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In photos: Deadly wildfires rage across Australia

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 Images
Firefighters tackle a wildfire in thick smoke in the town of Moruya, south of Batemans Bay, New South Wales. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
People cool down at Lake Jindabyne in NSW. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Kangaroos in Snowy Valley on the outskirts of Cooma, NSW. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Children 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 Images
A 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 Images
Burned 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 Images
The sky is filled with smoke and ash in Shoalhaven Heads in NSW. Photo: Cassie Spencer/Getty Images
A 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 Images
Firefighters 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 Images
A firefighter at a wildfire on the outskirts of the town of Bilpin in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Photo: David Gray/Getty Images
Thick 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 Images
The remains of a home destroyed by bushfire on the outskirts of the town of Bargo, southwest of Sydney. Photo: David Gray/Getty Images
Australian 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 Images
Demonstrators hold up placards during a climate protest rally in Sydney. Photo: Wendell Teodoro/Zeduce/AFP via Getty Images
Burned trees after a bushfire in the Blue Mountains. Photo: Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images
Thick smoke envelopes Sydney Harbour Bridge. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty Images
Fire engulfs a property in Balmoral, southwest of Sydney. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
A helicopter drops fire retardant to protect a property in Balmoral. Photo: Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images
A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.
A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.
A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.
A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Go deeper:

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details on the fires and more images.

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National Guard chief: Pentagon's "unusual" Jan. 6 restrictions led to 3-hour delay

William Walker, commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, testified Wednesday that a three-hour delay in approval for National Guard assistance during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack was exacerbated by "unusual" restrictions on his authorities by Pentagon leadership.

Why it matters: Walker testified that if Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy had not prohibited him in a Jan. 5 memo from using the National Guard's "Quick Reaction Force" without authorization, he would have "immediately" sent troops to the Capitol after receiving a "frantic call" from then-Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund.

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