Gavin Newsom shrugs when asked about fire hydrants running dry

Dispatch from Pacific Palisades: A harrowing view of California's competency crisis
The losses are devastating ... but did it really have to be this way?

Mercury One steps in as California fires devastate communities
Amid catastrophic fires and lackluster government response, Mercury One is mobilizing aid to help Californians. Donations go directly to those in need, supporting heroic firefighting efforts and victims of this tragedy.

California power outages swell to 400,000 as fires multiply
Fires that started on Tuesday have killed at least five people, destroying hundreds of homes and stretching firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit, as more than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate.

Video: Anderson Cooper presses Newsom on water shortage, gets a shrug
Newsom deflects responsibility for Palisades' water crisis, leaving locals to "figure it out."

Trump rips 'incompetent' Gavin Newsom over raging California wildfires
“Governor Gavin Newscum refused to sign the water restoration declaration put before him that would have allowed millions of gallons of water, from excess rain and snowmelt from the North, to flow daily into many parts of California."

LA Mayor Karen Bass cut fire department funding by $17.6M, focused on homeless spending
The cut was the second largest in Bass’ 2024-25 fiscal budget, city figures show — and it wasn’t even the gutting she wanted. If she had it her way, the LAFD budget would have been slashed by $23 million.

LA Water And Power Officials Rake In Fat Salaries As Fire Hydrants Run Dry
Eight of the top 10 highest-paid city officials in Los Angeles work for the LADWP, according to OpenTheBooks’ analysis.

James Woods slams LA Fire Chief over DEI priorities after fire destroys home
“There was a fire truck parked in front of my house. But they couldn't pump any water because there was none, because they didn't put them in the reservoirs."

Adam Carolla’s DEI Firefighter Story Goes Viral
Carolla had once applied to be an L.A. firefighter. He was told he had to wait seven years because he wasn't black, Hispanic, or female.

Leftists Are Blaming The CA Wildfires On … Trump
When things go wrong and you’re a leftist, your first instinct is to find a Republican, any Republican (but usually Donald Trump), and point the finger: It’s your fault because I hate you.

Reason: American Public Has High Hopes for New Trump Administration
The incoming administration has an opportunity — if it can meet expectations.

Judge Juan Merchan’s vendetta against Trump has reached Captain Ahab-level madness
Merchan races to label Trump a felon before inauguration.

Source Behind Hegseth Claims Is Disgruntled Former Employee
She received a poor performance review in 2014 when she was serving as CVA’s North Carolina state director. Shortly thereafter, she filed for short-term disability, then long-term disability, and ultimately tendered her resignation in December 2014.

Danish officials fear Trump is much more serious about acquiring Greenland than in first term
Danish officials are being warned by Trump allies and advisers that he is serious, multiple Danish officials told CNN. And they’re carefully weighing how to respond without sparking a major rupture with a close ally and fellow NATO member.

EU will not tolerate attacks on its borders, France says after Trump Greenland comments
France has warned Trump against threatening the sovereign borders of the European Union after his comments on Greenland, as stated by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

Pentagon says it has no plans to take Greenland by force
When pressed on if the Pentagon had ever outlined a plan for Greenland, Singh said she was not aware of any such plans. "I'm not aware of any plans to do that," she said.

CNBC: Why Trump’s pursuit of Greenland could be cheered on by Russia
Russiagate will never die.

Panama Canal chief dismisses Trump’s claims on China, fees
The Panama Canal Authority chief said Trump’s accusations that China is running the canal are “unfounded.” “China has no involvement whatsoever in our operations,” he said. Morales said there are no exceptions to the rules, and he cannot discriminate for China, the U.S., “or anyone else.”

NBC News: Mexico's president claps back at Trump, suggests new name for US — America Mexicana
Maybe the comeback works better in Spanish? Also, why is NBC News still saying "claps back" like it's 2015?

Biden awkwardly announces ‘good news’ during briefing on deadly California wildfires: ‘I’m a great-grandfather’
“The good news is, I’m a great-grandfather as of today,” Biden said during a briefing on the blazes in the Pacific Palisades. “I’ll remember this day for a lot of reasons.”

Biden Acknowledges He Might Not Have Been Able to Serve Four More Years
In an interview with USA Today, Biden insisted that he still could have beaten Trump had he stayed in the race but could not say he would have been vital enough to be president until age 86.

USA Today headline for Biden exit interview: A Career of 'honesty and integrity'
Just yesterday, USA Today wrote, “Fact-based journalism is what USA Today does best. We are the nation’s trusted news source because we provide unbiased and essential content for all people."

‘I Saw It Firsthand’: Former Dem Rep Says She Had ‘A Lot Of Concern’ About Biden’s Ability ‘To Speak’
“I could be as close as we are now and have difficulty at times understanding what he was saying."

Biden's Infrastructure Bills Leave a Legacy of Big Spending and Little Payoff
The outgoing president's signature legislative achievements spent tens of billions of dollars with little to show.

Texas Lt Gov issues warning on ‘counterfeit speaker’
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has issued a strongly worded statement ahead of the Texas House speaker election, urging Republicans to support the party’s caucus nominee, State Rep. David Cook, and reject what he called a “counterfeit speaker” scenario where a Republican is elected with Democratic backing.

The Hill: Senate Republicans prepare blitzkrieg on Biden regulations
I'm sure the use of the word "blitzkrieg," which is most associated with the Nazis, was something that The Hill editors must have missed.

Rick Scott reintroduces bill to keep Daylight Saving Time year-round
The Senate previously passed a bill to make DST permanent in 2022, but it did not become law.

Mass. official used taxpayer money meant for seniors on music studio recordings, 153 pounds of bourbon steak tips, framed portrait: Feds
About $8,950 went to a music studio to produce recordings of his singing, $2,236 for 153 pounds of bourbon steak tips, $4,800 on a Toyota Prius, and $1,658 for a framed, lacquered portrait of Clasby.

Janet Yellen: COVID stimulus may have contributed ‘a little bit’ to inflation
But the widespread rise in prices was mostly “a supply-side phenomenon” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic itself, Yellen claimed.

Fed officials are worried about the inflation impacts from Trump’s policies, minutes show
The policymakers said they will move more slowly on interest rate cuts due to the uncertainty, minutes of the meeting showed Wednesday.

Rolling Stone: How Conflicts Around the Globe Are Breeding Our Next Pandemic
New breeds of drug-resistant bacteria are proliferating in war-torn parts of the globe — and spreading from the battlefield to hospitals and across borders.

5 years ago today: Chinese state media — new virus identified
The new coronavirus found in Wuhan appears to be far less serious than the virus that caused SARS, and there is no clear sign of human-to-human transmission. "This could be due to good protective measures, or that the disease itself is not contagious."

UNRWA ‘knowingly’ let Hamas infiltrate and ‘indoctrinate’ children to ‘pursue a path of terrorism’: UN Watch report
Officials of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency meet “routinely” with Lebanese and Gazan terror groups, “mutually praise each other for ‘cooperation’ and describe each other as ‘partners.’”

Biden administration announces its final aid package to Ukraine before Trump takes office
The final military aid package from the Biden administration to Ukraine, amounting to $500 million, is set to be officially announced on Jan. 9.

Biden admin blacklists same Chinese company Hunter Biden partnered with in failed railway deal
Biden’s own administration now admits that the company his son sought to partner with in a Greek deal is affiliated with the Chinese military.

Ford’s Partner in Billion-Dollar Michigan EV Factory Is a Chinese Military Company, Pentagon Says
Michigan Democrats gave nearly $2 billion in direct subsidies and tax breaks to Ford's project with CATL.

Matt Walsh: Is It Finally Time For Our Glorious Conquest Of Canada To Begin?
Not long after Justin Trudeau became the prime minister of Canada in 2015, he made a big announcement. Without any prompting, Trudeau said something no other Canadian prime minister has ever said. He declared that Canada, as a nation, doesn’t really exist.

Justin Trudeau's 'One Regret' Is Not Implementing Ranked-Choice Voting in Canada
Leftists around the world want to do away with one person, one vote.

Canadian Doctors Suggest Harvesting Organs From Euthanasia Patients Before They’re Dead
Medical freedom advocates are documenting emerging ties between "medical assistance in dying" and organ harvesting.

Couple who couldn’t afford their own wedding photos finally gets to see them — 56 years later
Margaret and Barry, who tied the knot in 1968, hired a wedding photographer for their celebration. But when it came time to pay up, they only had enough to cover his services — not the prints.

Yakuza leader pleads guilty in New York to trafficking nuclear materials, narcotics charges
Takeshi Ebisawa also admitted to conspiring to purchase U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles and other heavy weaponry, intended for armed ethnic groups in Myanmar, and to accept large amounts of heroin and methamphetamine as partial payment for the weapons.

All the celebrities impacted by the Los Angeles fires: Ben Affleck, Paris Hilton, and more
Here is a look at the celebs who have fled — or may have to flee.

Brooke Shields reveals plastic surgeon threw in ‘little bonus’ during labia surgery without her consent: ‘Such an invasion’
Shields revealed that she had experienced discomfort, bleeding, and chafing since high school due to the length of her labia. Now you know the rest of the story.

Navy Veteran Suing CNN For Defamation Breaks Down At Trial: ‘I’ve Just Been Completely Destroyed’
Young said that when he tried to offer evacuations following a crisis in Sudan, he received response on LinkedIn repeating the claims CNN aired about him. He went on to detail how the outlet’s alleged defamatory segment has affected his personal life.

Jake Tapper Never Apologized for 'Devastating' Report That Falsely Accused Navy Vet of Operating in 'Black Market,' Testimony Reveals
"It's devastating when you're labeled a criminal all over the world," plaintiff Zachary Young says.

'The View' is expanding into weekends with 'The Weekend View' streaming series
"'The Weekend View' will feature more of the 'Hot Topics' our audiences can't get enough of, delivering original content for the weekend with a focus on what's trending," executive broadcast producer Robin Hommel said.

'The View' co-host Sunny Hostin's husband, Dr. Emmanuel 'Manny' Hostin, accused of insurance fraud in federal lawsuit
Hostin and his practice, Hostin Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, were named in a major RICO case among nearly 200 other defendants.

Next-Generation Nuclear Energy Developer Sues Federal Regulators
If successful, the lawsuit could be a significant first step in reducing the red tape that has plagued American nuclear power.

Claim: Quarter of freshwater animals face extinction
Almost a quarter of freshwater animals, including crabs, crayfish, shrimp, damselfly, and fish, are threatened of going extinct, according to a new, global study that was published in a far-left publication on Wednesday.

Russian man fined for joking that he started international LGBTQ+ movement
A Moscow court took Anton Yevdokimov seriously — or at least thought his joke amounted to pro-LGBTQ+ "propaganda" — and fined him 100,000 rubles, equivalent to about $950.

Rep. Chip Roy Demands Answers From University Over $50k Award To Planned Parenthood
Roy demanded answers from the University of Texas on Wednesday over a $50,000 grant it provided to Planned Parenthood to research a sex education program.

41% of companies worldwide plan to reduce workforces by 2030 due to AI
Out of hundreds of large companies surveyed around the world, 77% also said they were planning to re-skill and up-skill their existing workers between 2025-2030 to better work alongside AI, according to findings published in the WEF’s Future of Jobs Report.

Elon Musk agrees that we’ve exhausted AI training data
“We’ve now exhausted basically the cumulative sum of human knowledge ... in AI training,” Musk said on X late Wednesday. “That happened basically last year.” “The only way to supplement [real-world data] is with synthetic data, where the AI creates [training data],” he said.

AI-generated ‘slop’ is slowly killing the internet, so why is nobody trying to stop it?
Low-quality "slop" generated by AI is crowding out genuine humans across the internet.

Quantum-computing stocks plummet as Nvidia CEO delivers a reality check
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang said "very simple quantum computers" could still be 20 years away — throwing water on the claim that we've already achieved quantum computing.

DeSantis calls on NASA to move its headquarters to Florida
"They have this massive building in Washington, D.C., that nobody goes to it and why don't you shutter it and move everybody down here?" DeSantis said.