Federal officials on Wednesday announced the arrest of a man accused of deliberately sparking the deadly blaze that devastated Pacific Palisades, California, in January. The Justice Department and the Los Angeles Police Department said at a press conference that 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht of Melbourne, Florida, started the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Day. The Lachman Fire eventually became the Palisades Fire after it was rekindled by severe winds a week later. In the federal criminal complaint, Rinderknecht is charged with maliciously starting the fire that eventually “burned down the Palisades,” according to Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. If convicted on that charge, Rinderknecht faces up to 20 years in prison. However, Essayli stated that authorities have not yet determined all the charges that Rinderknecht will face, and more charges will likely be presented to a federal grand jury. Essayli said that Rinderknecht, an Uber driver, was in Pacific Palisades late on New Year’s Eve after working throughout the evening. Rinderknecht allegedly got out of his car and walked up a trail to a nearby hilltop, where he recorded videos and listened to a rap song. The song was accompanied by a music video that showed objects being set on fire, according to Essayli. “Twelve minutes into the new year, environmental sensing platforms indicated that a fire had started. It took the defendant several tries to contact 911 to report the fire,” Essayli said. “He fled the scene in his car, but turned around after passing fire engines driving in the opposite direction to fight the fire. While the Lachman Fire burned, the defendant walked up the same trail from earlier that night to watch the fire and firefighters, using his iPhone to take short videos of the scene.” The U.S. attorney added that while firefighters successfully extinguished the blaze, the fire continued to smolder underground “within the root structure of the dense vegetation” and was rekindled by heavy winds on January 7, “causing what became known as the Palisades Fire.” Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout Rinderknecht was questioned by law enforcement on January 24 and is accused of lying to investigators about where he was when he first saw the Lachman Fire. Rinderknecht claimed that he was near the bottom of the hiking trail, but geo-location data from his 911 call revealed that he was standing “above the fire in a clearing nearly 30 feet from the blaze as it rapidly grew,” Essayli said. Some of Rinderknecht’s passengers on New Year’s Eve told investigators that the suspect appeared agitated before he dropped them off. Essayli also pointed to images the suspect allegedly generated on the artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT that showed a burning city. The suspect allegedly generated the image in the months leading up to the fire. Rinderknecht was arrested in Florida, where he was most recently living, but he was living in Pacific Palisades at the time of the fire. Essayli stated that Rinderknecht has no criminal history, and authorities did not disclose their belief regarding Rinderknecht’s motive, adding that it would be addressed in court. Rinderknecht is scheduled to appear in the U.S. District Court in Orlando at 1:30 ET on Wednesday. Today we are announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht on a criminal complaint charging him with maliciously starting what became the Palisades Fire in January. ⁰The complaint alleges that Rinderknecht’s started a fire in Pacific Palisades on New Year’s Day –… pic.twitter.com/UzrFa0Lmrz — Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) October 8, 2025 The Palisades Fire ripped through the Los Angeles neighborhood on January 7, killing 12 people and destroying thousands of homes. It was one of multiple devastating fires that ripped through Los Angeles County in January. The Eaton Fire, about 15 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles in Altadena, was the most destructive blaze, killing 19 people and destroying more than 9,000 buildings. The cause of the Eaton Fire is still being investigated.

Former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), fresh off her Senate loss to Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), raised some eyebrows with a contentious interview that went viral on Tuesday despite the fact that it first aired in mid-September. Porter, currently vying for the governorship of California, sat down with CBS reporter Julie Watts to discuss several key issues — and Porter became progressively agitated as Watts dared to ask pointed questions and follow-ups, her reaction suggesting that she was not accustomed to reporters asking her real questions. WATCH: When Katie Porter is our next governor here in CA, it will make us long for the days of the evil Gavin Newsom. She’s a lot like him, only dumber. How are Democrats not enraged that she overtly states here that she plans to make sure she runs in the general against a Republican?! pic.twitter.com/oc9hmVQ5kC — John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) September 19, 2025 The first question was a gimme, as Watts asked Porter what she thought of current Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D-CA) plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts, and Porter said she was in favor of that. But then Watts asked Porter what her plan was to win over some of the 40% of voters who had voted for President Donald Trump in 2024. California’s gubernatorial race utilizes a “Top-Two” primary system, in which the two candidates with the highest vote totals — regardless of party affiliation — advance to the general election. Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout “What do you say to the 40% of California voters who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?” Watts asked. Porter appeared genuinely taken aback by the question: “How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?” “Well, unless you think you’re going to get 60% of the vote. You think you’ll get 60%? Everybody who did not vote for Trump will vote for you?” Watts clarified. “That’s what you’re saying?” “In a general election, yes,” Porter insisted. “If it is me versus a Republican, I think that I will win the people who did not vote for Trump.” “What if it’s you versus another Democrat?” Watts asked. “I don’t intend that to be the case,” Porter said. A longer clip from the interview showed what happened when Watts continued to press Porter on the issue … WATCH: Democrats are so used to media being their propagandists that they totally lose it when asked basic questions. Here’s California’s Katie Porter losing it during an interview. pic.twitter.com/relSS2Ajpa — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 8, 2025 “So how do you intend that not to be the case? Do you — are you going to ask them not to run?” Watts asked, referencing other Democrats in the race. “No, I’m saying I’m going to build the support, I have the support already in terms of name recognition, and so I’m going to do the very best I can to make sure that we get through this primary in a really strong position,” Porter said. “But let me be clear with you: I represented Orange County. I represented a purple area. I have stood on my own two feet and won Republican votes before. And that’s not something that every candidate in this race can say.” She went on to say that other candidates from deep blue areas might not have the same ability to win Republican votes — but Watts kept pressing. “But you just said you don’t need those Trump voters,” she said. “But you asked me if I needed them to win,” Porter pointed out. “So you don’t —” Watts pushed back. Porter put up a hand to stop Watts and complained, “I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative. What is your question?” “The question is the same thing I asked everybody,” Watts said, showing Porter her notes and adding, “Every other candidate has answered this question; it’s not argumentative. The question is, ‘What do you say to the 40% of voters who voted for Trump?’” “Oh, I’m happy to say that,” Porter said. “It’s the ‘do you need them to win’ part that I don’t understand. And I’m happy to answer the question — ask the question as you have it written, and I’ll answer it.” “And we’ve also asked the other candidates, do you think you need any of those 40% of California voters to win, and you’re saying no, you don’t,” Watts continued. “No, I’m saying I’m going to try to win every vote I can,” Porter protested, visibly frustrated. “And what I’m saying to you is that —” “Well, to those voters, okay, so you —” Watts attempted one more time. “I don’t want to keep doing this. I’m going to call it,” Porter abruptly ended the interview and began fussing with her microphone. “You’re not going to do the interview?” Watts asked, clearly baffled by Porter’s behavior. “Nope, not like this I’m not,” Porter declared. “Not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask.” Watts protested, “Every other candidate has answered follow-ups.” “I don’t care!” Porter clapped her hands together once to emphasize her point. “I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation in which you ask me about every issue on this list. And if every question, you’re going to make up a follow-up question, then we’re never going to get there … I have never had to do this before, ever!”  

We love Dolly Parton. Enough said, right? She’s one of the most decorated country music artists of all time. She’s also a very savvy businesswoman who works hard. Sometimes all that work can catch up to a girl, and Dolly’s experienced some health issues lately. Her sister, Freida Parton, scared the heck out of fans with cryptic posts asking for prayers on October 7. Dolly Parton took to Instagram the following day to let fans know she’s OK. She posted a video looking just as beautiful as ever captioned, “I ain’t dead yet!” “Well, today’s October 8th, and obviously, I’m here,” Dolly said. Dolly Parton explained that she’s filming some commercials for the Grand Ole Opry and wanted to let fans know the rumors about her health are a bit out of control. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dolly Parton (@dollyparton) Dolly Parton Appreciates Her Fans’ Concerns Dolly let fans know she loves the prayers, but she’s not gravely ill. “Do I look sick to you? I’m working hard here! Anyway, I wanted to put everybody’s mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate,” she said. “I appreciate your prayers, ’cause I’m a person of faith. I can always use the prayers for anything and everything. But I want you to know that I’m okay.” She explained that when her husband, Carl Dean, died, Dolly Parton pushed her own health to the side. But now her doctors want to focus on getting her squared away. “Nothing major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I’m kind of having a few treatments here and there, but I wanted you to know that I’m not dying,” Dolly confirmed. Hearing that Dolly Parton’s health isn’t in rapid decline made her fans feel so much better. “The actual best,” one wrote. “We love you, Dolly!” “Don’t scare us all, Dolly. This year is rough enough! You are a treasure,” another shared. This comment might just be our favorite. “The Dolly Momma has spoken!!! Rest up sweet Dolly,” a fan wrote. “Lord knows you deserve a little downtime!” We love you, Dolly. Take care of yourself, and when you’re ready to perform, we’ll be there! This story’s featured image is by Theo Wargo/Getty Images The post Dolly Parton Finally Breaks Silence About Her Health appeared first on InspireMore.

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