Former Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Wednesday that she will not run for governor in her home state of California — and while she did not rule out any future campaign plans, she hinted that, at least &#8220;for now,&#8221; her place was not in any elected office.
Harris commented, &#8220;My statement on the California governor&#8217;s race and the fight ahead&#8221; — as she shared her announcement in a post on X.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My statement on the California governor&#8217;s race and the fight ahead. <a href="https://t.co/HYzK1BIlhD">pic.twitter.com/HYzK1BIlhD</a>
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1950633431945379888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Over the past six months, I have spent time reflecting on this moment in our nation&#8217;s history, and the best way for me to continue fighting for the American people and advancing the values and ideals I hold dear,&#8221; Harris said in a statement, going on to say that she valued her time in the multiple elected offices she&#8217;s held — from California Attorney General to Vice President — and planned to continue working as &#8220;a public servant.&#8221;
&#8220;In recent months, I have given serious thought to asking the people of California for the privilege to serve as their governor. I love this state, its people, and its promise. It is my home. But after deep reflection, I’ve decided that I will not run for Governor in this election,&#8221; she announced.
She went on to say that she planned to continue supporting other Democrats as they ran for office, adding, &#8220;For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office. I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans.&#8221;
Harris did not mention the possibility of a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/30/kamala-harris-wont-run-for-california-governor-00484884">second run</a> at the White House in 2028, but rumors have swirled about that possibility since she lost her 2024 bid to President Donald Trump. Her decision not to run for California Governor may fuel more speculation on that topic — and it certainly changes the landscape for potential gubernatorial candidates in California, many of whom were expecting her to enter the race.

Kamala Harris

Kamala Will Not Run For Governor In California

California

Gavin Newsom

Politics

Tsunami waves caused by a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the east coast of Russia hit Hawaii, California, and Washington late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Maui reported waves as high as 5.7 feet, while Crescent City, California, saw waves up to 3.6 feet, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/live-updates-hawaii-tsunami-warning-hours-russia-earthquake-rcna221881">reported</a>. While the strongest tsunami surges appear to be over for Hawaii, Alaska, and much of the West Coast, <a href="https://www.tsunami.gov/">warnings</a> remain in effect for parts of Northern California, including Eureka and Crescent City.
The National Weather Service office in Eureka, California, said early Wednesday morning that &#8220;Tsunami activity is continuing to build this morning as we approach the 4 AM minor high tide.&#8221;
&#8220;Continue to avoid beaches and harbors as tsunami activity will persist,&#8221; the NWS added.
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Tsunami activity is continuing to build this morning as we approach the 4 AM minor high tide. Maximum confirmed heights for our coast so far:
Crescent City: 3.6 Ft Humboldt Bay: 1.2 Ft Arena Cover: 3.0 Ft
Continue to avoid beaches and harbors as tsunami activity will persist. <a href="https://t.co/ellGAUW9C7">pic.twitter.com/ellGAUW9C7</a>
&mdash; NWS Eureka (@NWSEureka) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSEureka/status/1950493912381919733?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The NWS issued a strong warning for Crescent City and Humboldt Bay just after midnight local time, saying, &#8220;The first Tsunami waves are beginning to impact the coast with clear waves being recorded at the Crescent City and Humboldt Bay tide gauges. Waves will continue to build in through the night and will become more dangerous as we approach high tide. Stay away from beaches!&#8221;
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The first Tsunami waves are beginning to impact the coast with clear waves being recorded at the Crescent City and Humboldt Bay tide gauges. 
Waves will continue to build in through the night and will become more dangerous as we approach high tide. Stay away from beaches! <a href="https://t.co/EKR5gZukCH">pic.twitter.com/EKR5gZukCH</a>
&mdash; NWS Eureka (@NWSEureka) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSEureka/status/1950463263902204270?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Northern California is especially prone to damage from tsunamis, as waves are often stronger in the area and reach higher in harbors than in other parts of the West Coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/07/29/magnitude-8-7-earthquake-russia-tsunami-alert/85432493007/">reported</a>.
No deaths or severe structural damage have been reported in Alaska, Hawaii, or the West Coast as of Wednesday morning. Evacuation orders for Hawaii were <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2025/07/29/magnitude-8-7-earthquake-russia-tsunami-alert/85432493007/">lifted</a> hours after they were issued as the surge calmed. Emergency officials in the state said that they did not expect any widespread flooding, giving residents the all-clear to return to their homes, but adding that people should &#8220;remain cautious in or near the water. &#8230; Stay away from beaches, shorelines, and out of the ocean.&#8221;
Tsunami waves hit Washington state shortly after midnight local time, but officials said that though &#8220;strong and unusual&#8221; currents were likely, they did not expect any coastal inundation. For Oregon, officials downgraded a tsunami watch to an advisory, but still warned people to stay away from the shore.
While Alaska&#8217;s warning was also downgraded to an advisory, forecasters said that currents at beaches, inlets, and harbors could remain dangerous for days. The coast of British Columbia, Canada, also remains under a tsunami advisory.
The 8.8 magnitude earthquake off of Russia&#8217;s remote east coast was in the top 10 strongest earthquakes in recorded history, and the biggest since 2011. Japan and some Pacific islands also issued tsunami warnings and advisories after the quake. Waves reached the U.S. territory of Guam in the early morning hours, with waves reaching up to a foot high and bringing the potential of minor flooding and strong currents. As tsunami alerts went out, nearly two million people in Japan were told to evacuate. The country later <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c3r4x9yrrg4t">downgraded</a> its warnings to advisories.

Tsunami

Tsunami Waves Crash Into West Coast, Alaska, Hawaii

Alaska

flooding

Hawaii

National Weather Service

Oregon

Severe Weather

Washington State

Americans moving out of deep blue states have taken with them hundreds of billions of dollars-worth of personal income, while red strongholds are brimming with new economic activity, according to a new database.
Former Trump economic advisor Steve Moore and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced the release of a new database on Thursday from Unleash Prosperity, a nonprofit that advocates supply-side economics. The database, <a href="https://votewithyourfeet.net/data/">Vote With Your Feet</a>, tracked the domestic migration of Americans from the decade of 2012-2022.
Using largely IRS data, Vote With Your Feet provides information on the movement of people within the United States and breaks the migration down in terms of aggregated gross income (AGI) either gained or lost as people move between states. The database also features a tool to determine which political party, Republicans or Democrats, controlled each state each year of the decade.
The tool shows that over the course of the decade, deep blue strongholds <a href="https://votewithyourfeet.net/top-10/lost-most-money-pct-2/">lost</a> hundreds of billions of dollars in AGI. New York suffered the worst loss, tallying a drain of over $111 billion in AGI from people leaving the state. California came in second, losing just over $102 billion in AGI.
Illinois (minus $63 billion), New Jersey (minus $31 billion), and Massachusetts (minus $19 billion) rounded out the top five biggest losers. All five states throughout the decade were controlled either entirely or mostly by Democrats in the governors’ seats and legislatures.
Those losses also corresponded with heavy losses in population, as well. New York and California again logged the worst performances, <a href="https://votewithyourfeet.net/top-10/lost-people/">losing</a> roughly 1.8 million and 1.6 million people, respectively.
While Americans flooded out of deep blue states, red states led by Florida and Texas were seeing a surge of new people and wealth, according to the data set. In terms of AGI, Florida took the spot of most growth, <a href="https://votewithyourfeet.net/top-10/gained-most-money/">earning</a> $196 billion more over the course of the decade due to positive net migration into the state.
Texas followed with an increase in AGI of $54 billion over the course of the decade. The other top performing states included Arizona ($30 billion), North Carolina ($28 billion), and South Carolina ($28 billion).
Every state in the top five of extra AGI earned through domestic migration was controlled largely or entirely by Republicans from 2012 to 2022.
Of the top AGI states, Florida led with net migration, as well, with nearly 1.6 million extra people <a href="https://votewithyourfeet.net/top-10/gained-most-people/">flocking</a> to the state over the course of the decade. The rest of the top five in population migration tracked closely with the top five in AGI, except North Carolina at 521,000 brought in more people than Arizona at 483,000.

Money

Blue Strongholds Lose Hundreds Of Billions In Income As Americans Flock To Red States

Economy

Florida

New York

Texas

U.S.

President Donald Trump jabbed at Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) after $100 million in donated funds — raised through a concert named FireAid — did not go directly to the victims of the recent California wildfires.
FireAid was billed as a one-night concert event, featuring artists like Katy Perry, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lady Gaga — which was supposed to raise money for residents who lost their homes during the devastating wildfires that ravaged Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. In fact, A-List actors promised people that was the express purpose of the event. 
Actor Miles Teller – from Top Gun Maverick –  told everyone that FireAid would go “directly” to victims, saying, &#8220;All the money raised will go directly to people who need it now and long-term efforts to build it back.&#8221;
&#8220;The Avengers&#8221; star Samuel L. Jackson offered a similar take, encouraging as many people as possible to donate at the website even if they couldn&#8217;t attend the event: &#8220;Give what you can. All the money will go directly to people who need help in the short term and the long-term effort to get this city back on its feet.&#8221;
But as Sue Pascoe — Editor and Chief of Circling the News, who <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-27/lafd-records-secrecy">lost</a> her home in the Palisades fire — discovered, the money <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/where-did-100-million-in-la-fire">did not go directly to individuals</a>: &#8220;There’s all sorts of skullduggery going on, and basically wildfire victims and Palisades and Altadena got no direct relief.&#8221;
Local residents backed up what Pascoe said as well. David Howard, who lost two homes in the Pacific Palisades, told the local Fox affiliate, &#8220;I have not seen any benefit from the FireAid money, and I am very involved here and neither have my neighbors.&#8221;
Likewise, Altadena fire victim Mark Jones said that he too had been led to believe the money was going to go directly to the people. &#8220;The fire aid was for us. So, we figured where is the money? Where is it going?&#8221; he asked.
President Trump weighed in on Friday, lashing out in all-caps from his Truth Social platform:
<blockquote>“FIREAID” IS A TOTAL DISASTER. LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER DEMOCRAT INSPIRED SCAM. 100 MILLION DOLLARS IS MISSING. WAS SUPPOSED TO TO GO TO THE LOS ANGELES FIRE VICTIMS, FIRES THAT, WITH PROPER MANAGEMENT, WOULD NEVER HAVE EVEN HAPPENED. GOVERNOR NEWSCUM REFUSED TO RELEASE BILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT WOULD HAVE MADE! I HAVE SINCE OVERRULED HIM, AND IT IS NOW RELEASED. All FEDERAL HOUSING PERMITS HAVE ALSO BEEN APPROVED, THE CITY IS YEARS LATE. GET THE FIRE VICTIMS THEIR APPROVALS TO REBUILD, AND DO IT NOW!</blockquote>
Newsom responded to Trump&#8217;s post on X, sarcastically mocking up a screenshot of the president&#8217;s Truth post and rebutting some of his claims.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Go to bed, grandpa. It’s past your bedtime. <a href="https://t.co/9qRtdqMhha">https://t.co/9qRtdqMhha</a> <a href="https://t.co/SvEnokL4YZ">pic.twitter.com/SvEnokL4YZ</a>
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/1948915120337551815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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FireAid has claimed that the money was never intended to go directly to the people — despite the claims made by celebrities promoting the event — and issued a statement saying, &#8220;FireAid does not have the capability to make direct payments to individuals and that was never the plan. We partnered directly with trusted local non-profits&#8230;to reach communities in need.&#8221;
Some of those nonprofits, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-wildfire-victims-left-wondering-where-100m-went-following-fireaid-benefit-concert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News Digital</a>, include one that works to promote “self-determination in the Latino community” and promised to use the funding to build not just houses but “a more humane and democratic society by responding to the needs and problems of disenfranchised people.” Another organization promised to use the money to “cultivate egalitarian relationships based on trust and respect.&#8221; 
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) has asked the Attorney General to get to the bottom of the situation.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Americans showed amazing generosity in giving $100 million to support LA fire victims as part of the &#8220;Fire Aid&#8221; concert. Yet the money did not go directly to victims, and went to several questionable nonprofits.
I&#8217;ve asked the Attorney General to investigate. <a href="https://t.co/n4UfBxzaAE">pic.twitter.com/n4UfBxzaAE</a>
— Rep. Kevin Kiley (@RepKiley) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepKiley/status/1948783871236944093?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Listen to this story and the rest of today&#8217;s &#8220;Morning Wire&#8221; podcast here.
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trumps-eu-trade-win-ghislaine-maxwell-questioned-7-28-25/id1576594336?i=1000719469521" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>

US-WEATHER-FIRE

Trump Jabs At Newsom After $100 Million In FireAid Concert Funds Don’t Go Directly To Victims

Trump Jabs At Newsom After $100 Million In FireAid Concert Funds Don't Go Directly To Victims

Celebrities

Media

Wildfires

President Donald Trump finalizes a historic trade deal with the European Union and brokers a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. The Department of Justice questions Ghislaine Maxwell for the first time, as FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino issues a cryptic warning about government weaponization. And Trump slams California Governor Gavin Newsom after nearly $100 million in celebrity-raised wildfire aid reportedly fails to reach victims. 
It’s Monday, July 28, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. 
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump Strikes EU Trade Deal, Brokers Ceasefire</h2>
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Topline: President Trump secured a historic trade agreement with the European Union over the weekend and successfully brokered a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. 
On Sunday, President Trump finalized a massive trade deal with the EU just four days before his August 1 deadline. Under the terms of the agreement, the United States will set a baseline tariff of 15% on most European goods, while the EU will open its markets to American products at a zero-percent tariff. The EU also agreed to purchase $750 billion in energy and defense products from the United States. Collectively, the nations in the EU bloc are America&#8217;s largest trading partner.
Announcing the deal, Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1949527667478319115">said</a>, “It’s great that we made a deal today instead of playing games.” The agreement is a significant win for the White House, as the EU had initially proposed a lower 10% tariff rate.
The deal capped off a weekend of foreign policy wins for the president. After a long-disputed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/very-good-conversation-trump-says-peace-between-cambodia-and-thailand-imminent-after-phone-calls">border conflict</a> between Thailand and Cambodia erupted into a firefight that killed at least 35 people, Trump intervened. The president threatened both nations with 36% tariffs if they did not immediately begin peace talks. Within hours, the two countries agreed to negotiations, which are set to take place on Monday.
With the deadline just days away, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick issued a firm warning to other trading partners that have not yet reached an agreement with the United States. &#8220;No extensions, no more grace periods — August 1st, the tariffs are set,&#8221; he said. 
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<h2></h2>
<h2>DOJ Questions Ghislaine Maxwell For The First Time</h2>
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Topline: The Department of Justice has interviewed Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for the first time, a development that legal experts find remarkable, as FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino issued a cryptic warning about government corruption. 
The DOJ met with Maxwell last week, with her attorney David Oscar Markus confirming that prosecutors questioned her about &#8220;100 different people.&#8221; Markus noted that it was the &#8220;first opportunity she&#8217;s ever been given to answer questions about what happened.&#8221; George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley called the development remarkable, expressing shock on Fox News that Maxwell, &#8220;the one who knows the most,&#8221; had been an untapped resource for so long. 
It&#8217;s very likely that Maxwell hopes to trade her testimony for clemency &#8211; she&#8217;s currently serving a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse">20-year sentence</a> for her role in Epstein&#8217;s sex trafficking ring. President Trump has not ruled out a pardon for Maxwell, but her attorney stated that there have been no discussions on this point. Maxwell was reportedly offered limited immunity for the interviews. 
As the DOJ began questioning Maxwell, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino released a statement on X regarding his discovery of political corruption within the government. Bongino said that the information he has seen relating to government weaponization &#8220;shocked [him] down to [his] core&#8221; and that he would &#8220;never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.&#8221; He urged patience and promised answers would come after a full investigation is completed &#8220;by the book and in accordance with the law.&#8221; 
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<h2></h2>
<h2>California Wildfire Aid Reportedly ‘Disappears’</h2>
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Topline: President Trump is criticizing California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom after nearly $100 million in aid raised by the &#8220;FireAid&#8221; celebrity concert reportedly failed to reach the wildfire victims it was intended to help. 
The &#8220;FireAid&#8221; concert, featuring A-list artists like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, raised money for residents impacted by the devastating Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires earlier this year. Celebrity spokespeople, including actors Miles Teller and Samuel L. Jackson, assured the public that &#8220;All the money raised will go directly to people who need it.&#8221; However, victims on the ground say they have not received any of the money. 
President Trump took to social media to blast the situation, calling it &#8220;A TOTAL DISASTER&#8221; and &#8220;ANOTHER DEMOCRAT INSPIRED SCAM.&#8221; He also slammed Newsom’s forest management, which he said allowed the fires to happen in the first place. FireAid has since issued a statement claiming the plan was never to make direct payments to individuals, but to work through local non-profits. 
An investigation by local news editor Sue Pascoe, who lost her home in the Palisades fire, found that some of these nonprofits appear to be using the funds for their own social and political causes. One group promised to use the money to &#8220;cultivate egalitarian relationships based on trust and respect,&#8221; while another said it would work to build &#8220;a more humane and democratic society.&#8221; Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) is now pushing for an investigation into where the funds went.

MRN 7.28.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Trump’s EU Trade Deal, Ghislaine Maxwell’s Interview & California’s FireAid Meltdown

Dan Bongino

Donald Trump

European Union

Ghislaine Maxwell

Jeffrey Epstein

Morning Wire

Tariffs

Thailand

Two medical center employees were arrested and charged with federal crimes after they allegedly assaulted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while attempting to prevent them from capturing an illegal alien who was hiding there.
Bill Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, shared details on the situation after several social media posts falsely painted the illegal alien in question as an &#8220;innocent landscaper&#8221; and said that he had been arrested in the middle of a surgical procedure.
WATCH:
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“Get your hands off of him! You don’t even have a warrant for him.”
Trump’s masked Gestapo invades a surgical center to grab an innocent landscaper as medical staff tell him to leave their private facility.
A lawless regime. <a href="https://t.co/GOZzP1cOkM">pic.twitter.com/GOZzP1cOkM</a>
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTNHoller/status/1943698432272589080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;My office has filed federal criminal charges against Jose de Jesus Ortega, 38, of Highland, and Danielle Nadine Davila, 33, of Corona, who are accused of assaulting and interfering with an ICE investigation earlier this month at a surgery center in San Bernardino County,&#8221; Essayli said, naming the two employees who had attempted to physically bar ICE agents from doing their jobs.
&#8220;The media originally reported that the illegal alien was taken during a medical appointment,&#8221; Essayli continued. &#8220;That was false. The illegal alien arrested inside the surgery center was not a patient. He ran inside for cover and these defendants attempted to block his apprehension by assaulting our agents.&#8221;
&#8220;It doesn’t matter who you are or where you work, if you assault our agents or otherwise interfere with our operations, you will be arrested and charged with a federal crime,&#8221; he concluded.
Essayli discussed the situation further with Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEW: US Attorney <a href="https://twitter.com/USAttyEssayli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USAttyEssayli</a> joined me to discuss his decision to arrest two SoCal medical workers on federal charges of interfering w/ ICE.
“The politicians in California have emboldened people to stand up to ICE, they think it’s okay to interfere or obstruct,” Essayli said.… <a href="https://t.co/wV6mfKZPQc">pic.twitter.com/wV6mfKZPQc</a>
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillMelugin_/status/1948852759895441641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The politicians in California have emboldened people to stand up to ICE, they think it’s okay to interfere or obstruct,” Essayli said. “We’ve said this over and over again, if you get in our way, if you lay a hand on a federal agent, you will be arrested and you will be charged.&#8221;
Melugin asked whether federal charges were an overreach in situations like these, but Essayli&#8217;s answer was an emphatic &#8220;no.&#8221;
&#8220;It’s the opposite. We have to charge these cases. We have to set an example. We have to enforce the rule of law. Federal agents are off limits. Do not touch them,&#8221; he said.

US-IMMIGRATION-ICE

Two Medical Center Employees Charged With Assault After Interfering With ICE Investigation

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Planned Parenthood is closing five clinics in northern California after losing Medicaid funding thanks to President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill.&#8221;
Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the abortion giant&#8217;s largest affiliate in the country, shuttered five locations near the Bay Area on Thursday, saying the bill forced their hand.
The clinics that are closing are all near the Bay Area — located in San Francisco, San Mateo, Gilroy, Santa Cruz, and Madera.
&#8220;We really feel like we are in the fight of our life,&#8221; <a href="https://abc7news.com/post/planned-parenthood-permanently-closes-5-northern-california-health-centers-including-bay-area/17284357/">said</a> Stacy Cross, president and CEO of the Mar Monte affiliate, which serves California and Nevada.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been a Planned Parenthood CEO for 24 years at three separate affiliates, and I can tell you this is really the hardest it&#8217;s been in my entire life,&#8221; Cross said.
Planned Parenthood laid off more than 60 staffers at the five clinics.
&#8220;This law is clearly a back-door ban on abortion in reproductive freedom states,&#8221; Planned Parenthood Mar Monte <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/california-planned-parenthood-closes-5-health-centers/65505340">said</a> in a statement.
The massive spending <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1/text">bill</a>, which was signed by Trump on July 4, bans Medicaid reimbursements for one year to abortion providers who were getting at least $800,000 in Medicaid reimbursements, which Planned Parenthood certainly was — the abortion giant was <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/01/15/509662288/that-vow-to-defund-planned-parenthood-easy-to-say-hard-to-do">getting</a> about $390 million from Medicaid as far back as 2015.
Federal law already prohibits Medicaid reimbursements for nearly all abortions, but the bill broadens that ban to Planned Parenthood&#8217;s other services.
&#8220;It essentially defunds Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, from us being able to get reimbursed for the care we provide,&#8221; Cross said.
Planned Parenthood <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/planned-parenthood-sues-trump-admin-targeted-provision-megabill/story?id=123554531">sued</a> the Trump administration over the bill shortly after it was signed, and an Obama-appointed judge granted a two-week restraining order against the Medicaid ban.
However, that restraining order <a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-california-central-coast/newsroom/defund-in-effect-court-fails-to-grant-relief-to-california-planned-parenthood-organizations-2?utm_source=chatgpt.com">expired</a> on Monday, and the judge then <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/us/politics/trump-planned-parenthood.html">issued</a> a narrow preliminary injunction that allowed just 10 Planned Parenthoods to get Medicaid payments.
Planned Parenthood has shut down clinics in a slew of states recently, including Manhattan&#8217;s <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262849/planned-parenthood-shutters-only-facility-in-manhattan-after-decades-of-pro-life-prayers">only</a> clinic, <a href="https://www.startribune.com/why-planned-parenthood-is-closing-four-minnesota-clinics-and-laying-off-staff/601362453?utm_source=chatgpt.com">four</a> in Minnesota, <a href="https://www.chicagobusiness.com/health-care/planned-parenthood-closing-4-illinois-clinics?utm_source=chatgpt.com">four</a> in Illinois, <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/health/article/planned-parenthood-houston-closing-20784965.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com">two</a> in Texas, and <a href="https://www.ksl.com/article/51305471/planned-parenthood-closes-2-utah-clinics-citing-trump-freeze-in-federal-funding?utm_source=chatgpt.com">two</a> in Utah.
The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/06/myth-vs-fact-the-one-big-beautiful-bill/">defended</a> the Medicaid changes in a fact sheet on the bill.
&#8220;The One Big Beautiful Bill protects and strengthens Medicaid for those who rely on it — pregnant women, children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income families — while eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. The One Big Beautiful Bill removes illegal aliens, enforces work requirements, and protects Medicaid for the truly vulnerable,&#8221; the White House said.

US-POLITICS-JUSTICE-RIGHTS-ABORTION

Planned Parenthood Closes Five California Clinics Thanks To ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

Planned Parenthood Closes Five California Clinics Thanks To Big Beautiful Bill

Abortion

Planned Parenthood

San Francisco

A dual citizen of China and the United States pled guilty on Monday to stealing American missile defense technology for the Chinese government. 
The Justice Department <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/engineer-pleads-guilty-stealing-chinese-governments-benefit-trade-secret-technology-designed">announced</a> that 59-year-old Chenguang Gong pled guilty to theft of trade secrets. Gong, a former engineer who lives in San Jose, California, admitted to stealing information developed by the U.S. government for detecting nuclear missile launches, tracking ballistic and hypersonic missiles, and technology to assist fighter jets evade heat-seeking missiles. 
Gong, who faces up to 10 years in prison upon sentencing, is currently free on $1.75 million bond. 
In his plea agreement, Gong said that he transferred 3,600 files from the Los Angeles area research and development company where he worked and moved them to personal storage devices, including a personal laptop. The file transfers took place between March 2023 and April 2023, when he was fired by the company, which was identified as a victim of Gong.
The files contained blueprints for infrared sensors designed for use in space-based systems to detect missiles and blueprints for sensors for American military aircraft to combat heat-seeking missiles. Some of the files were later discovered at Gong’s private residence, the Justice Department said. 
The information on the files was worth hundreds of millions of dollars, according to prosecutors.
From 2014 to 2022, Gong applied for multiple “talent programs” run by the Chinese government while working for major American technology companies.  
The Justice Department said that China “established these talent programs as a means to identify individuals who have expert skills, abilities, and knowledge of advanced sciences and technologies in order to access and utilize those skills and knowledge in transforming the PRC’s economy, including its military capabilities.”
Gong sent in applications to the talent programs that mirrored technology produced by his employers. For example, in September 2020, Gong submitted an application for “low light/night vision” image sensors that had the model number of a sensor produced by a defense industry company he worked for from 2015-2019, according to investigators. 
The Justice Department also said that Gong took several trips to China to meet with talent program managers. In a 2019 email, Gong admitted that he “took a risk” to fly to China “because [he] worked for…an American military industry company.”
The guilty plea comes as government officials have attempted to crack down on intellectual property theft by China. It is estimated that Chinese-backed IP theft costs American companies between $300 to $600 billion per year.

HONG KONG-CHINA-HANDOVER-ANNIVERSARY

Chinese National Admits To Stealing Missile Defense Blueprints For Communist China

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Department of Justice

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The owner of the famed In-N-Out Burger chain, billionaire Lynsi Snyder, a devout Christian, has announced she is leaving California, where her family spent three generations building its fast-food empire, and moving to Tennessee.
In-N-Out has 400 locations in California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, and Utah, but has deliberately not expanded its chain nationwide.
“While McDonald’s and Burger King serve well over 80 different items, In-N-Out famously serves fewer than 15: burgers, cheeseburgers, fries, soda, milk shakes and the signature two-patty Double-Double,” <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2018/10/10/exclusive-in-n-out-billionaire-lynsi-snyder-opens-up-about-her-troubled-past-and-the-burger-chains-future/">Forbes</a> noted in 2018, adding, “Snyder is popular with her 26,000 employees. She has a 99% approval rating on Glassdoor.com, the job-reviews site. &#8230; The average In-N-Out manager has been with the company for 17 years and makes $163,000, more than the typical California dentist, accountant or financial advisor. Managers get profit-sharing, too. &#8230; Bible verse numbers have appeared on burger wrappers and cups since 1985.”
In-N-Out is building an office in Tennessee to serve as a hub for expansion in the southeastern United States. Snyder cited rising crime in California as one of the motivations for her move, saying the company was forced to close its Oakland location last year because it had become too &#8220;dangerous&#8221; for employees.
“We’re building an office in Franklin, I’m actually moving out there,” Snyder <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8HnqAgtlcc">told</a> conservative podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey. “Raising a family is not easy here. Doing business is not easy here. &#8230; It will be wonderful having an office out there, growing out there. &#8230; We’ve kind of given it a longer runway so that it’s smoother for everybody, so they can plan. &#8230; a lot of notice because we love them and want to make it as easy as possible, but by 2030, we’ll close the Irvine office.”
When the Irvine, California, office closes, operations are expected to be consolidated in Baldwin Park, where In-N-Out was founded more than 77 years ago. The Baldwin Park headquarters will oversee operations on the West Coast.
During the COVID pandemic, the restaurant <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-10-27/inside-in-n-out-burgers-escalating-war-with-california-over-covid-19-vaccine-rules">refused</a> to check the vaccine status of customers in San Francisco&#8217;s only In-N-Out, flouting the city’s regulations. “There were so many pressures and hoops we had to jump through. &#8230; It was really terrible &#8230; that was definitely where we held the line and were like ‘We’re not policing our customers.’ &#8230; We were shut down for a brief moment but it was worth it,” Snyder recalled.
“Number one priority is really keeping the company the same company that my grandparents started,” she stated. “I want the legacy to continue. We’re doing that but we’re growing and we’re so much bigger than when they started it. So growth is healthy and we have to have that growth and so it’s really having that balance of okay, we have all of these amazing people coming up through management; they want to have a store one day. So we have to have some growth, but we don’t want to be on every corner; we don’t want to be in every state; we don’t want to ever compromise our values and standards; the cornerstones that my grandparents laid down.”
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Orange County Register Archive

‘Raising A Family Is Not Easy Here’: In-N-Out Owner Fleeing California, Moving East

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In-N-Out Burger

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Three Los Angeles County Sheriff&#8217;s deputies were killed in an explosion at a training center Friday morning.
Local and federal authorities are on the scene investigating after &#8220;a loud noise&#8221; was heard at the sheriff department&#8217;s Biscailuz Center Training Academy, east of downtown, around 7:30 a.m. PT, KTLA <a href="https://ktla.com/news/local-news/explosion-reported-at-east-l-a-sheriffs-training-center/">reported</a>. Aerial footage from the scene showed damage to the rear windshield of what appears to be an L.A. County Sheriff&#8217;s Department bomb squad truck.
L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna revealed in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/IJJb24ADfgI?si=1-NyZoM0JB9-Uqha&amp;t=10967">press conference</a> that the three deputies killed were assigned to the arson explosives detail. It was previously reported that a fourth person was injured in the explosion and transported to a hospital, but Luna clarified that no one else was wounded in the blast.
&#8220;This is, unfortunately, is the largest loss of life for us as the L.A. County Sheriff&#8217;s Department since 1857. Between all three sworn members, they had served the community proudly for 74 years,&#8221; Luna said.
Authorities are not yet releasing the names of those killed in the blast as family members are still being notified.
Luna said that &#8220;there is a lot more that we don&#8217;t know than what we do know&#8221; about what caused the explosion. He added that homicide detectives are on the scene investigating the deaths with the assistance of the FBI. The LAPD&#8217;s bomb squad successfully &#8220;render[ed] the devices safe,&#8221; shortly before the sheriff took the podium. Luna said there &#8220;is no threat to this community.&#8221;
The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-07-18/explosion-la-sheriff-training-facility">reported</a> that a bomb squad was moving an explosive ordnance at the time of the explosion. The Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad arrived at the scene a little over an hour after the blast.
&#8220;I just spoke to [U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli] about what appears to be a horrific incident that killed at least three at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles,&#8221; U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://x.com/AGPamBondi/status/1946234954620313884">said</a>. &#8220;Our federal agents are at the scene and we are working to learn more. Please pray for the families of the sheriff’s deputies killed.&#8221;
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🚨🇺🇸 BREAKING: 3 KILLED AFTER EXPLOSION AT LA COUNTY SHERIFF FACILITY
A deadly explosion rocked the LA County Sheriff’s S.E.B. compound in East L.A.
It reportedly happened next to a Bomb Squad vehicle and shattered nearby windows.
At least 3 people are confirmed dead.… <a href="https://t.co/BeNFPaill2">pic.twitter.com/BeNFPaill2</a>
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1946230139307819031?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;The City of L.A. is supporting the @LASDHQ through this horrific incident in Monterey Park. LAFD/ATF arson investigators and members of the LAPD bomb squad are assisting at the training facility,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/MayorOfLA/status/1946243632152846400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1946243632152846400%7Ctwgr%5E131f531b4ebaf2443accd12c347fa8ef63b09541%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fabc7.com%2Fpost%2Fat-least-3-killed-apparent-explosion-lasd-facility%2F17180373%2F">said</a> L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. &#8220;The thoughts of all Angelenos are with all of those impacted by this blast.&#8221;
This is a developing story; refresh the page for updates.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Helicopter

Three L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputies Killed In Explosion At Training Center

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California Governor Gavin Newsom recently struggled to say whether an eight-year-old was too young to undergo transgender procedures.
Newsom’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gavin-newsom-cant-say-whether-eight-is-too-young-to-transition-genders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comments</a> came during a conversation with podcaster Shawn Ryan, the governor’s latest appearance seemingly designed to make him seem more moderate in advance of a likely presidential bid in 2028.
But Newsom, who once said that California was a beacon of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqwiHQSq4sU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parental rights</a>, may want to take a closer look at what his fellow Democrats are doing in the California Assembly.
Earlier this month, lawmakers advanced Assembly Bill 1084, which permits a court-appointed lawyer to assist children in changing the name and sex designation on their birth certificates and obtaining a new birth certificate that can designate them as “non-binary.” If the bill passes, court-appointed lawyers or guardians will be empowered to force these changes even if parents have retained custody of the child in question.
The bill essentially places children in positions of power. All that a child needs to do is make a claim of abuse, whether substantiated or not, against his parents, and he will be assigned an attorney who has been trained to accept a child’s gender identity pronouncement at face value.
Authored by Assemblyman Rick Zbur — who compared people fighting to protect women&#8217;s sports to Nazis — the bill is the latest brazen assault on parental rights, another attempt by leftists to replace parents with government agents.
The bill stipulates that, as long as a court rules it “is likely” that the child will remain a ward of the state until they turn 18, court-appointed lawyers have the authority to change the child’s sex and name, as well as their birth certificate. This grants parental rights to third parties, essentially stripping parents of legal control of their child.
In other words, the bill allows a stranger to enable someone else’s child’s desire to “socially transition,” a mental health treatment that is not a neutral act. Children affirmed in their transgender identity are more likely to continue rejecting their sexed bodies if they are confirmed in their delusion.
Parents can contest the petition, but the bill states that a challenge “based solely on concerns  that the proposed change is not the petitioner’s actual gender identity or gender assigned at birth shall not constitute good cause.” Simply, a parent who believes in biological reality and does not believe that the child he raised is the sex that he was at birth cannot contest the name and sex change on his birth certificate.
This bill is unconstitutional, a direct violation of the fundamental right of parents to raise their children in accordance with their beliefs, a right recently affirmed by the Supreme Court in its opinion in Mahmoud v. Taylor. A hundred years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Pierce v. The Society of Sisters that “The child is not the mere creature of the State.” The bill is also a violation of the First Amendment, dismissing any parent’s viewpoint that sex is binary and immutable.
Zbur designated the legislation an “urgency bill,” meaning that it will take effect immediately if the governor signs it.
Should Newsom sign the bill, it will render official records like birth certificates completely unreliable, as anyone in the state of California can petition with little to no opposition that their sex is whatever they claim it to be. This is one of many bills that the California Democrats are advancing that are designed to “Trump-proof” California.
The Democrat-controlled legislature is likely to pass the bill, which means it will likely land on Newsom’s desk soon. When it does, we’ll see if Newsom is really the pro-parent moderate he claims to be, or if California parents only have rights as long as they believe that their children can change sex.
Erin Friday leads Our Duty, an organization that advocates for parents with gender-confused children.
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The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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California Governor Newsom Announces Lawsuit Challenging Trump Tariff Authority

California Democrats Want The Government To Declare Your Kids Nonbinary

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Parents rights

Transgender

California Democrats have plans to redraw the state’s districts, potentially threatening the slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
According to California Democrats, their move was prompted by news that Texas might try to redraw its districts to gain more Congressional seats. Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott has “directed the state Legislature to discuss redistricting in an upcoming special legislative session,” KCRA <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/gavin-newsom-eyes-california-congressional-redistricting/65430152">noted</a>. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said of Texas, “They’re playing by a different set of rules.”
On Wednesday, the California Democratic congressional delegation met with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and reportedly discussed ideas for gaining even more seats to overturn the perilously slim majority Republicans hold in the House, <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/house/cali-dreamin/">Punchbowl News</a> reports.
“The games they play aren’t working and the more people get educated on what’s going on, the more they’re going to fight back,” California Assemblymember Leticia Castillo of Riverside, who left the Democratic Party and became a Republican, said of California’s Democrats.
In 2010, California voters approved Proposition 20, a constitutional amendment that transferred redistricting authority to an independent commission. Punchbowl News indicated that two plans are afoot to try to gain more seats, writing, “California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom sees two ways to overcome it.”
One route would be for Newsom to call a special session of the legislature that would offer voters the chance to “pause” the commission or rescind its redistricting power. California voters would have to approve this in a special election. The news site cautioned that such a route would entail heavy costs due to the funds required to disseminate the message over the airwaves. But one way to win over GOP voters might be to include a conservative favorite, such as implementing voter ID, in the proposition.
A second route would be to redraw districts and claim California’s constitution does not explicitly forbid mid-decade redistricting, which would likely prompt a lawsuit. Newsom has called such a scenario “a novel legal question.”
One roadblock to redistricting is the Voting Rights Act, which may protect districts from being redrawn as they have majority Latino populations, and redrawing them would endanger such a majority.
Targeted GOP districts that have reportedly been discussed include those of GOP Reps. Ken Calvert, Kevin Kiley, Darrell Issa, Young Kim, David Valadao, and Doug LaMalfa. “We want our gavels back,” Rep. Mark Takano, who would be the new chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee should Democrats regain the majority in the House, stated. “That’s what this is about.”
In 2011, to counter the even-handedness of the 2010 proposition, California Democrats devised a plan to influence the nonpartisan commission. Pro Publica <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/how-democrats-fooled-californias-redistricting-commission">reported</a>:
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Working with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee — a national arm of the party that provides money and support to Democratic candidates — members were told to begin “strategizing about potential future district lines,&#8221; according to another email. 
The citizens’ commission had pledged to create districts based on testimony from the communities themselves, not from parties or statewide political players. To get around that, Democrats surreptitiously enlisted local voters, elected officials, labor unions and community groups to testify in support of configurations that coincided with the party’s interests. When they appeared before the commission, those groups identified themselves as ordinary Californians and did not disclose their ties to the party.
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California Dems Plot Redistricting Power Play To Pick Up House Seats

House of Representatives

Redistricting

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