SOCAL IN CRISIS

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are gleefully spreading misinformation about the devastating L.A. wildfires — a move that had real-world consequences the last time MAGAworld pulled it.

• President-elect Donald Trump and his MAGA buddies have seized on the Los Angeles wildfires as a prime opportunity to take shots at their political enemies and gunk up the public debate about what’s happening and why. They’re ranting about fish, making up bogus claims about California’s water management, and blaming the crisis on fire departments’ diversity programs. Let’s take this apart, shall we?

• Once again, Trump is making false claims about the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, incorrectly claiming that President Joe Biden is leaving him “NO MONEY IN FEMA.” The reality is that FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund has $27 billion, the agency told CNN yesterday. And don’t forget what happened the last time Trump went after FEMA, in the wake of Hurricanes Milton and Helene last year. Conspiracy theories flourished, sparking violent threats against FEMA workers on social media.

• Then there’s the fish. Trump is claiming Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) bungled the state’s water supply by trying to “protect an essentially worthless fish called a smelt, by giving it less water (it didn’t work!).” Mark Gold, a board member of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, dismissed the claim as nonsense. “Tying Bay-Delta management into devastating wildfires that have cost people’s lives and homes is nothing short of irresponsible, and it’s happening at a time when the Metropolitan Water District has the most water stored in its system in the history of the agency,” Gold told CalMatters.

• Newsom’s office likewise dismissed the fish accusation as “pure fiction.” It’s true that scores of fire hydrants have run dry in hard-hit areas. Local officials say the unprecedented crisis has put an unprecedented strain on the system. “A firefight with multiple fire hydrants drawing water from municipal water systems for several hours is just not sustainable,” Mark Pestrella, director of Los Angeles County Public Works, told reporters.

The attacks and criticism don’t stop there. 

• Donald Trump Jr. somehow found a way to blame… Ukraine. “Oh look of course The LA fire department donated a bunch of their supplies to Ukraine,” he wrote on X this morning. Fact check: California fire department did send some equipment to Ukraine — almost three years ago. Reality check: Scores of Republican lawmakers still support sending aid to Ukraine.

• Actor and right-wing hack James Woods hopped on the bandwagon, accusing “liberal idiots” like Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass of not understanding “the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs.” But reservoirs in Southern California are at or above historic levels, as Washington Post columnist Philip Bump points out. Newsom has, in fact, dedicated billions of dollars to firefighting  technology and forest management in recent years, with Politico dubbing him the “firefighter-in-chief” last August.

• Centibillionaire conspiracy theorist Elon Musk is blaming L.A. firefighters for prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion, known as D.E.I., “over saving lives and homes.” He also tweeted: “DEI means DIE.” Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk seemingly complained that there aren’t “white men” fighting the fires. Fox News propagandist Jesse Waters shared a photo on live television of a group of female firefighters, saying that he “sure hope[s] they know what they’re doing.” I mean, I didn’t realize you could use sexism and racism to fight wildfires!

• The fires continue tearing through the Los Angeles area, forcing more than 180,000 people to flee and burning the equivalent of 20,000 football fields. It’s expected to be the costliest fire in U.S. history, with a price tag of around $50 billion. Zero percent of the Palisades and Eaton fires have been contained. A bunch of our colleagues have had to flee the area, and we’ve heard stories from friends who have lost their houses in the fire and don’t know what’s to come. This is shaping into a crucial story in American history about the limits of disaster relief efforts and how climate change will exacerbate natural disasters in the United States for years to come.

Scores of people around the country are sharing resources and info to help those in need. Please consider donating to Crooked Ideas and Vote Save America Action’s relief fund.

CARTER’S GREEN THUMB

All living American presidents gathered together today for the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.

The scene marked a rare image of national unity — in which Donald Trump sat next to former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In the context of the unfolding natural disaster in L.A., the moment also underscored a key part of Carter’s legacy: As an environmentalist president.

Carter installed the first solar panels on the White House in 1979. He called on Americans to conserve energy, created the Department of Energy and expanded the Environmental Protection Agency, and conserved more than 100 million acres of land and rivers.

He was also one in a trend of environmentalist presidents whose successors attempted to erase that legacy. When Carter lost to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election, Reagan got to work dismantling Carter’s environmental promises. Reagan’s administration slashed funding for renewable energy research at the Department of Energy, opened up federal lands to drilling, and dramatically cut the EPA’s budget and workforce.

Trump has promised to bring the same whiplash to his second term and reportedly has already worked up a suite of day one orders to undercut President Joe Biden’s energy and environmental policies.

Yet despite these reversals, many of Carter’s priorities endured. Carter boosted renewable energy and efficiency, setting the stage for today’s fight against climate change. Today, solar power is the fastest growing source of energy in the United States. Renewable energy makes up 22 percent of the energy generated in the country and solar, especially, continues to grow.

Even the White House solar panels survived after Reagan stuck them in a government warehouse for years.

Carter wasn’t perfect by today’s green standards (he also promoted dirty coal in the name of American energy independence). But many experts argue we wouldn’t be where we are today in the fight to preserve the environment and stop climate change without him.

— Stephanie Ebbs, climate reporter

This story is supported by our nonprofit partner, Crooked Ideas.

NEWS NEWS NEWS

TikTok said it plans to shut down unless the Supreme Court strikes down a rule that would force its Chinese owner, ByteDance, to either sell the social media platform or see it banned in the United States. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the case on Friday.

Google donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, becoming the latest massive tech company to lick his boot. The company donated $285,000 to the 2016 and 2020 inaugurations, according to Politico. What’s with the bigger number this year, guys???

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito called up Trump to recommend one of his former clerks for a job in the incoming administration, according to ABC News. The former clerk reportedly asked Alito (a Supreme Court justice!!!) to ring Trump (the next president!!!) on his behalf. Who the hell does this guy think he is?!

Elon Musk admitted that DOGE, the group he’ll help lead to (supposedly) downsize the federal government, likely won’t find $2 trillion to cut after all, despite his earlier big talk. Last year, Musk said he’ll cut at least $2 trillion. Now, that number is the “best outcome,” he said in an interview on X — lowering expectations to $1 trillion in cuts. This is already going well, clearly.

Speak of the devil, Musk has privately discussed how to oust U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer before his next election, according to the Financial Times. “His view is that western civilization itself is threatened,” a person familiar with the matter told the outlet. I have a feeling Musk isn’t exactly making western civilization any stronger by interfering in every country’s politics…

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