Biden and Harris convene for wildfire briefing

President Joe Biden hosted a briefing on the wildfires in the Oval Office on Friday. Vice President Kamala Harris was also there, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass appeared virtually. Biden described the fires as the “worst in California history” and “we still got a long way to go.” Although progress has been made, the winds that have fanned the flames could remain a threat for days. Harris said people responding to the fires are showing “the best of the American spirit.” “There are moments where we should find optimism in the heroism of people, who are taking in strangers, taking in friends,” she said. During the Oval Office briefing, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he expects firefighters to “make a lot of progress” on Friday. Local leaders have faced sharp criticism for their handling of the fires, some of it coming from right-wing sources. Newsom said, “We’ve got to deal with this misinformation.” “People want to divide this country and we’re going to have to address this as well,” he added.