Overview

• Vice President Kamala Harris canceled her planned trip to Singapore, Bahrain, and Germany to focus on wildfire relief efforts in California.
• The decision follows President Joe Biden's cancellation of his trip to Italy, where he was scheduled to meet with Pope Francis and other leaders.
• The Los Angeles wildfires have claimed five lives, forced the evacuation of 180,000 residents, and burned 31,000 acres so far.
• President Biden declared a major disaster in California and announced that the federal government will fully cover disaster response costs for the next 180 days.
• Harris, a California native, emphasized the increasing year-round threat of wildfires during a briefing with Biden and state leaders.