• Urgency for Action: With Donald Trump entering his second term, there’s a pressing need for Republicans to act swiftly on key issues, given the limited time before midterms.
• Tax Policy: Republicans must prioritize extending the expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to prevent economic downturn and job losses.
• Border Security: Immigration policy reform is crucial, especially after what’s described as Biden’s lax border policies, leading to increased illegal entries.
• Energy Independence: There’s a call to reverse Biden’s environmental policies to restore U.S. energy independence, focusing on fossil fuels alongside renewables.
• Mismanagement Critique: The article criticizes the handling of natural disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires, attributing it to progressive policies, mismanagement, and budget cuts in essential services.
• Public Trust in Media: There’s a noted distrust in legacy media, with encouragement for supporting conservative media outlets like The Daily Signal for more balanced reporting.
• Historical Context: The piece references the aftermath of natural disasters to illustrate the consequences of unpreparedness and the need for proactive governance.
• Political Climate: It highlights the political environment with Trump’s return, suggesting a focus on conservative policies to address what are seen as failures of the previous administration.
• Call to Action: The article ends with an appeal to the American public to support Republican initiatives in these areas to prevent further economic and social decline.

Article

Luck, the saying goes, is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

That’s good luck. What about bad luck? It’s the opposite.

Bad luck is what happens when lack of preparation meets an ongoing threat.

We’re watching this play out now as fires tragically turn large swaths of Los Angeles’ most valuable real estate to ashes, with a massive price paid, including human lives.

We’re just starting to read about dry fire hydrants caused by water shortages resulting from dumping water into the ocean to protect smelt fish. Operations budget cuts at the Los Angeles Fire Department, approval of a bloated union contract, and LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley announcing diversity, equity, and inclusion as a top priority. Stopping work to upgrade power lines adjacent to where fires now rage to make them fire-and-wind resistant because the work threatened an endangered plant species. And, in addition, dangers caused by fires ignited by the sprawling presence of LA’s homeless. […]

— Read More: www.dailysignal.com

• Bureaucratic Failures: A reporter revealed significant bureaucratic inefficiencies in the response to the Los Angeles County wildfires.
• Man-Made Origins: The fires are suggested to be man-made, with a possible connection to homeless encampments.
• Delayed Response: Firefighters were not mobilized effectively, with crews arriving almost an hour after the fire’s start in some cases.
• Resource Management: There was a notable failure in deploying fire trucks and managing resources. A veteran firefighter noted that there should have been pre-deployment of units based on weather forecasts.
• Water Supply Issues: The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power had drained a major reservoir near one of the fires but failed to notify fire departments.
• Political and Leadership Failures: Criticism was directed towards Mayor Karen Bass and Governor Gavin Newsom for their handling of the situation. Bass was abroad during the crisis, and Newsom delayed calling in the National Guard and international help.
• Budget Cuts and Training: The LAFD had its budget cut, leading to reduced morale and resources, and was subjected to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training which was seen as irrelevant to fire fighting.
• Political Finger-Pointing: Post-crisis, there’s been public blame-shifting among city leaders.
• Climate Change Denial: The article dismisses climate change as a factor in the fires, focusing instead on local mismanagement.
• Public and Media Reaction: The narrative points to a contrast between official statements and the reality on the ground, with media and public scrutiny increasing.

Article

California Democrats and local officials need to understand that there’s this thing called social media. There’s a search engine called Google, and they will expose your lies. Yes, Big Tech has been involved in some grotesque censorship. Still, with wildfires and preparation, old clips have resurfaced that have scorched the latest narrative about how Los Angeles County was prepared, how the reservoirs were filled, and how the Santa Ana winds left first responders paralyzed to mother nature. Yeah, that dog won’t hunt.

https://twitter.com/peterjhasson/status/1878813530927022566

https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1877411510571413868

https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1878928127151485144

The origins of the fire seem to be man-made. Was it the homeless? The latest fire erupted near a known homeless camp. It’s been a problem; these people usually start half of the fires LAFD extinguishes, though the media dare not say a word about it, right? The high winds bit is hilarious. These clowns want to sell that they’ve never seen such high winds. LA did in 2011. Yet, let’s get to the latest development: Michael Shellenberger has a bombshell story detailing the failure to mobilize fire crews, the byzantine bureaucracy that bogs down efficiency, and the abject failure of city and county officials to prepare for what is going to be a $100 billion disaster. Also, the Palisades blaze, which continues to burn uncontrollably, was allowed to burn for almost an hour before firefighters arrived (via Public):

The LA Department of Water and Power had drained the city’s second-largest reservoir of water, which was right near the Palisades fire, and failed to notify the County or City Fire Department. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of “extreme fire risk” on January 2, the NWS – Los Angeles held a briefing on January 3, and yet Mayor Bass flew to Ghana anyway. Newsom did not call out the National Guard until Friday and did not mobilize national and international help until the last few days. 

An aide to a former California governor told me, “Knowing the mayor’s office couldn’t adequately manage the situation, Newsom should have immediately traveled to LA to backstop the mayor’s office.”  […]

— Read More: townhall.com

“There truly is no better way for an incoming administration to handle this situation,” said Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, the Minister of State at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Al-Khulaifi acknowledged his statement to Just the News the rarity of having a deal first negotiated by incumbent President Joe Biden pushed to fruition by his successor even before Trump takes office on Monday.

U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed to Just the News that Trump and Biden coordinated their strategies before Witkoff dispatched to the region a few weeks ago, creating a diplomatic dynamic that helped restart a deal reached last spring but soon faltered and stagnated for months.

Witkoff and Biden administration officials met in Doha with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, before Witkoff dispatched separately to Jerusalem to negotiate outstanding issues with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to officials from all three countries. […]

— Read More: justthenews.com

Axios reports Wednesday morning, “A breakthrough has been reached in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Doha and a deal to release hostages held by Hamas and establish a ceasefire in Gaza is imminent, three Israeli officials told Axios.”

“There is a breakthrough in the hostage deal negotiations in Doha. Hamas’ military leader in Gaza Mohammed Sinwar gave his OK,” one Israeli official was cited as saying. And importantly, a statement from Trump’s team:

‘We have a deal’: Trump hails Gaza peace accord

In a quick follow-up statement on Truth Social, president-elect Trump underscored the unmistakable timing, attributing the deal to his election win in November. Below is his statement in full [emphasis ZH]:

This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.

With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven. We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World!

We have achieved so much without even being in the White House. Just imagine all of the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House, and my Administration is fully confirmed, so they can secure more Victories for the United States!

The impending deal reportedly lays out an initial six week ceasefire phase which includes gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Central Gaza as well as the return of displaced Palestinians to North Gaza.

Of the some 100 hostages still held by Hamas, at least one-third are believed already deceased. Dozens were released upon an initial deal struck early in the conflict.

Like with the first hostage exchange, dozens of Palestinian prisoners are expected to be released under this new agreement in return for each Israeli hostage.

Gazans, enduring Israeli attacks for 465 days, celebrate the ceasefire agreement with tears of relief pic.twitter.com/eiW0jyuB9V

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) January 15, 2025

According to the latest on where things stand via Axios:

• A second Israeli official said there is optimism that a deal could be announced by Thursday at the latest.
• The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that Hamas hasn’t given it’s approval for the deal.
• Hamas still hasn’t issued an official statement, but a Palestinian source quoted by Al-Araby al-Jadeed website said the group and other factions in Gaza have a unified position and have given a positive response to the draft ceasefire agreement.

Netanyahu’s office has still said it has not received official word from Hamas on whether it has agreed to the deal.

“Both Reuters and AFP reported that Hamas had given verbal approval for the deal, citing Palestinian sources. According to Reuters, the terror group had not yet given a written response to the ceasefire proposal,” Times of Israel also underscores. Additionally:

Channel 12 quoted an Israeli official saying that “there has been a breakthrough,” and assessed that a deal could be signed later in the day.

Ministers is Netanyahu’s cabinet are reportedly preparing for a possible Wednesday night vote on enacting a ceasefire deal.

Not everyone is happy. For example, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has threatened to quit the governing coalition if Netanyahu agrees to the hostage and ceasefire deal.

I don't care what you think of Trump. I don't care what Trump's motives are or what else he promised Israel, which I'm sure is non-trivial.

Anyone who causes an end to Israel's civilian- destruction in Gaza has done a good thing, and there's no denying his key role: https://t.co/saOMNruu78

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 15, 2025

“Over the past year, through our political power, we have managed to prevent this deal from coming to fruition, time after time,” Ben Gvir said Tuesday. Some critics both within and outside Israel have accused Netanyahu of doing precisely this. Large protests have persisted in Tel Aviv amid accusations Netanyahu has thwarted potential peace deals in the past, opting to pursue total war in Gaza.

“I’ve been on the board [of the Los Angeles Fire Department] for 17 years, and for years now, for decades, the LAFD has been neglected by its leaders,” Escobar told Breitbart News. “They have not addressed a woefully understaffed fire department. We need 62 new stations; 100 more firefighters and medics, more engines, trucks, medics. We are woefully understaffed.”

Escobar noted that while the fire itself was caused by extreme winds and “the man upstairs,” the scale of the fire was primarily because of the lack of resources, including personnel. He added that the department was reluctant to pay OT.

Mayor Karen Bass’s budget had cut fire department expenditures by $17.5 million and the overtime budget by over $19 million.

While Escobar stated that he didn’t know whether the fire department could have prevented the fire outright, “… more could have helped. … If we had the resources that we’ve been asking for, that we need, in a city that’s been neglected by its leaders for decades.” […]

— Read More: townhall.com

A source familiar with Ratcliffe’s plans told the Daily Mail, “I suspect Ratcliffe is going to come in like a wrecking ball to the woke deep staters. The mission is all he cares about. No more politicized intelligence products. No more social experiments. Nothing and no one that distracts from the mission of collecting foreign intelligence and keeping Americans safe.”

The Daily Mail obtained a trove of flyers from CIA employees outlining the number of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) events the agency has held over recent years.

The events include a 2024 Pride Month event featuring a keynote address from trans-identified male Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Rachel Levine, an event at the “Multicultural Inclusion Exchange” marking 20 years of the Loving v Virginia Supreme Court case, a black history month event titled “The Black Experience” spanning the whole month, and “Equity Assurance Training,” among other events.

A former CIA paramilitary operations officer told the outlet, “We’re the point of the spear for the Agency and we don’t have time for this nonsense. And that’s what it is: Nonsense.” […]

— Read More: thepostmillennial.com

So far, the state’s top Democratic politicians, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, and California State Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, as well as other officials, have all managed to step on political tripwires when responding to the Los Angeles wildfires, raising questions about their ability to handle the crisis and inaction leading up to the disaster.

The death toll has surged to 24 as of Monday as the five wildfires have spread across 40,000 acres and have left thousands of Californians homeless.

pic.twitter.com/IljfVSSNmd

— Hailey Grace Gomez (@haileyggomez) January 9, 2025

1. Los Angeles Fire Chief Lets Slip That City Failed Her Department

LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley cracked under pressure from the press Friday, admitting that the city’s leadership “failed” her organization. The embattled fire chief cited a lack of water and resources to handle the fires.

“Did the city of Los Angeles fail you and your department and our city?” a reporter asked Crowley. […]

— Read More: dailycaller.com

During an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” anchor Shannon Bream asked Vance about what Trump said at a press conference in Los Angeles in September 2024, saying he would stop giving California government aid unless the money was better spent.

“We won’t give him money to put out all his fires,” Trump said in September 2024. “And if we don’t give him the money to put out his fires, he’s got problems.”

When asked if the idea of not giving Californians help was being thought about, Vance said it wasn’t and emphatically explained that Trump is committed to making the federal government better at handling crises.

“No, look, President Trump cares about all Americans, right? He is the president for all Americans. And I think that he intends to have FEMA and other federal responses much, much better and much more clued into what’s going on there on the ground,” Vance said. […]

— Read More: conservativebrief.com

As California sailed into the weekend literally ablaze, Newsom thought there was no better time to sit for a half-hour podcast interview with a former Obama administration official. It was beautiful and truly everything we’ve grown to expect from a Democrat in a position of authority.

In 30 minutes, Newsom explained that every criticism leveled at him is “misinformation,” that he is just as much a victim as anyone who saw his home burn to ashes, and that he’s helping fix the problem even though it’s not his responsibility.

Asked by former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau if there was anything his administration “could have done to be better prepared for a fire” that has so far killed at least two dozen people and incinerated over 40,000 acres, Newsom — I’m not kidding you — asked the public to give him a little more credit. “Well, you always have to have some humility and grace as it relates to that question,” he said, “and I’m very self-critical in that respect.”

He has humility and grace, plus he’s very self-critical, so have a heart, why don’t you? […]

— Read More: thefederalist.com

The confirmation hearing for Trump’s Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins was postponed on Monday after the FBI slow-rolled its customary background check.

“Hearing for VA Sec nominee Collins postponed. VA Cmte chair Moran: Congressman Doug Collins has submitted all his paperwork in a timely manner and has been transparent and forthcoming with the committee..At this time, the FBI has not completed its customary background check of Congressman Collins. In accordance with long-standing practice, the committee should have an opportunity to review Congressman Collins’ FBI file before the confirmation hearing. I expect the FBI to complete its review quickly so that the committee can move forward with its role of evaluating the President’s nominee,” Fox News Congress reporter Chad Pergram said on Monday.

President Trump chose former Georgia Congressman and veteran Doug Collins to head the VA in November.

“Doug is a Veteran himself, who currently serves our Nation as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our Country in the Iraq War,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in November. “We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need. Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our country in this very important role.” […]

Honored to accept @realDonaldTrump nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Our heroes deserve the best care and support.

We'll fight tirelessly to streamline and cut regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure every veteran receives the benefits they've earned.… pic.twitter.com/StWK0XcYAm

— Doug Collins (@RepDougCollins) November 14, 2024

— Read More: www.thegatewaypundit.com