Trump is taking aim at water supplies for an endangered fish, but scientists say he’s missing the point. It’s one of California’s thorniest problems. The nation’s most populous state is full of sprawling cities, vast farmland, rich ecosystems — and it must decide how to divide scarce water resources among them.
In recent weeks, Trump and his allies — notably billionaire Elon Musk on his X platform — have attacked Newsom's leadership and at times promoted misinformation about California's response. And House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested there should be conditions on federal wildfire aid to force changes in California.
The California governor’s race is not until 2026, but there are already five major declared candidates: Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, California superintendent of public instruction Tony Thurmond, former California Senate president pro tempore Toni Atkins, former controller Betty Yee, and former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
The designations, postponed for a week due to the California wildfires, protect 800,000 acres in the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sattitla National Monument.
A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges
The Spanish profile of the White House on X, @LaCasaBlanca, and the government page on reproductive freedom also were disbanded.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt teased the announcement during an interview on "FOX & Friends," saying Trump will hold an event at 4 p.m. to detail the initiative.
In an interview aired Wednesday night, Trump said he may withhold aid to California until the state adjusts how it manages its scarce water resources. He falsely claimed that California’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas.
Trump says the blame for Los Angeles’ struggles to tame some of the deadly fires lies with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Former President Biden and former First Lady Jill Biden are spending their first days after leaving the White House in Santa Barbara County.