It was a relatively quiet wildfire season in the U.S. But there is no summer vacation for the Tallac Hotshots, a federal firefighting crew based near Lake Tahoe in California.
The crew members spent early July in triple-digit heat in Arizona, fighting a wildfire for 14 straight days. From there they traveled to a thickly wooded evergreen forest in Oregon; then to the dense, steep terrain of Klamath National Forest in California; and then to remote wilderness in Northern California, where they arrived by helicopter and fought fires in near-freezing temperatures. Their current assignment has taken them to Tennessee, where they will likely spend Thanksgiving Day swinging hand tools to contain blazes fueled by extreme drought.
“It’s really physical, but it’s extremely mental, too,” said Kyle Betty, the superintendent of the Tallac Hotshots, who has been a federal firefighter for 22 years. “The things that you see, the things that you face — every day you have to get up and do it again.”
The “hotshot” moniker, which dates back to the 1940s, describes firefighters who travel to battle the hottest, most treacherous and most technically challenging wildfires. There are around 100 such crews in the U.S., most of which work for the U.S. Forest Service.
During their deployments, the crews often have no access to cellphone signals or showers. They sometimes sleep in the open air. A standard shift is 16 hours, and crews can work three weeks straight without a break.
Base pay for entry-level federal firefighters is $16 an hour — far less than the amount earned by California state fighters, who battle many of the same blazes.
“They are the premier firefighting force in the U.S.,” said Evan Pierce, who helped write a University of Washington report on firefighter salaries. “But they are working longer and in more dangerous conditions — for less pay.”
Instead of fire engines and hoses, hotshot crews use hoes, shovels and chain saws to carve out dirt tracks to choke the progress of a fire.
The Tallac Hotshots crew members hail from across the country. Elsa Gaule, pictured above, is one of the crew’s captains. She spent her earliest years in Alaska in a house without a toilet or running water.
She and the other crew members are drawn to the outdoors and the deep sense of camaraderie. “I’m not a very good sit-at-a-desk person,” Gaule said. “Until my knees and back give out, I’ll continue doing this.”
THE LATEST NEWS
Gaza Hostage Deal
Israel and Hamas agreed to a brief cease-fire in Gaza to allow for the release of 50 hostages captured by Hamas last month. Hamas said Israel would release 150 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The pause would also allow for more deliveries of aid and fuel for civilians in Gaza, according to Qatar, the country leading mediations.
The deal would pause fighting for at least four days, with each side releasing a portion of the captives each day. The hostages would not be released until Thursday at the earliest to allow Israeli judges to review potential legal challenges, according to an Israeli official.
Israel’s acceptance of the terms of the agreement reflects the pressure brought by the Biden administration, Michael D. Shear writes.
Three American hostages — two women and a toddler — will be among those released from Gaza, White House officials said.
Despite the deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the war would continue until Israel achieved “total victory” over Hamas.
More on the War
The U.S. destroyed two facilities used by Iranian proxies in Iraq in a round of airstrikes. Attacks against American forces in the region have risen recently.
Israel released a celebrated Palestinian poet two days after its military detained him as he fled to southern Gaza.
A talent agency stopped representing the actor Susan Sarandon after she said that Jewish people were “getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country, so often subjected to violence.”
A production company dropped the actor Melissa Barrera from the next “Scream” film after she posted that Western media depicted only the Israeli version of events. “Why they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself,” Barrera wrote on Instagram, according to Variety.
Senator Bernie Sanders called for an end to “Israel’s indiscriminate bombing” and warned against a long-term Israeli occupation of Gaza in an opinion piece for The Times.
OpenAI
OpenAI reinstated Sam Altman as its chief executive, less than a week after the company’s board of directors pushed him out.
The company will also overhaul its board, jettisoning several members who had opposed Altman. Only one holdover will remain.
Tensions between Altman and board members were high for more than a year before his ouster. Altman’s grip on the board slipped after more business-minded members left, The Wall Street Journal reports.
More on Tech
The chief executive of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, pleaded guilty to breaking money laundering rules.
The I.R.S. again delayed enforcing a rule that would require users of Venmo and other digital wallets to pay taxes on small transactions.
Ford scaled back production and investment plans at an electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, citing slower-than-expected adoption of the cars in the U.S. and rising labor costs.
Politics
House Speaker Mike Johnson, facing conservative criticism for teaming with Democrats to avert a government shutdown, visited Donald Trump in Florida this week.
Democrats tried to ignore Trump after he lost. Now they hope that more attention on his record will lift President Biden in 2024.
Births rose in states that banned abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, suggesting that the bans blocked up to a quarter of women in those states who wanted an abortion from getting one.
Significant numbers of election officials in the U.S. have retired or quit in response to rising threats and partisan interference in their jobs.
Other Big Stories
A new method for retrieving hearts from organ donors, which involves restarting blood circulation and limiting its flow to the brain, has ignited an ethical debate among doctors.
The fragility of Ukraine’s energy system is compounding concerns that Russia will soon resume attacks on its power grid.
The San Diego Humane Society shipped hundreds of rabbits, guinea pigs and rats to Arizona to be adopted as pets. Instead, they may have been turned into reptile food.
More people are expected to travel this Thanksgiving compared with last year, encouraged by a drop in airfares and gas prices. Severe weather threatens delays and congestion.
The former CNN president Jeff Zucker may soon take control of two prominent right-leaning British media outlets.
Opinions
Rosalynn Carter was formidable in her advocacy of mental health treatment, Jonathan Alter, a Jimmy Carter biographer, writes.
Here are columns by Thomas Friedman on Palestinian citizens of Israel, Ross Douthat on Argentina’s elections, and Bret Stephens on “cease-fire now.”
MORNING READS
Get reading: Here are The New York Times Book Review’s 100 Notable Books of 2023.
Holiday style: A costume designer who oversees wardrobes for Hallmark Christmas movies shares his approach to dressing festively.
“You’re not hungry?” What happens when weight loss drugs collide with Thanksgiving?
Lives Lived: The evangelical pastor Carlton D. Pearson was branded a heretic for declaring that hell does not exist and advocating gay rights. He died at 70.
SPORTS
M.L.B.: The San Diego Padres hired Mike Shildt as their new manager.
College football: Florida State fell out of the top four of the latest playoff rankings, ceding its spot to undefeated Washington.
ARTS AND IDEAS
The emperor’s hats: When the costume designer David Crossman got a job on Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” which is out today, he had to recreate Napoleon Bonaparte’s iconic bicorn hats with a modern twist: Joaquin Phoenix, the film’s star, is vegan and doesn’t wear animal products. As a result, the hats in the film are made from Ugandan tree bark, which Crossman said gives them a texture that synthetic fabrics couldn’t match.
More on culture
The BBC will halt production of the long-running car program “Top Gear” after a presenter was seriously injured in a crash during filming.
“Trump’s the only guy who gets his cardio in by storming out of courtrooms”: Late night hosts discuss Trump’s health report.
THANKSGIVING PREP LIST
Brine your turkey. Bake pies. Wash and dry salad greens. Prep our make-ahead potatoes and the filling of a sweet potato casserole.
THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …
Win Thanksgiving with a side of this creamy baked macaroni and cheese.
Don a sturdy-yet-stylish apron.
Spend less than a $100 on a Wirecutter-approved gift.
GAMES
Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were advantage and advantaged.
And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku and Connections.
Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow.
P.S. The Times’s Hannah Dreier won a National Press Foundation award for her “heartbreaking and harrowing” investigative reporting on migrant child labor.
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