5 things to know for Jan. 28: Transgender troops, Immigration raids, Public health, California wildfires, DeepSeek

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Natural disasters like wildfires, floods and hurricanes can have devastating financial consequences for homeowners, yet many are still expected to pay their mortgages — even if their homes are uninhabitable. These tips and resources may help if you find yourself in that daunting situation. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. President Donald Trump on Monday signed four executive orders that will reshape the military, including banning transgender troops from serving in the US armed forces; gutting the military’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and reinstating service members who were discharged for refusing to get vaccinated from Covid-19. The order outlines new military standards regarding gender pronouns and states that mental and physical readiness requires transgender service members to be excluded from the US armed forces. On his first day as defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, who has long been in favor of these changes, told reporters that he would ensure these “orders are complied with rapidly and quickly.” A wave of planned immigration raids across the US has resulted in more than 2,000 arrests in two days and will continue across the Southeast US about two to three times a week, a source told CNN. Various US agencies have been given permission to apprehend immigrants under Customs and Border Protection’s immigration authority. At least two agencies assisting US immigration officials with the raids have told personnel to ensure their clothing clearly depicts their respective agency in case they are filmed by members of the media. While it is a common safety practice for agents conducting arrests to wear insignias identifying themselves as law enforcement, even agents on the perimeter of operations conducted across the nation have been specifically instructed by their leadership to wear raid jackets and be camera-ready, sources said. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — the vaccine skeptic President Donald Trump has nominated to serve as Health and Human Services secretary — will face a pair of high-profile confirmation hearings this week. Despite the president’s backing, some GOP senators want public commitments from RFK Jr. on abortion and vaccines before deciding whether to support him. A new poll shows that less than half of US adults trust Trump and Kennedy to make the right recommendations on health issues, but views are split heavily along partisan lines — particularly regarding attitudes on vaccines. Kennedy’s views on vaccines have raised alarm among public health experts, including his promotion of the false claim that vaccines cause autism in children. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has updated the death toll from this month’s destructive Southern California wildfires to 29. As of late Monday, there have been 17 deaths related to the Eaton fire and 12 deaths related to the Palisades fire. This comes as a new lawsuit alleges the Eaton fire in Altadena, California, was started by an electrical spark from a utility transmission tower. Video obtained by the law firm representing the fire victim shows what they say is the start of the blaze. The official cause of both fires in Los Angeles County remains under investigation.