The president will depart on Air Force One for L.A. this afternoon for a brief trip that may or may not include his old foe, Gov. Gavin Newsom.

As Los Angeles is gripped by wildfires that resemble a Hollywood disaster movie, the city's vast entertainment industry is already counting the costs of yet another drastic setback that its workers can ill-afford.

Firefighters have slowed the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles where dangerous winds gained strength again.