Blaming ‘Climate Change’ For L.A. Fires Only Makes Newsom Look Criminally Incompetent

Issues & Insights

"Newsom has been just as lackadaisical when it comes to building new water reservoirs, which you’d think would Job No. 1 in a state convinced that “climate change” will cause more droughts and wildfires."

. . ."But wait. If climate change really is to blame, why was California so obviously, so woefully, so inexcusably unprepared?

"Someone needs to ask Newsom why the state didn’t spend the last four years aggressively clearing out underbrush to minimize the chances of a catastrophic wildfire. Why didn’t it carve out large and effective buffer zones to keep fires from reaching populated areas? Why wasn’t there a Marshall Plan-scale effort to build reservoirs so firefighters could get water from hydrants?

"It’s not as though the state didn’t have plenty of warning. For decades, environmentalists have been screaming about how “climate change” was going to make wildfires more frequent, more all-consuming, and more deadly.

"Yet in the very state where environmentalists hold all the levers of power, they dawdled and delayed, let bureaucratic red tape and environmental groups stall efforts to prepare for the worst, and put other ridiculous and massively expensive projects (such as the “bullet” train) at the front of the line.

"And in the process, California has wasted fantastic sums of money.

"In 2018, former Gov. Jerry Brown signed a $1 billion bill that was supposed to “prevent catastrophic wildfires and protect Californians.” Where did that money go?

"A 2019 report from Newsom’s wildfire “strike force” said that “Over the next five years, the state will commit over $1 billion for critical fuel reduction projects, to support prescribed fire crews, forest thinning, and other forest health projects.”

"Early in his term, Newsom launched the California Vegetation Treatment Program, which was advertised as a plan to speed environmental reviews for forest management projects." . . .

. . ."In 2014, Californians overwhelmingly approved a $7.5 billion water bond proposal, nearly $3 billion of which was set aside to build new reservoirs. More than a decade later, not a single new reservoir has been built. Where has all that money gone?" . . .

Wishcasting The hilariously delusional final days of Joe Biden: "What an ignominious end to an abysmal presidency."

Diann Russell

 "Gillibrand should be thrown out of the Senate in disgrace for encouraging women to use the non-existent 28th Amendment in court."

"Yesterday, the social media engagement staffer in charge of Joe Biden’s Twitter account posted a declaration from President Farina Brain announcing that the Equal Rights Amendment, which was legally dead since ratification failed by the legal deadline, was the “law of the land” and the duly ratified 28th Amendment to the US Constitution.

"So much for preserving “our democracy.”

"Do you think Joe Biden knows he did this? Probably not. This bit of last-minute wishcasting was the work of the same cabal of unnamed White House staffers who have controlled the presidency since January 20, 2021.

"Within no time, the staffer responsible for Kamala Harris’ Twitter account posted a statement lauding Biden for unconstitutionally ratifying a long-dead proposed constitutional amendment. At the same time, the “brains” behind this push, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand praised the president for violating the law to unilaterally ram through a proposed amendment that the states failed to ratify fifty years ago.

"They know it’s laughable bullshit.

"The point of this idiotic stunt isn’t to officially amend the Constitution. It’s to sow confusion and create division so that Leftists can spend the next decade or so pretending that there is a 28th Amendment that makes unrestricted abortion “the law of the land” and the courts who reject this wishcasting are “illegitimate.”

"Gillibrand gave the game away in a tweet on Friday, claiming:

"This is an incredible moment for reproductive freedom, and a historic day for equality – especially with Americans facing the further degradation of reproductive freedom as the incoming administration takes power.

Now, women living in states with restrictions on their reproductive freedoms can – and should – file suits to overturn these unconstitutional laws that discriminate on the basis of sex. I know they will have ample support as they seek justice, and I promise to stand by their side in this fight.

. . Full article here...

Biden burns it all down on his way out the door  . . ."Not to be forgotten is last month’s pardon of Hunter Biden for crimes he “has committed or may have committed” between 2014 and 2024. 

“May have committed”?

"This means the president’s son, who was convicted of federal gun and tax evasion charges related to his shady business dealings with Chinese and Ukrainian companies – in which he traded on his dad’s name – can never face punishment for this period." . . .

Speaker Johnson: Biden Wasn’t Running the Country; “He genuinely did not know what he had signed.”

 Legal Insurrection  

"It occurred to me he was not lying to me. He genuinely did not know what he had signed. I walked outta that meeting with fear and loathing because I thought, 'We are in serious trouble.'"

"In a shocking new interview with The Free Press, Speaker Johnson shares when he realized President Biden was no longer effectively leading the country.

"During the conversation with The Free Press’s Bari Weiss, Johnson recounts his observations and the struggles he faced with the administration, including difficulty securing a meeting with the White House.

"When he finally did, he was ambushed by Biden’s allies, including Vice President Kamala Harris, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senator Chuck Schumer, and other staff members and aides.

"Johnson sought a meeting to address pressing national security concerns and issues related to liquified natural gas (LNG) exports, a significant concern for his constituents in Louisiana. However, he described President Biden as “stunned and surprised” by an executive order the president himself had signed, effectively killing LNG, appearing unaware of its implications.

"More details from The Free Press on the exchange:

“Can I ask you a question? I cannot answer this from my constituents in Louisiana,” Johnson recalled telling Biden. “Sir, why did you pause LNG exports to Europe? Liquefied natural gas is in great demand by our allies. Why would you do that? Cause you understand we just talked about Ukraine, you understand you are fueling Vladimir Putin’s war machine, because they gotta get their gas from him.”

Biden, according to Johnson, was stunned. “I didn’t do that,” Biden said. Johnson responded, “Mr. President, yes you did. It was an executive order like three weeks ago.” Biden continued to deny that he paused the LNG exports. At that point, Johnson suggested that the president ask the president’s secretary to print out the executive order, so the two could read it together.

"The conversation seemed to startle both the Speaker and the President, but for different reasons:

In this exchange, Johnson said he realized that Biden was not lying to him. “He genuinely did not know what he had signed,” Johnson said. “And I walked out of that meeting with fear and loathing because I thought, “We are in serious trouble—who is running the country?” Like, I don’t know who put the paper in front of him, but he didn’t know.”

"Here are Johnson’s comments in full:" . . .

Joe’s low blows: How lame-duck Biden has tried to trip up Trump on way out the door — with 32 executive actions   "President Biden and his aides have spent their final days in office announcing 32 executive actions — on topics from immigration to offshore drilling — aimed at tying up President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.

"The lame-duck 82-year-old’s flurry of late moves to try to make himself a hero to Democrats and obstruct his successor’s agenda include: . . ."

Some may say it is only Biden's decreased mental state but we cannot forget the hate in his face when discussing Donald Trump, a look that comes from deep in the recesses of Biden's emotions.

Trump Posts ‘Blacklist’ of Candidates Who Need Not Apply for Jobs in his White House

Elizabeth Stauffer  "As difficult as it may be to believe that the brash billionaire from New York had little or no idea of the traps that had been set for him by the administrative state, it was the truth."

"On Wednesday night, President-elect Donald Trump took to Truth Social to share a list of individuals who will be excluded from consideration for roles in his second administration. Highlighting that his team has already hired more than 1,000 “outstanding” individuals, he wrote:

In order to save time, money, and effort, it would be helpful if you would not send, or recommend to us, people who worked with, or are endorsed by, Americans for No Prosperity (headed by Charles Koch), “Dumb as a Rock” John Bolton, “Birdbrain” Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, disloyal Warmongers Dick Cheney, and his Psycho daughter, Liz, Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, General(?) Mark Milley, James Mattis, Mark Yesper, or any of the other people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, more commonly known as TDS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

"Predictably, this post did not sit well with our friends on the Left side of the aisle. One man attached Trump’s comments to a post on X with the caption, “Trump makes clear that he is discriminating against candidates for administration jobs if they have links to his political opponents or critics.”

"Discrimination? I call it discernment." . . .

Women who should never fear sexual advanced from Trump people

 Why are Democrat voters incapable of sending their best and brightest to Congress?

Sen. Mazie Hirono Establishes that No Trump Nominees Have Made Unwanted Sexual Advances    "Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), widely believed to be the dumbest senator, has opened each of her questioning rounds of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees with two questions: 1. Have they ever made unwanted sexual advances to anyone? 2. Have they ever entered into a settlement over this type of conduct?" . . .

"Even the foreign press found her questions to be inappropriate. Sky News Australia slammed Hirono’s offensive behavior in an article titled, “This lady has issues.' ” . . .

. . ."It was Pam Bondi who finally delivered the smackdown that Hirono deserved. On Wednesday, Bondi turned the tables on the pompous and unworthy senator for refusing to meet with her prior to the confirmation hearing."   

"Pam Bondi obliterates Sen. Mazie Hirono for refusing to meet with her.
"This was spectacular.pic.twitter.com/LiMzarbd2A

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) January 15, 2025

I suggest that if Hirono felt confident in her intellect she would not have minded matching hers with Pam Bondi in an intelligent conversation. TD 

Deep Question of the Week: Will Trump Execute Generals, Assassinate Media Figures?

David Strom    

"We should create a clock: Day 365 of Liz Cheney not going before a firing squad... Day 366...Day 367." 

Colbert: “The next time you all see me, Donald Trump will be president. And you may not see me.”
 

"I was promised that Donald Trump would jail and kill media figures, execute generals, and build re-education camps for liberals. 

"It is why I voted for him. 

"Sure, Donald Trump never said or even intimated that he would do anything like this, but plenty of Pravda Media figures assured me that this would be so. Donald Trump Jr. would become the next in line to become President-for-life, and Barron would be waiting in the wings should something happen to his brother." . . .

. . . "If I sound a bit snarky, it's because I am so damned tired of these liars, knaves, and traitors to the American Spirit. They are among the lowest of the low, doing everything they can to sound the alarm about a non-problem. They are political opportunists who will do anything, say anything, and, in the case of their jihad against Trump, commit actual crimes to retain their power and prestige." . . . 

Bill Maher Wonders: Why Does It Take a Catatstrophe to Cut Red Tape?

1. Hot Air 

   . . ."They are desperate to avoid accountability for years and decades of mismanagement by the progressive establishment that put them into these offices ... and the progressive establishment is even more anxious to avoid it. As soon as the national scrutiny ends, they will snap back to the same business as usual that created much of this misery in the first place."

" TMZ's Harvey Levin chats up Maher about the start of his new season of Real Time, which launches tomorrow night on HBO, as well as the story of Maher's odyssey through the state and local bureaucracy just to build a shed on his own property. No one who has ever lived in California and Los Angeles would be surprised that it took well over a year to journey through that process, even though the purpose was to add solar power to Maher's property. 

"Now, though, Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass are pledging to cut all that red tape to allow victims of the wildfires to rebuild their homes as quickly as possible. Maher wonders why it takes a disaster for bureaucrats to realize how bad their system actually is (via Hollywood in Toto):" . . .

"Why does it take a catastrophe? Because progressive bureaucrats are motivated by their own agendas, and only incentivized to operate against them in emergencies. California has spent decades keeping property owners from normal uses of their property, even (as Maher experienced) when those uses at least somewhat align with the elites' professed values. They also want to soak taxpayers for every cent they can get in every transaction, which incentivizes them to insert as many steps in the process as they can -- an endless series of applications, permits, and inspections for any significant use of property in the state and in the city." . . .  

Five Quick Things: Joe Biden’s Legacy Of Suck

   How do you think about all this now, Howard Stern?   

The American Spectator 

 Hey, I’m just passing along what others are saying. I have no dog in this fight. If Michelle Obama wants to ban herself from public view regardless of what circumstance that flows from, I’m all for it.

. . .1. Oh, Yeah, He’s Got a Legacy, All Right

"On Wednesday night, Joe Biden took to the airwaves to babble away at his fellow Americans, touting his “legacy” as president and then whining, in a style he attempted to steal from Dwight Eisenhower in the same way he pilfered Neil Kinnock’s speeches all those years ago, about “oligarchs” in Big Tech whom he was perfectly happy with until a year ago.

"At The Hayride and RVIVR, I put up a post in response to that. I don’t care about anything Biden said in his speech; those aren’t his words and he barely comprehended them as he read them off that teleprompter.

"But he’s got a legacy. That can’t be denied. The problem is that his legacy isn’t what he thinks it is. Biden thinks he’s a progressive hero, but what he really amounts to as a president is such a colossal failure as to actually end a political era.

"If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know the structure of American political history I talk about often (it’s a major theme of , as you might know). Which is that we’ve had three major eras in American politics. I get into the details of that more in the Hayride/RVIVR piece, but my thesis for a while has been that the third of those eras is ending.

"And the previous endings of political eras in America have come courtesy of disastrous presidencies. John Adams’s brutal term before Thomas Jefferson blew him away in the election of 1800 precursed the beginning of the major political eras in our history was the first era and then came the fiascoes of James Buchanan, who ended it, and Herbert Hoover, who ended the second.

That brings me to Joe Biden." . . .

 Janet Yellen throws another can of garbage into the Biden dumpster fire economy  "After four years of allowing Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats to spend up a storm and calling inflation "transitory." Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is suddenly concerned about the debt ceiling.". . .

Yellen didn't complain at all the last two months as Biden has been sending money to green pushers as fast as he could.

 Biden has been paying off student loans illegally ... and Yellen didn't say a word. 

 No complaints as Biden sent unlimited funds to Ukraine. 

 Didn't say a word as Biden ran up a $2 trillion deficit in a supposedly great economy. 

 Nor did she say a word when Democrats threatened to close the government instead of agreeing to lift the debt ceiling. 

 But as soon as Trump takes office she says the U.S is in a world of trouble." . . .

Joe Biden: last-minute sabotage fails 

. . ."Suffice it to observe there are multiple federal and state laws guaranteeing equal treatment for women--America has greatly changed since 1923--and God only knows what the ERA, had it ever been lawfully ratified, might have meant in an age when “gender identity” trumps biology.

"But, determined to stick another thumb in American’s eyes, enter Biden’s handlers." . . .

UPDATE: Biden burns it all down on his way out the door   . . ."Even politicos from Biden’s own party are outraged by the many get-out-of-jail-free cards the outgoing commander-in-chief has been tossing around like Halloween candy corn.

"Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, is incensed that Biden commuted the sentence of former judge Michael Conahan.

"One of two jurists found guilty of accepting $2.8 million in illegal payments in exchange for sending youngsters to for-profit detention facilities.

"The so-called “Kids for Cash” scandal “affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways,” Shapiro said.

" 'Some children took their own lives because of this,” he added.

“ 'Families were torn apart There’s all kinds of mental health issues and anguish that came as a result of these corrupt judges deciding they wanted to make a buck off a kid’s back.”

"The prez and his toadies crowed that offenders placed on home confinement had “reintegrated into their families and communities.” . . .

 

Former Israeli Special Ops Vet, Aaron Cohen, explains what most don’t understand about the controversial Israeli hostage deal

 BareNakedIslam

 "Terrible mistake or counterterrorism masterclass? Cohen reveals the intelligence behind the decision, the tactical realities that made a rescue impossible, and why every Hamas terrorist released is now on borrowed time.

Chuck Schumer Talked Biden Out of Presidential Race at Obama’s Request: Report

 RTM

"Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) attempted to corner President-elect Donald Trump’s Treasury nominee, Scott Bessent, during a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing on Thursday. 

"Sanders, known for his fierce criticism of the wealthiest Americans and their influence on U.S. politics, asked Bessent a pointed question that backfired in dramatic fashion." . . .

"Socialist Bernie Sanders was just thoroughly embarrassed by Scott Bessent.

"Bernie echoed Biden’s statement about oligarchs gaining too much influence in government. It was a shallow dig at Elon Musk, who Bernie is obsessed with.

"Bessent quickly reminded him of Soros, who got a… pic.twitter.com/8zp9wp2KEe

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) January 16, 2025

. . ."Bessent’s response was a sharp retort. 

“ 'Well, I would note that President Biden gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom to two people who I think would qualify for his oligarchs,” he said, referencing billionaire liberal philanthropist George Soros and Microsoft founder Bill Gates—both major donors to Democratic causes.

"Sanders seemed taken aback by the response and stammered, “This is not a condemnation of any one individual.”