Look Around.

Mapping the plasma proteome.

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“(News Items) is simply the best news digest out there.” — Joe Klein.

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1. Currently Active Incidents:

Palisades Fire: 23,713 acres…..13% contained.

Eaton Fire: 14,117 acres…………27% contained.

Hurst Fire: 799 acres……………….89% contained.

(Source: fire.ca.gov)

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2. Another round of destructive winds expected to sweep through Los Angeles late Monday threatened the progress firefighters have made against the devastating wildfires in the area. Forecasters have issued a rare fire danger alert, known as a “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning, from Monday night through Wednesday morning. That is the same level of alert they issued last week as strong wind gusts fueled the fires that have become some of the most destructive and deadliest in California’s history. (Source: nytimes.com)

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3. At the end of the Cold War, global powers reached the consensus that the world would be better off with fewer nuclear weapons. That era is now over. Treaties are collapsing, some nuclear powers are strengthening their arsenals, the risk is growing that nuclear weapons will spread more widely and the use of tactical nuclear weapons to gain battlefield advantage is no longer unimaginable. (Source: wsj.com)

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4. China is building a new class of mobile piers, satellite images reveal, which could bolster its ability to land an invading force in Taiwan, a major step in its preparations for a potential future attack. Satellite images captured on Friday and reviewed by the Financial Times show six barge-like vessels equipped with extendable ramps under construction at China’s state-owned Guangzhou Shipyard. The vessels could help the People’s Liberation Army transport heavy military equipment such as tanks and artillery across mudflats or seawalls on to firm ground. The construction of the vessels, first reported by defence website Naval News, comes as the PLA is trying to close large gaps in the capabilities needed to launch an attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory and has threatened to annex by force if Taipei resists unification indefinitely. (Source: ft.com)