The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) redeployed Tuesday in accord with the ceasefire deal that ended the war with Hezbollah -- though Lebanon is formally objecting to Israel retaining a "buffer zone."
The post Israel, Lebanon Redeploy Forces as Ceasefire Holds; ‘Buffer Zone’ in Contention appeared first on Breitbart.
On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “All In,” host Chris Hayes stated that “There are reasons, I think, for Hamas to be skeptical” about the second phase of the ceasefire deal and that President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal gives them no
The post MSNBC’s Hayes: Trump Plan Gives Hamas No Incentive to Free Hostages, They Have ‘Reasons’ ‘to Be Skeptical’ of Next Phase appeared first on Breitbart.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called on multiple federal agencies to exempt federal seasonal firefighters from President Donald Trump's executive order implementing a federal hiring freeze.
In a letter to the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and the Office of Management and Budget, Schiff noted that Trump's hiring freeze issued on Jan. 20 had stopped the onboarding of thousands of seasonal firefighters that could harm readiness to respond to wildfires, as Southern California is still grappling with the aftermath of last month's wildfires.
"The memo issued on January 20 states that it does not apply to positions related to public safety, but this onboarding delay is directly contrary to that claim," Schiff said in the letter dated Friday. "Our constituents and communities rely on the hard work and sacrifice of our more than 15,000 seasonal federal wildland firefighters each year."
LOS ANGELES FIRE VICTIMS TO BE BOOTED FROM RED CROSS SHELTER TO MAKE SPACE FOR FILM CREWS, EVENTS
"Seasonal firefighters are essential to the public safety of those who live in fire-prone areas, and I am alarmed that federal firefighters are not party to this exemption," he said. "In light of this, I am requesting information from your agencies explaining why the federal hiring freeze has extended to the hiring of seasonal federal wildland firefighters."
Southern California was devastated last month by two major wildfires and several smaller ones that killed nearly 30 people and destroyed more than 16,000 structures.
Some of the firefighters subject to Trump's order that halted the onboarding of thousands of seasonal federal firefighters were from agencies that helped in the response to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, according to NBC News.
A Bureau of Land Management official told the outlet that despite Trump's order excluding positions related to "public safety" from the hiring freeze, federal firefighters are not exempt.
"In the face of increasingly destructive wildfires, we cannot afford to diminish the tools at our disposal to fight these fires," Schiff said in his letter. "Impeding the onboarding of federal firefighters and encouraging the early retirement of others, threatens California’s firefighting capacity and puts communities at great risk. Californians rely on the support of federal firefighters, and I hope you share my appreciation for the essential role these individuals play in keeping residents safe."
TABLES TURN ON LOS ANGELES ARSON SUSPECT IN CAUGHT-ON-CAM TAKEDOWN: 'WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD, BUDDY'
The senator also requested information on how the hiring freeze impacts federal firefighting applicants, the number of voluntary resignations and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency's role in the hiring, preparedness or readiness of federal wildland firefighters.
Two Southern California theme parks are offering free tickets to firefighters and other first responders as a way to say thank you for their work in combating the deadly and destructive wildfires that ravaged the area for the last month.
Universal Studios Hollywood announced their "First Responder Heroes Ticket Offer" on Jan. 31.
"To thank those who assisted our community, all eligible active U.S.-based first responders can enjoy one complimentary general admission ticket and a 50% savings on up to three additional tickets, now through April 10, 2025," said the park's website.
DISNEY REVEALS FATE OF CLOSED STAR WARS HOTEL
The offer is available to "eligible active U.S. based first responders at either a public or private agency/entity," including paramedics/emergency medical technicians, firefighters, police officers/Sherriff's deputies, and National Guard members, said Universal Studios Hollywood.
"The selfless dedication and tireless resilience exhibited by the first responders in response to combating the L.A. wildfires has been nothing short of extraordinary and we are very grateful to these unsung heroes for their courage during this difficult time," Scott Strobl, the executive vice president and general manager of Universal Studios Hollywood said in a statement.
Strobl continued, "When these first responders are ready for a much needed break, we look forward to welcoming them to our theme park."
Tickets can only be picked up in person and first responders must show a "valid government-issued photo ID and valid employee ID card for qualifying first responder occupation," said Universal Studios Hollywood.
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On Feb. 7, Disneyland announced a similar offer for local first responders, calling it the "Heroes Ticket." The "Heroes Ticket" is two free one-day "park hopper" tickets, which include entry to both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
"We are inspired by the endless dedication and contributions of the heroes who battled the fires that took place in the LA area, and our gratitude for their service is immeasurable," said Ken Potrock, president of Disneyland Resort, in a statement released by Disneyland.
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"We hope these heroes can enjoy a memorable day with a loved one at our parks, because they certainly deserve it," said Potrock.
The Heroes Ticket is available for "eligible California firefighters as well as eligible Los Angeles-based law enforcement personnel and emergency medical technicians who helped combat the LA fires in January 2025," said the release from Disneyland. "The Heroes Ticket will also be available to eligible individuals from other departments that provided mutual aid assistance."
The complementary tickets will be valid Mondays through Thursdays from May 5 through Aug. 7, 2025, said Disneyland, and will require a theme park reservation.
Additional information will be sent to eligible fire, police, and sheriff departments in April, said the press release.
Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump — who have very visibly traded political fire but who also have worked together — meet at the White House on Wednesday as the California governor fights to secure more money for people and businesses devastated following last month's deadly wildfires in metropolitan Los Angeles.
The trip is the first by Newsom to Washington, D.C., since Trump took over in the White House and is part of his efforts to obtain additional federal funding to aid in wildfire recovery from the horrific blazes that killed 29 people and destroyed over 12,000 homes and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.
Newsom arrived in the nation's capital on the eve of his visit to the White House, and hours ahead of the meeting he headed to Capitol Hill to hold separate meetings with members of Congress.
The governor traveled east a day after California lawmakers approved $25 million in legal funding proposed by the Democratic governor to challenge actions by the Trump administration. And the legislature also allocated another $25 million for legal groups to defend undocumented immigrants facing possible deportation by new Trump administration efforts.
Newsom came to Washington, D.C., hat in hand.
Late last month, the governor approved $2.5 billion for fire recovery work, which he hopes will be reimbursed by the federal government.
And the state will likely need much more help from the federal government, as the bill to cover rebuilding costs is expected to reach into the tens of billions of dollars.
"The Governor’s trip is focused on securing critical disaster aid for the survivors of the Los Angeles fires and ensuring impacted families who lost their homes and livelihoods have the support they need to rebuild and recover," spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement.
After the outbreak of the fires early last month, Trump repeatedly criticized Newsom's handling of the immense crisis. He has accused the governor of mismanaging forestry and water policy and, pointing to intense backlash over a perceived lack of preparation, called on Newsom to step down.
"Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!" Trump charged in a social media post on Jan. 8, as he repeated a derogatory name he often labels the governor.
Trump also placed blame for the deadly wildfires on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, another Democrat, and the policies approved by state lawmakers in heavily blue California. In an executive order issued last month, he described management of the state's land and water resources as "disastrous."
Newsom — the governor of the nation's most populous state, one of the Democratic Party's leaders in the resistance against the returning president and a potential White House contender in 2028 — pushed back against Trump, as the two larger-than-life politicians traded fire.
Disputing Trump, the governor noted that reservoirs in the southern part of California were full when the fires first sparked, and has argued that no amount of water could tackle fires fueled by winds of up to 100 miles per hour.
Newsom also charged Trump had spread "hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation."
NEWSOM CALLS TRUMP'S CLAIMS 'PURE FICTION' AFTER HE POINTED FINGER OVER CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAGEDY
Trump met with Newsom as he arrived in Los Angeles late last month — just four days after his inauguration as president — to survey the fire damage.
Trump had threatened to withhold wildfire aid until certain stipulations were met in California, including changes to water policy and requiring an ID to vote, but now appears willing to work with Newsom.
"Thank you first for being here. It means a great deal to all of us," Newsom told Trump as he greeted the president upon his arrival in Los Angeles last month. "We’re going to need your support. We’re going to need your help."
The president declared that "we're looking to get something completed. And the way you get it completed is to work together."
The wildfires are far from the first time Newsom and Trump took aim at each other. Their animosity dated back to before Trump was elected president the first time in 2016, when Newsom was California's lieutenant governor.
The verbal fireworks continued over the past two years, as Newsom served as a top surrogate on the campaign trail for former President Joe Biden and then former Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democrats' 2024 standard-bearer last summer.
Following Trump's convincing election victory over Harris in November, Newsom moved to "Trump-proof" his heavily blue state.
"He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election," Trump responded.
Since their meeting in Los Angeles, Newsom has appeared to be more restrained in his criticism of Trump.
Following Trump's orders, the US Army Corps of Engineers last week opened two dams in Central California, letting roughly 2.2 billion gallons of water flow out of reservoirs.
Trump celebrated the move in posts to Truth Social post on Friday and Sunday, declaring, "the water is flowing in California," and adding the water was "heading to farmers throughout the State, and to Los Angeles."
But water experts argue that the newly released water won't flow to Los Angeles, and it is being wasted by being released during California's normally wet winter season.
Newsom, apparently aiming to rebuild the working relationship he had with Trump during the president's first term in the White House, didn't raise any objections to the water release.
Fox News' Christina Shaw, Elizabeth Pritchett, Pat Ward, and Lee Ross contributed to this story.
A homeowner who evacuated his residence due to the raging Los Angeles wildfires returned home and discovered a 525-pound bear hiding in a crawl space under his house.
The post Berry the 525-Pound Bear Found Hiding from Wildfire Under L.A. Home appeared first on Breitbart.
Three people have been killed in a fire that broke out in a retirement home near Paris on Saturday, according to the town mayor.
The post Three Dead, Nine Injured in Fire at Pairs Suburb Retirement Home appeared first on Breitbart.
The Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire that burned a total of nearly 40,000 acres in the Los Angeles area have been 100% contained, fire officials said on Friday.
The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres on the west side of Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire set 14,201 acres ablaze starting on Jan. 7, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The two major fires and several smaller ones created the worst natural disaster in Los Angeles County history, killing 28 people and damaging or destroying more than 16,000 structures, Cal Fire said.
CALIFORNIA MAN PLEADS GUILTY AFTER HIS DRONE COLLIDES WITH AIRCRAFT FIGHTING PALISADES FIRE
At the height of the fires, 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, according to Los Angeles County officials.
Damage and economic losses are estimated at more than $250 billion, according to private forecaster AccuWeather.
Rain finally fell in Southern California in the past week, which aided firefighters in containing the fires but also increased the risk of flash floods and mudslides in the hills and the spread of toxic material left behind in the fire's devastation.
Full containment is largely symbolic at this point as fires still remain isolated in steep mountain terrain, fire officials said.
"It's more important when we say forward progress is stopped," Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart told Reuters.
Progress was stopped about a week after the Palisades and Eaton fires swept through the region.
LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE
Stewart said the rain was "more of a hindrance" because it led to mudslides and blocked roads first responders needed to access.
"Had this rain come two weeks ago, it might have been more helpful," Stewart said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust will hold a hearing next week addressing overregulation in California following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, stating California’s "onerous regulatory regime" may have worsened the disaster, Fox News Digital has learned.
The "California Fires and the Consequences of Overregulation" hearing will examine the real impacts of regulatory policy on the prevention of natural disasters, particularly in the case of California's wildfires, according to a statement obtained by Fox News Digital.
It will also address how excessive regulation on insurance and permitting serves as a roadblock to those recovering from disasters.
Cal Fire reported more than 12,000 homes, businesses and schools were lost to the fires and more than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes.
KELSEY GRAMMER SAYS CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS 'TOOK THEIR EYE OFF THE BALL' IN WILDFIRES CATASTROPHE
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, described current disaster regulations as a "nightmare."
"Democrat-run California's excessive regulations make preventing and recovering from natural disasters a nightmare," he said.
LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: SECOND CALIFORNIA REAL ESTATE AGENT CHARGED WITH PRICE GOUGING VICTIMS
Jordan added that California needs a streamlined process, as suggested by President Donald Trump, to remove regulation and ensure citizens can rebuild and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., said the wildfires were a preventable tragedy, and Congress must examine whether California’s "onerous regulatory regime" worsened the disaster.
"For years, California’s liberal government has prioritized environmental activism over effective forest management and disaster mitigation. Meanwhile, the politicization of their state insurance regulator has driven insurers out of the state and forced taxpayers to foot the bill," Fitzgerald said.
Witnesses will include Steve Hilton, founder of Golden Together; Steven Greenhut, resident senior fellow and western region director of state affairs for the R Street Institute; and Edward Ring, director of water and energy policy for the California Policy Center, according to the statement.
The hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 at 10 a.m.
Highly combustible lithium-ion batteries used in electric and hybrid vehicles are complicating cleanup efforts in the Los Angeles neighborhoods ravaged by wildfire damage.
Phase 1 of the federal cleanup is underway, as surveyors with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) work to remove and dispose of hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries found in charred vehicles and decimated homes. The EPA warned that batteries should be considered "extremely dangerous," even if they are believed to be intact, and "can spontaneously re-ignite, explode, and emit toxic gases and particulates even after the fire is out."
The Palisades and Eaton fires aftermath is estimated to require the "largest lithium-ion battery pickup, cleanup, that’s ever happened in the history of the world," EPA incident commander Steve Calanog reportedly told local KNBC. He explained that removing lithium-ion batteries – even those that do not appear damaged – from fire wreckage requires "technical sophistication and care," as hazardous material crews find and deionize the batteries so they can be crushed or safely shipped for disposal.
"We don’t know the long-term effects of all this exposure, and we haven't seen this on this large of a scale and this many electric vehicles," Los Angeles City Fire Capt. Adam VanGerpen told KNBC. "This is an unprecedented amount of electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries in there."
LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: LAWSUIT ALLEGES VIDEO SHOWS WHAT STARTED EATON FIRE
According to the California Energy Commission, more than 99,000 zero-emission vehicles were sold in Los Angeles County in 2024 alone, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles.
The Tesla models Y, 3 and Cybertruck were the top three selling zero-emission models sold in Los Angeles County last year, according to the commission's online tally.
Authorities are warning that residual heat poses danger for days, weeks and even months after the initial fires, potentially causing lithium-ion batteries to spontaneously combust.
"With the lithium-ion batteries, even if they look like they are intact they could have damage on the inside, so they continue to off gas and the off-gas from these batteries can be toxic to your health," VanGerpen said.
Besides in electric and hybrid vehicles, lithium-ion batteries can be found in personal electronics, vaping devices, power tools, and home energy storage systems, which have become increasingly popular during California's power outages.
LOS ANGELES WILDFIRES: CALIFORNIA CITIES VOW TO ‘SHUT DOWN’ EPA’S DUMPING SITE FOR ‘TOXIC’ WASTE
President Donald Trump toured the Palisades Fire burn area on Friday. His executive order issued that same day to provide water resources in California and improve disaster response will allow the EPA "to complete its hazardous materials mission responding to the Los Angeles, California Wildfires as soon as practical," the EPA said in a statement on Monday. "EPA’s work removing hazardous materials is Phase 1 of the federal cleanup response."
"According to the EPA incident commander, there will be upward of 1,000 people working on Phase 1 cleanup by this weekend," the statement continued. "This work, conducted at no cost to residents, is a mandatory process to ensure the safety of residents and the workers who will – after the hazardous material is gone – conduct the Phase 2 debris removal in the burn footprints, and to prevent these materials from being released into the environment."
Phase 2, which begins automatically once Phase 1 is complete, will involve debris removal and will be coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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"Under President Trump’s leadership, EPA is doing everything within our power to expedite cleanup of hazardous debris and to help provide Californians safer access to their property as soon as possible," EPA Acting Deputy Administrator Chad McIntosh said in a statement. "With President Trump’s Executive Order, he has authorized a whole of government response to the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles – an effort that has never been seen before. EPA is working with local, state and federal partners in addition to the private sector to aid in California’s recovery."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told an Italian newspaper last weekend that it was “absolutely stupid, illogical, and very irresponsible” for the leaders of his country to give up their nuclear weapons in the 1990s.
The post Zelensky Says Ukraine Giving Up Nukes Was ‘Stupid, Illogical, and Irresponsible’ appeared first on Breitbart.
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said she does not believe conditions should be placed on federal support for wildfires sweeping through Southern California, after President Donald Trump suggested he wanted wildfire aid to be conditional.
The district Chu represents includes Altadena and northern Pasadena, which have been impacted by the deadly Eaton Fire.
"There have never been conditions laid on disaster aid in the history of America," Chu told Inside California Politics.
"I know that I have voted for disaster aid in red states and for blue states, she continued. "I’ve never considered whether they were Republican or Democrat. And let me say, wildfires have no political affiliations. They don’t have a political party."
This comes after Trump said on Friday that two conditions must be met in California before the federal government offers disaster relief. He said he wants lawmakers to approve voter identification legislation and that water needs to be allowed to flow across the state.
"I want to see two things in Los Angeles. Voter ID, so that the people have a chance to vote, and I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state," Trump told reporters in North Carolina as he was touring hurricane recovery efforts in that state. "Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen."
Trump visited Los Angeles later on Friday to view damage from the wildfires and meet with local officials and residents.
Chu said she wants Trump to tell the working-class victims of her district that they would only see aid to address the devastation if there are conditions.
"I want him to see how these everyday Americans are being terribly devastated and also I want him to hear from their voices," Chu said. "I want him to look, in fact, in the victim’s eyes and say that he wouldn’t provide aid unless there were conditions."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, responded to Trump's comments about conditional aid. The governor's office said several other states — including some won by Trump — do not generally require identification at the voting polls and that California residents must provide identification when they register to vote. Newsom's office also said the state pumps as much water as it could under policies from Trump’s first-term.
LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE
"Conditioning aid for American citizens is wrong," Newsom's office said on X.
Republicans in Congress have suggested tying wildfire aid to a debt ceiling increase or changes to California’s fire-mitigation policies, but Democrats have argued against placing conditions on federal assistance to Southern California.
The 12th district town hall was built in 1876 with a 36-meter (118-foot) high bell tower on top of its main entrance.
The post Fire Rips Through Bell Tower of Paris 12th Arrondissement Town Hall appeared first on Breitbart.
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency after touring the devastation of the Los Angeles fires with residents who were personally impacted by the disastrous event.
Trump traveled to Southern California on Friday to survey the damage from the recent wildfires that destroyed over 10,000 structures in the Los Angeles area and tragically took the lives of nearly 30 people.
Trump took an aerial tour of the area before his landing, with images showing the once ritzy neighborhood in ashes.
The president and first lady Melania Trump then experienced the damage up close, meeting with local law enforcement and members of the community for a tour of the destroyed Pacific Palisades neighborhoods.
‘FEMA IS NOT GOOD’: TRUMP ANNOUNCES AGENCY OVERHAUL DURING VISIT TO NORTH CAROLINA
"Not even believable," Trump told reporters on site.
Trump sat down for a roundtable with LA Mayor Karen Bass and other state officials. When the president entered the room, individuals were heard chanting "USA, USA, USA!" Bass greeted the president and said that his presence was welcomed.
"This is an honor to be with you," during the meeting, saying that homeowners told him that they want to rebuild their homes in the area.
At one point, the president criticized Bass for not using her emergency powers to respond to the wildfires.
"You have emergency powers just like I do … you have to exercise them also," Trump told Bass, who responded that she did exercise them.
Trump said he would sign an executive order to open up the water valves in the area.
"I don't think you can realize how rough, how devastating it is until you see it," Trump said of the wildfire damage. "The federal government is standing behind you, 100%."
Trump said that he is going to waive federal permits for rebuilding in the area. "I'm gonna be the president to help you fix it," he said. "We're going to waive all federal permits... Because a federal permit can take 10 years... we don't want to take 10 days."
LOS ANGELES AGENCY REVEALS ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT OF DEADLY WILDFIRES AS INFERNOS STILL RAGE
After the fires broke out, Trump blamed Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic city policies for the damage, citing their forest and water management policies.
Newsom was waiting for Trump on the tarmac when he exited Air Force One and was seen shaking hands with the president in their first face-to-face encounter since the inauguration.
"Thank you first for being here. It means a great deal to all of us," Newsom told Trump after they met on the tarmac of LAX in Los Angeles just after 3 p.m. local time. "We’re going to need your support. We’re going to need your help."
Speaking about his meeting with Newsom, Trump said that "we had a good talk, a very positive talk."
Trump traveled to North Carolina to tour the hurricane damage, before heading to California for his first visit to the state since becoming president.
On Friday, January 24, President Donald Trump was expected to arrive in Los Angeles to see for himself the devastation caused by the recent wildfires, even as new, menacing fires broke out in Los Angeles County and elsewhere in southern California.
But it's not just the fires that are out of control. So too is the political posturing of California Democrats who seem more interested in "fighting back" against our new president than putting the interests of Californians first by asking for his help.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has railed against Trump's misinformation over the fires' causes. As usual, when the left complain about misinformation, it's really just things that are true that they don't like. It may not be comfortable for Newsom that Trump is drawing attention to the incompetence and long-term policy failures that made this disaster so much more destructive than it need have been. But Trump is right on every point.
CALIFORNIA FIRES: ESSENTIAL PHONE NUMBERS FOR LOS ANGELES-AREA RESIDENTS AND HOW YOU CAN HELP THEM
My policy organization Golden Together just published a paper with practical ideas to help Los Angeles and our state after these fires. But the Trump visit provides an immediate chance to make things happen right now.
Why can't California's leftist politicians realize that Trump's promise of a new "Golden Age" for America is also a golden opportunity for the Golden State? An opportunity to recover from these fires, rebuild faster and better, and to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.
There's been a lot of talk about federal aid to California, and whether it should have "strings attached." Ultimately, that will be determined in Congress, and as California Rep. Kevin Kiley told me in a recent interview, given California's terrible track record of wasting federal money — for example COVID-relief funds — it's vital to put safeguards around any funds that are sent to California.
But perhaps even more important than federal money is the expertise that Trump could offer. Here are three things California Democrats could ask him for, if they could just get over their pathetic political point-scoring.
We have a builder as president. Someone who has a lifetime professional understanding of how to build things quickly, economically and to high quality.
California should take advantage of this unique opportunity. Ask Trump's advice about how to get the job done in Los Angeles. We have the Super Bowl, soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games all coming up in Los Angeles in the next few years. We can't afford to waste time. We need to Build, Baby, Build as well as Drill, Baby, Drill!
Trump is, above all things, a practical leader. He's not interested in ideology, but outcomes. He just wants to get things done. I'm sure he will have incredibly useful, specific ideas about how to rebuild Los Angeles and who can help do it — listen to him!
One of the most high-profile disputes between Newsom and Trump has broken out over water, and California's failure to supply adequate water to our cities and farmers. Trump is absolutely right about this. So-called journalists mocked Trump for talking about a "giant faucet" that sends water to southern California, which Gavin Newsom restricts in order to protect a tiny fish. But in doing so, they just reveal their own ignorance.
Most of California's water supply is in the north of the state, much of it from rivers and reservoirs fed by the melting Sierra Nevada snow pack. Most of the population lives in the south, and there are two main supply routes bringing water there: the Delta-Mendota Canal, built and run by the federal government, and the California Aqueduct, run by the state. Each of these has a giant pumping station, close to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, that regulates water flow.
In his first administration, Trump ordered the federal pumping station to increase water supply. Unbelievably, California retaliated by reducing supply from the state pumping station, in order to leave more water in the Delta. Why? They themselves admit that it was to protect salmon, and the three-inch delta smelt, a species that died out in 2020 anyway, only to be revived by biologists at UC Davis.
Trump has issued a new Executive Order — Putting People Over Fish — to increase water supply in the federal system. California should welcome this instead of fighting it like last time.
On both of these issues — water, and rebuilding L.A. — there is a massive self-imposed obstacle: California's astonishing, worst-in-the-nation red tape and bureaucracy.
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In fact, this is standing in the way of getting anything done in California these days: rebuilding Los Angeles, building the new water infrastructure we desperately need, building the new homes we need to solve our housing crisis. We have the highest housing costs in America, along with the lowest homeownership. We pay the most for water, for electricity — for everything. And a huge part of the reason is the sprawling bureaucracy in Sacramento that has built up over decades of one-party rule by far-left Democrats.
Their 'climate' extremism has become an excuse for slowing down or blocking any project. Those that manage to go ahead are hit with endless, constantly changing environmental regulations pushed by unaccountable state bureaucracies like CARB (the California Air Resources Board) or the Coastal Commission. (These two, by the way, bear the lion's share of responsibility for the devastation of the L.A. fires. It was their rules that blocked vital brush-clearing work in the area.)
On top of the environmental extremism, we have over-the-top labor regulations, imposed at the behest of the unions that fund California's Democrat politicians. Extortionate labor costs and forced use of union labor mean many construction projects are killed because they are just not viable. And on top of that, the taxes, fees, permits and mind-boggling bureaucratic processes all add up to give California the worst business climate in America — 10 years in a row.
Trump knows how to deal with all of this. He put Elon Musk in charge of getting rid of federal bureaucracy: now let's do the same in the state with the worst bureaucracy in America. Yes, it's time to DOGE California!
California desperately needs a dose of common sense and competence. President Trump can help provide it — if only Gavin Newsom and the rest of his California Democrats will listen.
When President Donald Trump lands in California on Friday to survey the devastating wildfires that have ravaged metropolitan Los Angeles this month, the state's Democratic governor will be among the officials greeting him.
But Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared to be showing up uninvited.
"I look forward to being there on the tarmac to thank the president, welcome him, and we’re making sure that all the resources he needs for a successful briefing are provided to him," Newsom told reporters on the eve of Trump's stop in Los Angeles.
A couple of hours before Trump touched down in Los Angeles, Newsom director of communications Izzy Gardon told Fox News Digital that "in coordination with the White House, the governor will greet President Trump on the tarmac upon his arrival in California."
"The governor is committed to advocating for the needs of Californians in partnership with the federal administration," he emphasized.
Since the fires, which have killed nearly 30 people and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes, broke out earlier this month, Trump has repeatedly criticized Newsom's handling of the immense crisis. He has accused the governor of mismanaging forestry and water policy and, pointing to intense backlash over a perceived lack of preparation, has called on Newsom to step down.
UNINVITED NEWSOM SAYS HE'LL BE ON TARMAC TO GREET AND BRIEF TRUMP
"Gavin Newscum should resign. This is all his fault!!!" Trump charged in a social media post on Jan. 8, as he repeated a derogatory name he often labels the governor.
And in his first Oval Office interview since returning to power in the White House, Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity this week, "This fire was just raging, and then it would catch to another area, another area, another area."
"It took a week and a half — and I’ve never seen anything like it. We look so weak," Trump argued during his appearance on "Hannity," as he pointed towards his repeated claim that a main reason the blazes raged was because firefighters didn't have access to water.
TRUMP PLEDGES FEMA OVERHAUL DURING STOP IN HURRICANE RAVAGED WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
Trump and some top Republicans in Congress have pushed toward placing conditions on continuing the massive federal wildfire aid to California in order to force policy changes.
The president said on Friday, ahead of his arrival in Los Angeles, that he wanted to see "two things" before he would support federal disaster relief funds for California.
"I want to see two things in Los Angeles: Voter ID so that the people have a chance to vote. And I want to see the water be released and come down into Los Angeles and throughout the state. Those are the two things. After that, I will be the greatest president that California has ever seen," Trump said.
Newsom on Thursday signed a $2.5 billion state relief package. But California will need much more help from the federal government.
And Newsom — the governor of the nation's most populous state, one of the Democratic Party's leaders in the resistance against the returning president and a potential White House contender in 2028 — has pushed back, as the two larger-than-life politicians trade fire.
The governor has noted that reservoirs in the southern part of California were full when the fires first sparked, and has argued that no amount of water could tackle fires fueled by winds of up to 100 miles per hour.
Newsom has also charged Trump has spread "hurricane-force winds of mis- and disinformation."
And in a letter to Congress last week, Newsom emphasized that "our long national history of responding to natural disasters, no matter where they occur, has always been Americans helping Americans, full stop."
The wildfires are far from the first time Newsom and Trump have taken aim at each other. Their animosity dates back to before Trump was elected president the first time in 2016, when Newsom was California's lieutenant governor.
The verbal fireworks continued over the past two years, as Newsom served as a top surrogate on the campaign trail for former President Joe Biden and then former Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Biden as the Democrats' 2024 standard-bearer last summer.
Following Trump's convincing election victory over Harris in November, Newsom moved to "Trump-proof" his heavily blue state.
"He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election," Trump responded.
While pushing back against Trump's attacks amid the wildfires, Newsom also knows he needs to work with the president.
Newsom, who two weeks ago invited Trump to come to California to survey the damage, said in a statement on Monday following the inauguration ceremony, "I look forward to President Trump’s visit to Los Angeles and his mobilization of the full weight of the federal government to help our fellow Americans recover and rebuild."
He emphasized "finding common ground and striving toward shared goals" with the Trump administration.
"In the face of one of the worst natural disasters in America’s history, this moment underscores the critical need for partnership, a shared commitment to facts, and mutual respect — values that enable civil discourse, effective governance, and meaningful action," the governor said.
Veteran California-based political scientist Jack Pitney at Claremont McKenna College noted that "this is a very difficult balance" for Newsom.
"As a governor of California, he needs to work with the president to get federal aid for the state. As a national political figure, he feels pressure to attack Trump. It’s hard to do both of those at the same time," Pitney told Fox News.
Fox News' Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
FIRST ON FOX: GOP Congressman Darrell Issa has introduced a bill in response to the devastating California wildfires aimed at slashing through the regulatory burdens that prevent firefighters from most effectively preventing the fires.
Issa, who represents California’s 48th Congressional District, is putting forward the Green Tape Elimination Act which would exempt hazardous fuel reduction activities on federal lands from federal regulations for a decade.
Eliminating those regulatory burdens, Issa says, will allow firefighters to clear brush, cut shrubs, prescribe fires, along with other fire prevention activities without being hindered by six major federal environmental regulations.
Those regulations include the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Clean Air Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Migratory Bird Conservation Act.
"For years, environmental rules have become regulatory ‘green tape’ — locking in dangerous conditions and contradicting common sense reforms," Issa, who will be touring the Palisade Fire devastation with President Trump on Friday, told Fox News Digital. "That’s why this is no time for tinkering around the edges. We can’t wait for the next deadly disaster."
"Giving a blank check to finance even more of California’s mismanagement would be like giving matches to an arsonist," Issa continued. "We’re dedicated to helping the victims of this disaster first and working to prevent the next one. It’s a message I’ll bring to President Trump when I see him today in Los Angeles."
The Golden State's struggles with preventing or at least moderating severe wildfires over the past few decades has been a longstanding concern that was only exacerbated by the recent Eaton Fire and Palisades fire which killed at least 28 people.
Many have argued that a wide range of federal and state regulations make it more difficult to conduct mitigation activities, like prescribed burns or treatments to remove hazardous trees and vegetation.
Chuck Devore, a former member of the California State Assembly and the chief national initiatives officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told FOX Business in a recent interview that federal and state rules have hampered wildfire mitigation efforts, resulting in larger fuel loads that drive more intense wildfires."
"The nature of the wildfire problem changes a little bit from north to south… In both cases, you have the issue of air quality management districts that are under both federal and state mandate to clean up the air. That makes it difficult to have prescribed burns with the sort of frequency that needs to happen to be able to reduce the fuel load," Devore said.
Israel’s Security Cabinet on Friday voted to approve the Gaza ceasefire deal despite misgivings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The post Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Gaza Ceasefire Deal appeared first on Breitbart.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Thursday spewed harsh criticisms against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip.
The post Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib Calls Netanyahu a ‘Genocidal Maniac’ for Not Meeting to Approve Ceasefire Deal appeared first on Breitbart.
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