed to prioritizing safety on the roadways and in the air" during his confirmation hearings, said NPR. Duffy appears likely to be confirmed by the Senate, and the automotive industry is "bracing for seismic policy change," said Automotive World.

Statistic of the day

4.8 trillion: The number of global music streams in 2024, according to a new year-end report from analytics company Luminate. This is a 14% increase from 2023, marking a new single-year record. The top artist, Taylor Swift, was streamed 12.8 billion times, followed by Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande.

the explainer

The worst wildfires in California history

As the Los Angeles County wildfires continue to burn, 27 people have died, more than 12,300 structures across Los Angeles have been destroyed, and "entire communities" have been reduced to "piles of ash," said USA Today. A "preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss" is "between $135 billion and $150 billion," said AccuWeather. But while this month's fires rank as the most destructive in L.A. history, they have not been as damaging as others in the Golden State.

Tubbs Fire (2017)
Impacting parts of Lake, Napa and Sonoma Counties, this fire is remembered for its speed. The blaze "vaulted the seemingly insurmountable barrier of Highway 101 — six lanes, plus a median and shoulders — before it laid waste" to the area in just four hours, said The Press Democrat.

In one day, the wildfire caused 22 deaths and destroyed 5,600 structures, including 3,000 homes. The cause was a "private electrical system adjacent to a residential structure," said NBC News.

Camp Fire (2018)
This fire ranks as the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in California history. It killed 85 people and burned over 150,000 acres in northern Butte County.

In the town of Paradise, residents were "hit from three sides by massive walls of fire," said Butte County officials. The inferno was "caused by the failure of a worn and neglected piece of Pacific Gas & Electric equipment on a transmission tower," said The Associated Press.

August Complex Fire (2020)
Started by lightning strikes in the forests of Northern California, this fire is the largest in California history by area. Burning 935 structures, it was considered a gigafire, a blaze that burns at least 1 million acres.

California's wildfires have "increased in size eightfold since the 1970s," said CNN. And the "annual area burned by fires has increased by nearly 500%."

Good day 🎭

… for Jon Hamm. The actor of "Mad Men" fame has been named the 2025 Man of the Year by Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the world's third-oldest still-operating theater group. Hamm will receive his Pudding Pot award during The Pudding's annual celebratory roast and parade.

Bad day 🎗️

… for American women. While the American Cancer Society's annual survey has found that mortality from the disease has rapidly declined, for "reasons little understood, more young and middle-aged women are getting the disease," said NPR. Cancer rates among women under age 50 are 82% higher than men their age in 2021. Women ages 50 to 64 are also getting cancer at higher rates than men.

Puzzles

Daily crossword

Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes sudoku and codewords

Play here

The Week recommends

One great cookbook: 'A Girl and Her Greens'

The goal of the best kind of vegetable cooking is to manipulate the produce so it tastes better while also tasting entirely of itself. In April Bloomfield's 2015 book, "A Girl and Her Greens," the chef's recipes leap through the year's seasons leaving behind a trail of vegetable savvy.

Prime produce example
In the book's summer chapter, there's a recipe for Stewed Zucchini with Basil modeled after a dish Bloomfield had in Rome: zucchini cut into chunks and cooked until some of the pieces collapse in a lush sauce. As she walks readers through it, they receive a priceless lesson in attentive cooking.

You learn to watch how the garlic browns in the olive oil and to remove it if it sneaks past golden. You learn to add salt during multiple stages of the cooking. And you learn when to waft in the basil leaves and at which stage to wallop the zucchini with a spoon until it acquiesces.

Lasting kitchen influence
The same coaxing elements present in the zucchini appear in different manners across the cookbook. An onslaught of heavy cream in creamed spinach is counterpoised by shallot rings and white wine. Roasted onions are dribbled with pesto made with sage rather than basil. Swiss chard is boiled, then sautéed with a mixture of garlic, red onion and marjoram.

Bloomfield has always been an underrated chef. And it's good to have "A Girl and Her Greens" in home kitchens, evidencing how instructive and transformative her cooking is.

Poll watch

Among foreign nations, India has the highest opinion of Trump's second presidency, according to a survey from the European Council on Foreign Relations. The poll of over 28,000 people across 24 countries found that 82% of Indians think Trump's presidency will be a good thing for world peace.

INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'It's time to stop fetishizing capitalism'
Marlene Engelhorn at Time
Capitalism is a "fetish," says Marlene Englehorn," meaning the "actual definition of the word: an obsessive preoccupation or attachment; a fixation." Capitalism's "power has been blown out of proportion precisely through the obsession, devotion and fixation through which it's regarded." But "any cries for change to the system, even just for the tiniest wealth tax, remain frowned upon by those who benefit the most from capitalism." For "all those capitalism fetishists out there: Get a harness."

'I knew one day I would have to watch powerful men burn the world down. I just didn't expect them to be such losers.'
Rebecca Shaw at The Guardian
Everything "seems to be going down the tubes," says Rebecca Shaw. Alongside "those holding political office, tech gragillionnaires" like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are "so incredibly, painfully cringe." Many "knew that one day we might have to watch as capitalism, greed and bigotry led to a world where powerful men, deserving or not, would burn it all down," but "I didn't expect, and don't think I could have foreseen, is how incredibly cringe it would all be."

'What Trump should do about Greenland'
Dov S. Zakheim at The Hill
An "invasion of Greenland is not necessarily on the cards," but Donald Trump's "concern about the Far North is a legitimate one; he's right to seek a more robust defense against potential Chinese or Russian operations," says Dov S. Zakheim. There's "much that Denmark and other NATO allies can do" to "bolster the alliance's defenses in Greenland." But the "issue need not be one that prompts Washington to even contemplate taking military action."

WORD OF THE DAY

frigidarium

The Latin name of the "most spectacular room" — the cold room — in the enormous Roman bathhouse just discovered by archaeologists in Pompeii. Part of a luxurious private residence, the bathhouse, with frescoed walls and a plunge pool, is a "once-in-a-century discovery," said the BBC.

DNC chair race: What's at stake for Democrats?