As of January 12th (Japan time), local authorities announced that 16 people have died in the forest fires that have been raging since January 7th near Los Angeles, California. According to Reuters, more than 10,000 buildings, including private homes, have been burned, and evacuation orders have been issued to approximately 153,000 people. The burned area is approximately 150 square kilometers, more than twice the area inside the Yamanote Line in Tokyo. The fires, which broke out in the coastal areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, have spread rapidly. Fire authorities and others are working hard to extinguish the fires. On the 9th, President-elect Trump harshly criticized the two Democrats on his social media, saying, "The fires have been spreading rapidly for three days, with zero containment. I have never seen such a failure. Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles are completely incompetent." Trump also criticized Biden's response to the wildfires on the 10th, saying, "Because the Biden administration is wasting its budget on global warming countermeasures, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is responsible for disaster response, has no budget." California is a stronghold for the Democratic Party, which maintains a strong base. In the presidential election in November 2024, Republican Trump received 38.3% of the vote in California, while Democrat Harris received 58.5%. At the state funeral of former President Carter, held on the 9th in Washington, D.C., Trump and former President Obama, who attended the funeral, were seen talking. As both parties have a history of criticizing and restraining each other, it attracted a lot of attention. Trump spoke to Obama many times, and the two exchanged smiles from time to time. The state funeral was attended by President Biden and Vice President Harris, as well as other former presidents and vice presidents. Trump also shook hands with former Vice President Pence, with whom he is not on good terms. On January 6, 2021, Pence said to Trump, "You should admit defeat" in the US Congress regarding the certification of the 2020 presidential election results, and the relationship between the two men has since deteriorated. At a press conference on the 7th, Trump suggested that the US may take military and economic measures to take possession of the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland. He also revealed that he would demand the return of management rights over the Panama Canal in Latin America. The US considers Greenland to be strategically important, and as it is home to the Pitfik Space Force Base, it is considered a military stronghold. Its rare earth ore reserves are thought to be the largest in the world, and are considered to be on par with those of the US. Greenland has an area about six times that of Japan, a population of about 57,000, and gained autonomy from Denmark in 1979. Trump proposed a plan to buy Greenland in 2019 during his first term in the administration, but was rejected by Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen, who said, "Greenland is not for sale," leading to the abandonment of the acquisition plan and diplomatic friction. At a press conference on the 7th, Trump emphasized, "We need Greenland for national security." Trump's eldest son, Trump Jr., visited Greenland for tourism on the 7th. Jr. posted on social media, "Greenland loves the United States and Trump. The people are great, and the welcome was wonderful." Jr. handed out MAGA (Make America Great Again) hats to local homeless people and other socially vulnerable people, and invited them to a free breakfast. The person who advised Trump on the Greenland acquisition plan during his first term in the administration was Ronald S. Lauder, a former director of the major American cosmetics manufacturer Estee Lauder. Trump and Trump were also classmates at the University of Pennsylvania. Lauder has revealed that he has been discussing Greenland with Trump, and has offered to be "a behind-the-scenes conduit for negotiations with the Danish government." European leaders reacted unanimously to Trump's statement that he would not rule out the use of military force to acquire Greenland. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized the move on the 7th, saying, "The principle of inviolability of borders applies to all countries, no matter how small or powerful." French Foreign Minister Barrot also emphasized on the 7th, "It is natural for the European Union to invite other countries in the world to attack its sovereign borders." In response, Italian Prime Minister Meloni expressed his view on the 9th, regarding Trump's remarks about taking over Greenland, saying, "I don't think the United States will try to forcibly annex any territory in the next few years." ★Guests: Michito Tsuruoka (Associate Professor, Keio University), Tetsuo Kotani (Professor, Meikai University) ★Anchor: Hiroki Sugita (Journalist/former Chief Editorial Officer, Kyodo News) [TV Asahi News] https://news.tv-asahi.co.jp