Smoke from bushfires blankets Australia's capital, Canberra, in a haze with hazardous air quality. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen/The SMHFairfax Media via Getty Images
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted his thanks to President Trump for his "strong messages of sympathy, support and friendship for Australia during our terrible bushfire season," after the president phoned him to offer help.
What's happening: Morrison also thanked the American people "for their many messages of support." "Australia and the US are great mates," he added Tuesday afternoon local time. As cooler, wetter conditions offered a respite to firefighters in southeast Australia, Victoria's Premier Dan Andrews posted a Facebook tribute welcoming American firefighters to the region.
A New South Wales firefighter attempts to put out a smoldering pile of railway sleepers, which measured over 600 degrees on a thermal temperature gauge on Monday — two days after the fire front had passed through on in Wingello. Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty ImagesFirefighters tackle a wildfire in thick smoke in the town of Moruya, south of Batemans Bay, New South Wales. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty ImagesPeople cool down at Lake Jindabyne in NSW. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty ImagesKangaroos in Snowy Valley on the outskirts of Cooma, NSW. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty ImagesChildren play at the showgrounds in the southern New South Wales town of Bega where they are camping after being evacuated from nearby sites affected by bushfires. Photo: Sean Davey/AFP via Getty ImagesA water bombing helicoptor flies over the remains of a cafe destroyed by bushfires in the town of Bilpin, west of Sydney. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty ImagesBurned bushland at Cunningham's Gap, some 70 miles southwest of Brisbane in the state of Queensland. Photo: Jo McGee
Firefighters in the Adelaide Hills, in the state of South Australia, working with locals to extinguishi a hay bales blaze and assisting with fire protection efforts. Photo: Eden Hills Country Fire Service/Facebook
Helicopters dump water on bushfires as they approach homes located on the outskirts of the town of Bargo in New South Wales. Photo: David Gray/Getty ImagesThe sky is filled with smoke and ash in Shoalhaven Heads in NSW. Photo: Cassie Spencer/Getty ImagesA firefighter at a property in Balmoral, southwest of Sydney, New South Wales. Many of those fighting the fires are volunteers. Photo: Peter ParksARKS/AFP via Getty ImagesFirefighters tend to burning property in Bargo, southwest of Sydney. NSW Volunteer Fire Fighters Association's president told the Sydney Morning Herald the state and federal governments are ignoring their pleas for help with firefighting-related expenses. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty ImagesA firefighter at a wildfire on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Photo: David Gray/Getty ImagesThick smoke blankets Sydney Harbour. Photo: James D. Morgan/Getty Images A farmer uses a hose to put out a fire burning in his paddock and near homes on the outskirts of Bilpin. Photo: David Gray/Getty ImagesThe remains of a home destroyed by bushfire on the outskirts of the town of Bargo, southwest of Sydney. Photo: David Gray/Getty ImagesAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits fire evacuees in Picton, NSW, after cutting short his Hawaii trip following the deaths of two volunteer in the state in December. He apologized for causing upset by being on vacation during the crisis. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty ImagesDemonstrators hold up placards during a climate protest rally in Sydney. Photo: Wendell Teodoro/Zeduce/AFP via Getty ImagesBurned trees after a bushfire in the Blue Mountains. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty ImagesThick smoke envelopes Sydney Harbour Bridge. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty ImagesFire engulfs a property in Balmoral, southwest of Sydney. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty ImagesA helicopter drops fire retardant to protect a property in Balmoral. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
Scott Atlas, a controversial member of the White House coronavirus task force, handed in his resignation on Monday, according to three administration officials who discussed Atlas' resignation with Axios.
Why it matters: President Trump brought in Atlas as a counterpoint to NIAID director Anthony Fauci, whose warnings about the pandemic were dismissed by the Trump administration. With Trump now fixated on election fraud conspiracy theories, Atlas' detail comes to a natural end.
The funeral ceremony in Tehran. Photo: Iranian Defense Ministry via Getty
Iranian leaders are weighing their response to the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, known as the father of Iran’s military nuclear program, who was given a state funeral Monday in Tehran.
The big picture: Iran has accused Israel of carrying out Friday’s attack, but senior leaders have suggested that they’ll choose patience over an immediate escalation that could play into the hands of the Israelis and the outgoing Trump administration.