New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a new law on Friday that would ban local police departments from working with the federal government to enforce immigration laws.
Hochul, who has recently condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpeoM879718">said</a> at a press conference that she would seek to end participation in a federal program that grants local police power to enforce immigration laws. Hochul called her proposal the &#8220;Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,&#8221; arguing that ICE should not &#8220;expect local law enforcement to team up with them because we have other responsibilities.&#8221;
&#8220;We are called to act in this moment of tyranny,&#8221; Hochul said.
&#8220;So today, with this proposal, we&#8217;re sending a strong message to ICE,&#8221; she added. &#8220;You will not weaponize local police officers against their own communities in the state of New York. You will not use our police technology to track people who have done nothing wrong. You will not throw innocent people into our jails.&#8221;
Hochul&#8217;s proposal targets <a href="https://www.ice.gov/identify-and-arrest/287g">ICE&#8217;s </a>287(g) program, which establishes agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies and allows ICE to deputize those officers. The program also allows ICE to use local police facilities for immigration enforcement. If Hochul&#8217;s proposal becomes law, New York would become the seventh state to ban the agreement with ICE, joining California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Connecticut.
The Democratic governor accused the federal government of abandoning its responsibility to pursue public safety &#8220;lawfully, transparently, and with humanity.&#8221;
&#8220;In every corner of our state, New Yorkers are feeling traumatized and stunned as they watch federal agents carry out unspeakable acts of violence in a country they no longer recognize,&#8221; Hochul said, surrounded by New York officials, such as NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
&#8220;For weeks, our eyes have been turned to the horrors unfolding on the streets of Minneapolis,&#8221; she added, accusing federal immigration agents of &#8220;murder&#8221; in the shooting of anti-ICE demonstrators Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Hochul said her announcement on Friday was in response to Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey&#8217;s &#8220;call&#8221; for leaders throughout the country to stand up to ICE.
New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, a current Nassau County executive, ripped Hochul after her announcement, calling her &#8220;the most pro-criminal governor in the United States who has a callous disregard for the safety of our communities and victims of crime.&#8221;
&#8220;By banning local law enforcement partnerships with ICE, Hochul is allowing dangerous criminals to return to our neighborhoods. That ends when I’m Governor,&#8221; Blakeman added.
Hochul&#8217;s effort to push back against ICE operations in New York comes as the Trump administration seeks to negotiate with Democratic leaders for greater cooperation on immigration enforcement, especially in major cities such as Minneapolis and New York City. Zohran Mamdani, New York City&#8217;s newly elected democratic socialist mayor, is also strongly opposed to any cooperation with federal immigration agents on arresting and deporting illegal immigrants in the Big Apple.
Democrats doubled down on their opposition to President Donald Trump&#8217;s massive deportation push after Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good were shot and killed by federal agents this month.

Kathy Hochul

Kathy Hochul Seeks To Ban Local Police Agreements With ICE, Says She Must Act In ‘Moment Of Tyranny’

Illegal Immigation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

New York

A Manhattan judge ruled on Friday that federal prosecutors cannot seek the death penalty against suspected assassin Luigi Mangione, a major twist ahead of the highly anticipated trial.
Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty last year after Mangione was arrested and hit with federal charges for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, however, said the parts of the case that made the death penalty a possibility had &#8220;legal infirmities,&#8221; The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/30/us-news/luigi-mangione-case-federal-judge-throws-out-death-penalty/">reported</a>.
The federal charge against Mangione that made him eligible for the death penalty accused him of &#8220;using a firearm to commit murder in furtherance of a crime of violence.&#8221; Garnett said that she was dismissing that part of the indictment “solely to preclude the death penalty as an available punishment when the jury determines if the Defendant caused Brian Thompson’s death.”
Garnett <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/luigi-mangione-latest-judge-rule-death-penalty-stays/story?id=129677290">agreed</a> with Mangione&#8217;s defense team and said that stalking does not constitute &#8220;a crime of violence.&#8221; The judge acknowledged that her decision was &#8220;strange,&#8221; but argued that violence is defined by using force, and stalking could technically be committed without using force, ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/luigi-mangione-latest-judge-rule-death-penalty-stays/story?id=129677290">reported</a>.
Thompson was gunned down from behind in Midtown Manhattan on December 4, 2024, as he was walking to a hotel during his company&#8217;s annual investor conference. Thompson, a Minnesota resident, left behind a wife and two small children. Shell casings retrieved from the scene had the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” written on them, according to the New York Police Department. The words found on the shell casings have been connected to a 2010 book that was critical of the health insurance industry. Mangione&#8217;s fingerprints allegedly matched fingerprints found on shell casings at the murder scene.
Garnett&#8217;s ruling means that Mangione now faces a maximum of life in prison without parole. Prosecutors plan on appealing the decision, NBC 4 New York <a href="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/luigi-mangione-death-penalty-judge-decision-evidence/6452337/">reported</a>.
In another decision on Friday, Garnett sided against Mangione&#8217;s defense team and said that the prosecution could use evidence that was seized from Mangione&#8217;s backpack when he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania. While the suspected assassin&#8217;s backpack was searched by police without a warrant, Garnett said there are exceptions to the requirement for obtaining a warrant, such as the discovery of a weapon.
Mangione was arrested at a McDonald&#8217;s in Altoona following a five-day manhunt, and police found a firearm, silencer, and what appeared to be a manifesto in the man&#8217;s backpack. In one section of a notebook found in Mangione&#8217;s possession, the author planned to &#8220;whack” the health care CEO “at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention.”
Mangione pleaded not guilty to the federal and state murder charges. With the death penalty thrown out, opening arguments for the trial are set to begin in October, with jury selection scheduled for September 8.
The case has already gripped the nation, and Mangione has gained a following, with some of his supporters defending the murder of Thompson and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/luigi-mangione-protesters-call-death-elon-musk-other-corrupt-healthcare-ceos.print">calling</a> for more health care executives to be killed.
Attorney General Bondi <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-pamela-bondi-directs-prosecutors-seek-death-penalty-luigi-mangione">said</a> last year that the murder of Thompson was &#8220;a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.&#8221;

Luigi Mangione Appears In Court To Face NY State Murder Charges

Federal Judge Says Prosecutors Can’t Pursue Death Penalty Against Luigi Mangione

assassination

Court

federal judge

Luigi Mangione

President Donald Trump said on Friday that video of Alex Pretti&#8217;s altercation with federal agents 11 days before he was shot and killed proves that the Minneapolis man was an &#8220;agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist.&#8221;
Trump argued that Pretti&#8217;s &#8220;stock has gone way down&#8221; after the video <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-pretti-attacked-immigration-enforcement-days-before-fatal-shooting-video-shows">shows</a> the man confronting federal agents in Minneapolis and kicking out the taillight of a federal vehicle. The video was released by The News Movement earlier this week and published by numerous news outlets.
&#8220;Agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist, Alex Pretti’s stock has gone way down with the just released video of him screaming and spitting in the face of a very calm and under control ICE Officer, and then crazily kicking in a new and very expensive government vehicle, so hard and violent, in fact, that the taillight broke off in pieces,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115982625271651077">wrote</a> in an early morning Truth Social post. &#8220;It was quite a display of abuse and anger, for all to see, crazed and out of control. The ICE Officer was calm and cool, not an easy thing to be under those circumstances!&#8221;
The footage shows a man yelling and spitting at federal immigration agents on January 13 before he damaged a federal vehicle as it began to drive away. Federal agents then got out of the vehicle and tackled the man to the ground. Pretti&#8217;s family confirmed that it was him in the video.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Minnesota Star Tribune confirmed with Alex Pretti&#8217;s family that the man in this video is indeed Alex Pretti.
Filmed by <a href="https://twitter.com/thenewsmovement?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thenewsmovement</a> on January 13, two weeks before Pretti was shot by ICE: <a href="https://t.co/1yLKLApXvB">pic.twitter.com/1yLKLApXvB</a>
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2016661993671811210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Pretti family&#8217;s attorney, Steve Schleicher, said the video shows Pretti getting &#8220;violently assaulted by a group of ICE agents.&#8221; Before the video was released, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/us/alex-pretti-protesters-minneapolis-invs">reported</a> that Pretti broke a rib during an altercation with ICE agents a week before his death. One source who spoke to Pretti after the altercation told CNN, “That day, he thought he was going to die.” Pretti was reportedly released at the scene after the confrontation.
A little over a week later, Pretti was shot and killed in the street by Border Patrol agents after confronting authorities who were conducting an immigration operation. Pretti, who was armed with a 9 mm handgun, got into an altercation with agents as they were pushing demonstrators off the road. Video shows Pretti getting pepper-sprayed before he&#8217;s taken to the ground. Pretti then resists as officers attempt to detain him. The video appears to show one agent taking Pretti&#8217;s gun while he&#8217;s on the ground before two other agents fire around 10 shots in five seconds, killing Pretti.
After the deadly shooting, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called Pretti a &#8220;domestic terrorist,&#8221; a response that sparked criticism from within Noem&#8217;s department, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/inside-the-trump-administrations-growing-divide-over-mass-deportation-raids?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=Original&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Inside+The+Trump+Administration%E2%80%99s+Growing+Divide+Over+Mass+Deportation+Raids">reported</a>. Earlier this week, Trump said he did not believe Pretti was &#8220;acting as an assassin,&#8221; as was suggested by top officials in his administration.
“With that being said, you can’t have guns,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;You can’t walk in with guns. You just can’t. You can’t walk in with guns, you can’t do that. But it’s a very unfortunate incident.&#8221;
After another Minneapolis resident, Renee Good, was shot and killed by an ICE officer earlier this month, the Trump administration also labeled her a domestic terrorist. The president, however, later said that &#8220;under normal circumstances,&#8221; Good was likely a &#8220;very, solid wonderful person,&#8221; adding, &#8220;But, you know, her actions were pretty tough.&#8221;

Donald Trump

Trump: Video Suggests Alex Pretti May Have Been An ‘Insurrectionist’

Border Patrol

Minneapolis

Minnesota

A man posing as an FBI agent walked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Wednesday night in an attempt to spring suspected assassin Luigi Mangione from jail, according to a criminal complaint.
The suspect, 36-year-old Mark Anderson of Minnesota, was charged on Thursday with impersonating a federal agent. Anderson allegedly illegally approached the jail&#8217;s intake area and told authorities at the jail that he had an order “signed by a judge” to free an inmate. While the criminal complaint does not specify who Anderson was allegedly attempting to free, law enforcement sources told <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-allegedly-break-luigi-mangione-jail-impersonating-fbi/story?utm_source=facebook&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dhfacebook&amp;utm_content=app.dashsocial.com/abcnews/library/media/635358670&amp;id=129679620">ABC News</a> and the<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/29/us-news/lunatic-luigi-mangione-fan-posed-as-fbi-agent-in-botched-bid-to-break-accused-ceo-killer-out-of-nyc-jail-feds/"> New York Post</a> that it was Mangione.
Anderson told officials that he had weapons in his bag, and when officials searched the bag, they found a pizza cutter and a barbecue fork, according to the criminal complaint. When asked to provide his credentials, Anderson handed officials his Minnesota driver&#8217;s license, the complaint stated. Anderson reportedly moved to New York City recently and was working at a pizza parlor. The Minnesota man was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday afternoon.
<div id="attachment_1035785" style="width: 701px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1035785" class="wp-image-1035785 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983-691x576.jpg" alt="" width="691" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983-691x576.jpg 691w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983-300x250.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983-768x640.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/Untitled-design-2026-01-29T172313.983.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 691px) 100vw, 691px" />U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York</div>
Mangione is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center as his trial unfolds. The 27-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate is charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down on a New York City street on December 4, 2024.
Mangione has been charged at the state and federal levels, with his federal murder charge opening up the door to the death penalty if he is convicted. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state and federal murder charges. The suspected assassin has attracted fans, who have called for him to be released. Some of Mangione&#8217;s supporters have used the murder of Thompson to condemn the U.S. health care system and to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/luigi-mangione-protesters-call-death-elon-musk-other-corrupt-healthcare-ceos.print">call</a> for other health care executives to be killed.
The Mangione fans, some of them wearing costumes of Luigi from Super Mario, have flocked together outside of the courthouse in New York City when the suspected killer was due in court. Mangione is due back in court for his federal case on Friday as the judge considers whether the death penalty can remain on the table.
The accused killer&#8217;s attorney&#8217;s wants the judge to prevent the prosecution from using items found in Mangione&#8217;s backpack when he was arrested as evidence. The lawyers argue that Altoona, Pennsylvania, police illegally searched Mangione&#8217;s backpack when they arrested him. Among the items found in Mangione&#8217;s backpack were a gun, a loaded magazine, and a notebook that allegedly described Mangione&#8217;s plan to &#8220;whack&#8221; the health care CEO &#8220;at the annual parasitic bean-counter convention.&#8221;
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said last week that Mangione&#8217;s federal trial will start on September 8.

Man Armed With BBQ Fork And Pizza Cutter Posed As FBI Agent To Spring Luigi Mangione From Jail

Jail

U.S.

President Donald Trump said that he spoke to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum over the phone on Thursday about multiple issues and praised the leader, whom he has recently criticized.
Trump said the call with Sheinbaum &#8220;focused on the Border, stopping Drug Trafficking, and Trade&#8221; and went &#8220;extremely well for both Countries.&#8221; He added that he hopes to set up a meeting between the United States and Mexico soon.
&#8220;Mexico has a wonderful and highly intelligent Leader — They should be very happy about that!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115979311914390909">said</a>.
Sheinbaum <a href="https://x.com/Claudiashein/status/2016893373026607529">said</a> her call with Trump was &#8220;productive and cordial.&#8221;
&#8220;We continue to make progress on trade issues and the bilateral relationship,&#8221; she added.
Trump and Sheinbaum have butted heads throughout the past year over Trump&#8217;s tariffs and his suggestion that the United States could target drug traffickers in Mexico. Last May, Trump reportedly <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-pressures-mexico-to-allow-u-s-military-to-lead-fight-against-drug-cartels?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Pressures+Mexico+To+Allow+U.S.+Military+To+Lead+Fight+Against+Drug+Cartels">pressured</a> Sheinbaum to allow U.S. troops to go into the country to fight the drug cartels, but Sheinbaum was not willing to give U.S. forces the green light. Trump then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-mexicos-president-afraid-to-let-american-troops-come-fight-cartels?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Says+Mexico%E2%80%99s+President+%E2%80%98Afraid%E2%80%99+To+Let+American+Troops+Come+Fight+Cartels">blasted</a> Sheinbaum, saying she was &#8220;afraid&#8221; and &#8220;can’t even think straight.&#8221;
The Mexican president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mexican-president-says-u-s-military-will-not-fight-drug-cartels-on-its-soil?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Mexican+President+Says+U.S.+Military+Will+Not+Fight+Drug+Cartels+On+Its+Soil">doubled down</a> on her opposition to Trump sending U.S. troops to her country in August after The New York Times reported that Trump quietly signed an order to use military force against drug cartels in foreign countries.
&#8220;The United States is not going to come to Mexico with the military,&#8221; Sheinbaum said, adding, &#8220;We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion. That is ruled out, absolutely ruled out. It is not part of any agreement, far from it. When it has been brought up, we have always said no.&#8221;
After the United States captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, Trump <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/09/americas/analysis-mexican-drug-cartels-trump-intl-latam">said</a> the cartels are &#8220;running Mexico,&#8221; adding that &#8220;we have to do something&#8221; about drugs &#8220;pouring through Mexico.&#8221; He again said Sheinbaum was &#8220;afraid&#8221; to deal with Mexican cartels.
As the United States conducts strikes on suspected drug runner boats in international waters in the Caribbean, Trump also suggested last week that he would authorize strikes on drug runners on highly-trafficked land passages, which could include Mexico.
&#8220;We’re going to hit the cartels,” he <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/24/us-news/trump-reveals-to-the-post-on-land-drug-strikes-could-hit-anywhere-including-mexico-central-and-south-america/">told</a> the New York Post. &#8220;We know their routes. We know everything about them. We know their homes. We know everything about them. We’re going to hit the cartels.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s tariffs have also represented a conflict between him and the Mexican leader. After Trump hit Mexico, Canada, and China with tariffs over what he called their failure to address fentanyl trafficking, Sheinbaum said Mexico would retaliate, but the country paused its retaliatory tariffs on the United States as it sought to negotiate a trade deal, and many products from Mexico are protected under the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).
On Wednesday, Mexico&#8217;s economy chief Marcelo Ebrard met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington, D.C., to discuss potential changes to the USMCA, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/mexicos-sheinbaum-says-she-had-productive-call-with-trump-trade-2026-01-29/">reported</a>. The USMCA went into effect in 2020 and is up for a joint review in July, when the United States, Mexico, and Canada must come to an agreement for the pact to be extended.

Trump/Sheinbaum

Trump Praises Mexico’s President After Phone Call Addressing Border, Drug Trafficking, And Trade

Claudia Sheinbaum

Drug Cartels

drug trafficking

Mexico

trade

The top official at the Nashville Electric Service touted her effort to save Nashville&#8217;s tree &#8220;canopy&#8221; last August instead of aggressively trimming trees away from power lines. Nashville Electric Service CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin&#8217;s past comments have now come under scrutiny after an ice storm wrecked Nashville, bringing trees down onto roads and power lines and resulting in the worst power outage in the city&#8217;s history.
The Tennessee Star <a href="https://tennesseestar.com/culture/woke-nes-ceo-on-tree-trimming-i-dont-want-us-out-destroying-the-canopy/khousler/2026/01/29/">reported</a> on Thursday that Broyles-Aplin, who took over as CEO of the electric service in 2022, touted her tree-hugging efforts during an August appearance on &#8220;<a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/plus/urban-league-live/nashville-electric-service">Urban League Live</a>&#8221; on NewsChannel 5 Nashville.
&#8220;We have customers sometimes that are concerned that we may be trimming aggressively and not taking into account the health of the trees, and that couldn&#8217;t be further from the truth,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We do species-specific trimming that is intended to ensure the health of the tree. &#8230; I think most people don&#8217;t realize that we go to that depth of effort, and we have arborists on our staff &#8230; that oversee the planning and the post-cutting inspections, so we take a lot of pride in making sure that we are cutting the trees in a healthy fashion.&#8221;
“We care about the [tree] canopy. We have to live here, too,” Broyles-Aplin said. “And so I don’t want us out destroying the canopy.&#8221;
The Daily Wire reached out to the Nashville Electric Service for comment.
While Broyles-Aplin assured people last August that the electric service takes extreme care in its trimming, some Nashville tree service owners told <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson/2026/01/29/nes-nashville-power-outage-ice-tree-experts/88409270007/">The Tennesseean</a> that the Nashville Electric Service wasn&#8217;t properly keeping up with tree maintenance.
“If they maintained it better, there would be less power outages, at the end of the day,” said Lucas Crenshaw, but he also acknowledged that &#8220;you can only prepare so much.&#8221;
Meagan Cowles, another tree service owner, told the Nashville outlet, &#8220;I am very confident in my opinion to say that NES does not follow the proper cutting procedures to follow the standards.&#8221;
Tree cutting professionals told The Tennessean that the Nashville Electric Service should expand how far it cuts trees from power lines to ensure that falling trees don&#8217;t crash into the lines. They also suggested that homeowners should trim or cut trees on their property that could pose a risk to the power lines near their homes.
The Nashville Electric Service is the 11th largest public utilities agency in the country. The service&#8217;s five-member board is appointed by the mayor and confirmed by Nashville&#8217;s Metro Council. The Nashville Electric Service has been criticized over its preparedness and response to the winter storm that pounded the city with snow and ice last weekend. Tens of thousands of Nashville residents have gone without power for five days as the city also faces extremely cold temperatures.
Along with facing scrutiny over its tree trimming strategy, the agency has also been slammed by many residents who say there is a lack of manpower in the field to address the vast power outages. The Nashville Electric Service had around 200 linemen prepared to work on downed lines, and the agency has nearly quadrupled the number of linemen in the field since the weekend, relying on help from other states.
One lineman told <a href="https://fox17.com/news/local/nashville-electric-service-accused-of-rejecting-help-amid-massive-power-outages-nes-winter-storm-middle-tennessee-union-memebers">Fox 17 Nashville</a> that he doesn’t think Nashville has deployed enough workers to address the widespread outages, adding that the city needed &#8220;a minimum of 2,000&#8221; linemen. The lineman said he believes the electric company didn’t want to pay union wages for outside help.
Broyles-Aplin released a <a href="https://x.com/NESpower/status/2016901409342374389">statement</a> on Thursday morning addressing the ongoing power outages.
&#8220;Many of you are waking up to day #5 without power, which is a significant hardship. It’s our job at NES to keep the power on, and we will not stop until every household in Nashville has power again,&#8221; she said. &#8220;This storm was unprecedented for Nashville and our country, affecting almost half of the U.S. Its icy layers caused widespread damage across our service area to transmission lines, substations and distribution networks.&#8221;
Broyles-Aplin said that around 230,000 residents lost power at the peak of the outages, but it was around 230,000 homes and businesses without power at the peak. Since multiple people reside in many homes, the outages likely affected far more than 230,000 people.
&#8220;Today, we have less than 90,000 homes remaining without electricity. NES has brought in partners from around the country to engage additional available, qualified crews,&#8221; Broyles-Aplin added.
The utilities CEO said that some Nashville residents should be prepared for the power outages to continue &#8220;through the weekend or longer.&#8221; Temperatures are expected to plunge again in the Music City this weekend, with lows nearing 10 degrees.

Nashville

Nashville Electric CEO Touted Tree-Hugging Over Aggressive Trimming Months Before Massive Ice Storm

Power

Severe Weather

Tennessee

Winter storm

A group of protesters clashed with Texas Department of Public Safety troopers on Wednesday outside of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement family detention center, where a 5-year-old boy, who has made headlines, is being held with his suspected illegal immigrant father.
At least two protesters were arrested as troopers attempted to clear the crowd of around 150 people who were blocking a road outside of the South Texas Family Residential Center near Dilley, Texas. Law enforcement officers deployed tear gas and shoved the crowd back, a <a href="https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2026/01/28/protesters-detained-hit-by-tear-gas-outside-dilley-family-detention-facility/">video</a> from ABC&#8217;s San Antonio affiliate KSAT shows.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said that it sent troopers to the facility &#8220;at the request of the City of Dilley.&#8221;
“During today’s response, after dispersal orders were given, approximately 150 demonstrators refused to leave and began to breach the established protest barrier and spit on officers,” the department said. “Despite continued orders to disperse, the group remained and DPS took less-lethal action, deploying pepper ball grenades and pepper ball projectiles to ensure officer safety and maintain order. DPS personnel arrested two individuals on various charges, including resisting arrest and interfering with public duties.”
The demonstrators showed up outside the ICE detention facility to protest federal authorities holding a 5-year-old Ecuadorian boy after his father was arrested during the Trump administration&#8217;s immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. A picture of the boy standing with federal agents went viral last week, with many on the Left pointing to the incident as an example of ICE cruelty.
The Department of Homeland Security said that the young child was &#8220;abandoned&#8221; by his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, when Conejo Arias allegedly attempted to flee from federal agents.
&#8220;For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias,&#8221; Homeland Security added. &#8220;Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children, or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates. This is consistent with past administration’s immigration enforcement.&#8221;
A Minnesota pastor told CNN that the child&#8217;s mother feared going outside to get her child because of ICE&#8217;s presence. Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, however, said that federal agents &#8220;assured [the mother] she would NOT be taken into custody.&#8221;
&#8220;The alleged mother refused to accept custody of the child. The father told officers he wanted the child to remain with him,&#8221; McLaughlin added.
On Tuesday, a federal judge <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judge-blocks-ice-from-deporting-minnesota-man-5-year-old-son">blocked</a> the Trump administration from deporting the boy and his father.
Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) blasted ICE and those who support the agency after the story of the 5-year-old boy went viral. Craig claimed that ICE &#8220;used&#8221; the 5-year-old to &#8220;lure his father out.&#8221;
&#8220;This is the worst of the damn worst,&#8221; Craig added. &#8220;This is not humanity in Minnesota, folks. If you can look at this 5-year-old and actually with a straight face still support [ICE] and be silent in the face of what the Trump administration and Kristi Noem [are] doing, I just can&#8217;t even believe this is America. I will not vote for a damn penny to Kristi Noem or ICE in this Congress.&#8221;
Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn, who has opposed President Donald Trump on some issues, has defended ICE in recent weeks. When addressing the Camp East Montana ICE facility in El Paso earlier this month, Cornyn said that people “are treated humanely” at the facility.
The controversy over ICE holding the 5-year-old boy has further inflamed tensions in Minnesota over Trump&#8217;s immigration enforcement in the state. Chaos erupted on the streets over the weekend after Border Patrol agents shot and killed anti-ICE protester Alex Pretti. The shooting and the political fallout resulted in President Trump making changes to his strategy in Minnesota, sending his border czar, Tom Homan, to the state to take charge of the operation.
The move effectively sidelined Homeland Security Secretary Noem, and Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino was reassigned after leading the Minnesota enforcement operation for the past month.
During a press conference on Thursday, Homan said the Trump administration was working on drafting a &#8220;drawdown plan&#8221; to reduce the number of immigration agents in Minnesota.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-ice-agent-fatally-shoots-agitator-as-chaos-erupts-in-minneapolis?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=LIVE+UPDATES%3A+%E2%80%98You%E2%80%99re+Never+Off+The+Table%E2%80%99%3A+Homan+Says+U.S.+Needs+To+Send+Strong+Message+To+Illegals">LIVE UPDATES: ‘You’re Never Off The Table’: Homan Says U.S. Needs To Send Strong Message To Illegals</a>
This article has updated to state that Sen. Cornyn was speaking about an ICE facility in El Paso, not the facility near Dilley, as was previously reported.

Protesters Clash With Troopers Outside Of ICE Family Detention Center Holding 5-Year-Old Boy

Protesters Clash With Troopers Outside Of ICE Family Detention Facility Where 5-Year-Old Boy Is Held

Immigration

Protesters

Texas

Over 100,000 homes and businesses in Nashville are still without power after a nationwide winter storm slammed the city with ice over the weekend.
The Nashville Electric Service, which serves the vast majority of the metro Nashville area, said in a Wednesday afternoon update that a total of 109,000 customers remain without power, while around 121,000 customers have had their electricity restored. The slow progress after the massive winter storm has put many Nashville residents on edge as they wait for the power to come back while battling extreme cold, with temperatures plunging to below 10 degrees earlier this week.
The storm, which brought snow and nearly an inch of ice in some areas, resulted in the biggest power outage in the history of the Nashville Electric Service.
&#8220;We have deployed more than 900 lineworkers who are continuing restoration efforts and help our customers. These lineworkers are joining us from Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi, Indiana and from different areas in Tennessee,&#8221; the Nashville Electric Service said in its most recent update. &#8220;Additionally, 215 vegetation management team members as well as supplemental contract teams have been deployed to complement restoration efforts and ensure lineworkers can continue reaching their sites efficiently.&#8221;
A major issue slowing down crews is the heavy damage caused by the storm, which brought down trees, limbs, and road signs, blocking roads. Ice from the storm also coated roads and highways, impeding travel, but many residents are questioning why the electric company didn&#8217;t prepare before the storm to send more linemen into the field, especially since weather forecasts predicted a potentially devastating ice storm.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pictures-ice-wreaks-havoc-on-nashville-leaving-thousands-without-power">RELATED: PICTURES: Ice Wreaks Havoc On Nashville, Leaving Thousands Without Power</a>
The Nashville Electric Service addressed the frustrations over its response, saying on Wednesday, &#8220;We’ve heard from our customers and know that many are feeling frustrated right now. We understand that being without power is a significant hardship. Our crews are working around the clock to navigate complex damage, and we remain fully committed to restoring service as safely and quickly as possible for everyone still affected.&#8221;
Tennessee National Guard troops were <a href="https://x.com/peytonTVkennedy/status/2016588155512668357">reportedly</a> en route to the Nashville area on Wednesday to help clear fallen trees. Residents were also outside with chainsaws early Wednesday morning, trying to clear debris for linemen, Fox 17 Nashville <a href="https://x.com/FOXNashville/status/2016557127444087157">reported</a>.
The electric company has gradually increased the number of linemen in the field as workers from other states have joined the effort to restore power to Music City. The Nashville Electric Service, however, has been accused of refusing extra help and working with significantly fewer linemen than the neighboring Middle Tennessee Electric.
One lineman told <a href="https://fox17.com/news/local/nashville-electric-service-accused-of-rejecting-help-amid-massive-power-outages-nes-winter-storm-middle-tennessee-union-memebers">Fox 17 Nashville</a> that he doesn&#8217;t think Nashville has deployed enough workers to address the widespread outages, adding that the city needed &#8220;a minimum of 2,000&#8243; linemen. The lineman said he believes the electric company didn&#8217;t want to pay union wages for outside help.
The Nashville Electric Service denied claims that it has refused extra help and said that it doesn&#8217;t avoid paying union wages.
“As far as we know, no,” Nashville Electric Service spokesman Brent Baker said when asked if the company refused extra help. “We are sticking to the path of bringing on the crews that we have partnered with and through the mutual aid &#8230; NES currently has crews from Florida, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Mississippi and states across the United States and especially the region. As we continue to scale up and grow the workforce, we were accepting workforce from all of those agreements.&#8221;
Hotels in Nashville quickly filled up with people escaping the cold while they waited for their power to return. Some church buildings, community centers, and homeless shelters were also <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/weather/2026/01/26/how-to-stay-warm-find-shelters-in-nashville-during-winter-storm-cold/88360325007/">open</a> to the public in the city, and free hot meals were available for residents at the fairgrounds on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Daily Wire

Nashville Reaches 5th Day Of ‘Historic’ Power Outages, Over 100K Still Have No Electricity

The FBI executed a search warrant at an election office in Fulton County, Georgia — just outside of Atlanta — on Wednesday. The raid was related to a federal government probe into allegations of interference in the 2020 election that President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fbi-executing-search-warrant-election-office-georgia-related-2020-vote-fox-news-2026-01-28/">reported</a>.
FBI agents searched the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Fairburn, where they were looking to take custody of Fulton County election ballots from 2020, Fox 5 Atlanta <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/fbi-executes-court-authorized-action-fulton-election-facility">reported</a>. The Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center was opened in 2023 and is used to modernize election operations. The FBI said the search warrant was signed by a magistrate judge, but did not confirm what the warrant was for, according to Fox 5.
&#8220;The FBI is conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity. No other information is available at this time,&#8221; the FBI told The Daily Wire when reached for comment.
Since losing the 2020 election to Biden, Trump has claimed that Fulton County had major issues with counting ballots, such as counting ballots twice. Biden narrowly defeated Trump in Georgia in 2020, partly thanks to his wide margin of victory in Fulton County. Last month, Fulton County admitted it violated election procedures during the 2020 election, saying that more than 130 tabulator tapes used for around 315,000 early in-person votes were not signed, and 10 more tapes were reported missing.
Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, however, said that missing signatures do not mean that the votes should be invalidated. Raffensperger assured the public that Georgia&#8217;s voter ID laws were still followed and that the results had been audited.
&#8220;Georgia has the most secure elections in the country and all voters were verified with photo ID and lawfully cast their ballots,&#8221; Raffensperger <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GASecretaryofState/posts/georgia-has-the-most-secure-elections-in-the-country-and-all-voters-were-verifie/1184444390539256/">said</a>. &#8220;A clerical error at the end of the day does not erase valid, legal votes.&#8221;
Last month, the Justice Department sued the clerk of Fulton County superior and magistrate courts in an attempt to obtain documents from the 2020 election. The Justice Department said that it was seeking to ascertain &#8220;Georgia&#8217;s compliance with various federal election laws.&#8221; The Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1420721/dl">argues</a> that the clerk&#8217;s refusal to hand over the documents violates the Civil Rights Act.
Fulton County was also the center of the election case against Trump that alleged the president attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump was indicted on racketeering charges in Fulton County in 2023 following an investigation by Democratic District Attorney Fani Willis. The case against Trump, however, was dismissed after it was revealed that Willis had a romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Trump was also indicted on election-related charges in a federal case led by former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, who investigated Trump while Biden was in office. Smith recently defended his effort to go after Trump during a congressional testimony last week and said that Georgia was &#8220;ground zero&#8221; for Trump&#8217;s efforts to allegedly overturn the 2020 election. Smith argued that Trump pushed &#8220;knowingly false claims of fraud&#8221; to keep claims of a stolen election alive.
Smith filed a motion to dismiss the case against Trump after he won the 2024 election.

FBI Bulletproof Jacket

FBI Raids Fulton County Office As Part Of 2020 Election Interference Probe

Department of Justice

fulton county

Georgia

President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Minneapolis Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday morning after the mayor doubled down on refusing to cooperate with federal immigration agents.
After speaking with Trump by phone on Monday and meeting with border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday, Frey <a href="https://x.com/MayorFrey/status/2016241048209518736">said</a> Minneapolis would not cooperate in enforcing federal immigration laws. Trump blasted the mayor over the remark, which he called &#8220;a very serious violation of the Law.&#8221;
&#8220;Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, &#8216;Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws.&#8217; This is after having had a very good conversation with him,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115972940749866695">wrote</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!&#8221;
Frey <a href="https://x.com/MayorFrey/status/2016517831538446802">shot back</a> at Trump on Wednesday morning, saying, &#8220;The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws. I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to [Minneapolis] &amp; is from Ecuador. It’s similar to the policy your guy Rudy [Giuliani] had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911.&#8221;
Democrat-run Minneapolis has long been considered a &#8220;sanctuary city&#8221; as it has enacted laws limiting how local authorities can work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Minneapolis revised its &#8220;<a href="https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/Download/FileV2/52757/Revised%20Separation%20Ordinance.pdf">separation ordinance</a>&#8221; in December to state that the city would &#8220;vigorously oppose any effort to require the use of city resources for the enforcement of civil federal immigration laws.&#8221; The revised ordinance also states that city property and facilities cannot be used to enforce federal immigration laws.
Frey met with Homan in Minneapolis on Tuesday as more chaos has erupted in the city after Border Patrol shot and killed anti-ICE demonstrator Alex Pretti during a confrontation. Frey said he &#8220;shared with Mr. Homan the serious negative impacts&#8221; of the Trump administration&#8217;s immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, &#8220;as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers.&#8221;
&#8220;I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe,&#8221; Frey added. &#8220;City leaders will continue to stay in conversation with Mr. Homan and his team.&#8221;
Trump sent Homan to Minneapolis in a shift in strategy on the enforcement operation there as the administration faces criticism for its response to the shooting death of Pretti. The move effectively sidelined Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem&#8217;s role there, and Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, who had been leading the Minneapolis deployment, was reassigned.
&#8220;I don’t think it&#8217;s a pullback, it&#8217;s a little bit of a change,&#8221; Trump told Fox News host Will Cain. &#8220;Everybody in this room that has a business, you make little changes.&#8221;
&#8220;You know, Bovino is very good, but he&#8217;s pretty out-there kind of a guy. In some cases, that&#8217;s good. Maybe it wasn&#8217;t good here,&#8221; he added.
Both Frey and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said that they made progress in their talks with the Trump administration after Homan arrived in Minneapolis, but the Democratic leaders continue to call for federal immigration agents to leave the city and the surrounding area.
&#8220;Tom Homan&#8217;s a professional, which is a lot more than Bovino and Kristi Noem,&#8221; Walz <a href="https://x.com/Breaking911/status/2016518629433471339">told</a> CNN on Tuesday night. &#8220;But look, I think the thing we said is we&#8217;re very clear about this: we need these folks out of Minnesota and we need justice for Renee Good and for Alex [Pretti].&#8221;

Jacob Frey/Donald Trump

‘Playing With Fire!’: Trump Warns Minneapolis Mayor After He Doubles Down On Sanctuary Policy

jacob frey

Sanctuary Cities

President Donald Trump suggested that leftist Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) might have staged the incident in which a man sprayed her with an unknown substance during a town hall in Minnesota on Tuesday night.
In an <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/man-charges-rep-ilhan-omar-town-hall/story?id=129618409">interview</a> with ABC News, Trump called Omar a &#8220;fraud&#8221; and said &#8220;she probably had herself sprayed, knowing her,&#8221; while acknowledging he had not watched the video.
&#8220;I hope I don’t have to bother,&#8221; Trump continued.
Trump dismissed the attack on Omar just days after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-flags-ilhan-omars-finances-as-report-reveals-prior-doj-scrutiny">saying</a> the Justice Department and Congress are looking into her finances over concerns that she could be connected to the massive fraud scandal recently uncovered in Minnesota. The investigation into Omar&#8217;s finances and campaign spending was opened by the Justice Department under the Biden administration, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/politics/ilhan-omar-investigation-finances.html">reported</a> earlier this week.
A man, identified by authorities as 55-year-old Anthony J. Kazmierczak, allegedly held a syringe and rushed toward the Somali-born congresswoman shortly after she called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be defunded and demanded the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Video of the incident shows the suspect, who had been sitting in the front row, spraying Omar&#8217;s shirt with an unknown substance before a security guard intervened and threw him to the ground. After she was sprayed, Omar stepped toward the suspect aggressively.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) assaulted during town hall meeting: &#8220;Here&#8217;s the reality that people like this ugly man don&#8217;t understand; we are Minnesota strong and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Ud5l3yP4lQ">pic.twitter.com/Ud5l3yP4lQ</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2016320453132869910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
People around Omar urged her to seek medical evaluation, but she insisted on continuing, saying, &#8220;We will continue. These f*cking a**holes are not going to get away with it.&#8221;
&#8220;Whatever it is, it smells so bad. She needs to go get checked,&#8221; one woman is heard saying. The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/us/ilhan-omar-town-hall-minnesota.html?smid=url-share">reported</a> that the liquid sprayed at Omar &#8220;smelled strongly of vinegar.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1034583" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1034583" class="wp-image-1034583 size-large" src="https://drwordpress.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/GettyImages-2257991193-865x576.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2257991193-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2257991193-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2257991193-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-2257991193.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images</div>
After the event, Omar described herself as a &#8220;survivor&#8221; and told reporters, &#8220;You know, I&#8217;ve survived more, and I&#8217;m definitely going to survive intimidation and whatever these people think that they can throw at me because I&#8217;m built that way.&#8221;
Kazmierczak was arrested on a charge of third-degree assault and booked into the Hennepin County Jail. His neighbor, Brian Kelley, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/28/us-news/alleged-ilhan-omar-attacker-hinted-at-town-hall-plans-in-cryptic-texts-to-neighbor-i-might-get-arrested/">told</a> The New York Post that a few days before the incident, Kazmierczak suggested he &#8220;might get arrested&#8221; at Omar&#8217;s town hall and asked him to watch his dog while he attended the event.
“He said, ‘I’m going to this Omar thing.’ I’m like, Omar what? He said, ‘This town hall thing.’ And he said, ‘I might get arrested,’” Kelley told the Post.
Kelly said the day after Kazmierczak hinted he might be arrested, he told him the dog-sitting was no longer necessary. &#8220;I figured he blew that off,&#8221; Kelley added.
Kelley said that Kazmierczak had been diagnosed with Parkinson&#8217;s disease, was heavily medicated, and suffered from spine issues after he was in a car crash years ago. He added that he wasn&#8217;t &#8220;overly surprised&#8221; to hear that Kazmierczak was arrested for allegedly assaulting Omar.
“I figured when he said he was going to go to the town hall, he’d stand up and say something stupid,&#8221; Kelley said. &#8220;I can’t imagine him assaulting or spraying somebody.&#8221;

Omar/Trump

Trump Says ‘Fraud’ Ilhan Omar ‘Probably Had Herself Sprayed’

Ilhan Omar

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday directing the federal government to take over home rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles County, aiming to &#8220;cut through bureaucratic red tape and speed up reconstruction&#8221; more than a year after the devastating wildfires in Southern California.
On Tuesday, the White House released a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-addresses-state-and-local-failures-to-rebuild-los-angeles-after-wildfire-disasters/">fact sheet</a> explaining that the order requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to &#8220;preempt&#8221; state and local permitting requirements. California Democrats have been accused of slowing down the rebuilding process by requiring people who lost their homes to abide by burdensome standards.
“I want to see if we can take over the city and state and just give the people their permits they want to build,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/27/us-news/trump-orders-feds-to-take-over-californias-wildfire-rebuilding/">told</a> The New York Post.
The Palisades and Eaton fires, which erupted last January, destroyed around 13,000 homes and other residential properties in Los Angeles County. In the past year, fewer than a dozen homes in those areas have been rebuilt, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/year-la-area-wildfires-destroyed-thousands-homes-fewer-dozen-rebuilt-rcna252751">reported</a> earlier this month. Delayed insurance payouts are also slowing some rebuilding efforts, and many residents are finding that their payouts won&#8217;t be enough to cover construction costs. California building permits and regulations only add to the high costs.
&#8220;Despite billions of dollars in Federal recovery awards and the fastest Federal debris removal in American history, only about 2,500 of the tens of thousands of homes and businesses destroyed have received permits to rebuild. Now a year after the fires, less than 10 homes have been rebuilt,&#8221; Trump&#8217;s order states. &#8220;Overly burdensome, confusing, and inconsistent permitting requirements, duplicative permitting reviews, procedural bottlenecks, and administrative delays have effectively stalled recovery efforts.&#8221;
The Environmental Protection Agency moved quickly last year to clear debris after the fires, an effort Trump said impressed him. He praised EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin&#8217;s leadership and told The Post that he plans to put Zeldin in charge of the new push to cut California&#8217;s rebuilding red tape. Pacific Palisades resident Nina Madok, whose home was destroyed, told The Post that she was impressed by the federal government&#8217;s &#8220;ability to expedite everything&#8221; after the fires.
&#8220;Having the federal government, especially with somebody like Donald Trump who is Mr. Let’s-Get-It-Done — who moves at the speed of light — makes a huge difference,&#8221; Madok added.
Shortly after the fires, Trump traveled to Los Angeles County to survey the damage alongside California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in what was the first trip of Trump&#8217;s second term. During a press conference alongside L.A. Mayor Karen Bass last year, Trump urged California leaders to allow residents to immediately return to their properties and begin cleanup and rebuilding.
&#8220;You shouldn&#8217;t have any [permits] at this point. You should just let them build,&#8221; Trump said.
Bass replied, saying, &#8220;We are going to do everything we can, slashing regulations, expediting everything so that people can begin the process right away.&#8221;
More than a year later, however, California residents are still frustrated with the state and local government.
“We need capital. We need resources. We need a real plan to get people back home and rebuild the infrastructure,&#8221; Mike Furnari, who lost his home in the Palisades fire, told The Post. “Why haven’t we learned from past fire rebuilds? The capital is here. The infrastructure is here. Look at where we are, this is one of the most incredible places in the world. Highest value per square foot, highest land value per square foot in the country.&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s order also requires FEMA to investigate whether California complied with the law, after his administration made more than $3 billion available to people and businesses affected by the fires. The order directs FEMA &#8220;to determine whether any of California’s nearly $3 billion in unspent Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds were awarded arbitrarily or contrary to law, and to conduct a full audit of California’s use of those funds.&#8221; Most of that $3 billion is in the form of low-interest disaster loans for homeowners and business owners.
Last year, Trump also signed executive orders to address wildfire response and mitigation, and said last January that he directed the Army Corps of Engineers to release billions of gallons of water to Southern California to support the firefighting effort. The move was criticized by local California officials, who warned that releasing that much water could flood farms and have no impact on fighting or preventing fires.

Scenes from the Palisades fire zone on the one year anniversary

Trump Orders Federal Takeover Of L.A. Home Rebuilds As Red Tape Drags On After Fires

California

Fires

Los Angeles

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Zach Jewell