Flotsam and Jetsam - Where There's Smoke

The fires in LA continue to dominate the news. Sundance at CTH reports LA Area Fire Danger Continues with Strong Winds Expected Again Tonight. It won't be over until the Santa Ana winds stop blowing. American Military News, Wildfires leave 10 dead, 10,000+ structures destroyed At the Orange Country Register, More than 300,000 people are still without power in Southern California. The Beebe has Five images that explain why the LA fires spread so fast. Althouse finds a bit of good news, Miracle in the hellish landscape. James Woods@RealJamesWoods, "A miracle has happened. We managed to get to our property and our home, that we were told is gone forever, is still standing. In this hellish landscape “standing” is relative, but smoke and other damage is not like the utter destruction around us. The view from our deck area. . . " NYPo, Owner of ‘miracle’ Malibu mansion reveals why he thinks house survived raging fire. JD Vance@JDVance, "This is an extremely vivid and heartbreaking example of what people in California have lost. Please say a prayer for our fellow Americans, many of whom lost everything." Quote Katherine Boyle@KTmBoyle, "I don’t think I’ve watched a video of these fires that has captured the meaning of home so completely." John Sexton at Hat Hair hears Newsom Deploys National Guard to Discourage Looters, Curfew in Place in Worst Hit Areas. At BrownStone, Wildfires and the Hoary Hoax of a Burning Planet. Eve Barlow at Blacklisted, The City of Angels. 

At Insty, APOCALYPSE NOW, IN LA:

For more than a decade, the media, Democrats, and Hollywood have told us that Western civilization in general and the United States in particular are white supremacist, genocidal, and unsustainable. The founding of America occurred not in 1776 but rather in 1619 with the… pic.twitter.com/jD4f0Mq3oo

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) January 10, 2025

Matt Margolis at PJM, As Wildfires Rage, Chaos Erupts in Los Angeles Leadership. Matt Vespa at TownHall, Here's What Led to Chaos Erupting Between the LAFD Chief and the Mayor's Office Yesterday. Twitchy cites Justine Bateman: Karen Bass Was a Walking Disaster Movie When She Spoke to Hollywood Directors. Karol Markowicz at NYPo, In LA fire horror, California elites face the consequences of blue misrule and Blame LA fire horror on the woke religion bringing ruin to our cities Matt Welch at Reason thinks Fires Incinerated the Facade of California Governing Competence. "Virtue-signaling is no substitute for disaster preparedness." Erick Erickson sees A Progressive Hellscape. Insty, THE MAFIA WAS BETTER AT PROVIDING SERVICES: Obvious Blue Model Failure: “It’s unclear when the reservoir first went offline.” Vicky Taft at PJM has a Stunner: Why Was Pacific Palisades Reservoir EMPTY? It Gets Worse. Althouse, "A large reservoir in Pacific Palisades that is part of the Los Angeles water supply system was out of commission when a ferocious wildfire destroyed thousands of homes and other structures nearby..." ""... the Los Angeles Times found," in "State to probe why Pacific Palisades reservoir was offline, empty when firestorm exploded" (L.A. Times)." Caitlin Flanagan@CaitlinPacific, "“I don’t know how the water gets to the hydrants” is an incredible statement", Quote Brad Altman@ brad_altman, "@CaitlinPacific Wow. This is stunning from the Fire Chief. Not stunning that it’s the case, but stunning that she’s saying this on local TV Caitlin x.com/breaking911/st…" Driscoll at Insty, I’LL TAKE TWEETS FROM 2021, ALEX: Suhail@Suhail, "It is time to vote Gavin Newsom out of office. He has failed our state on numerous levels. Enough is enough." End Wokeness@EndWokeness, "Biden and Gavin Newsom recently did the largest water dam removal in U.S. history because tribal leaders said to save fish."

The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, Nation Gets Preview Of Gavin Newsom Presidency. OPB, Oregon sending crews to help battle Los Angeles-area wildfires, but, Lars Ultra MAGA Larson @LarsLarsonShow, "Those 60 engines sent yesterday to the Cali fires are not on the fire lines...yet. They've been ordered to submit to a DOT inspection in Sacramento that's scheduled for 4:30 pm today. If they clear the inspection, they'll THEN be able to drive 400 miles to Pacific Palisades. Talk about "looking a gift horse in the mouth."" WokeSpy has the Resurfaced Clip that Confirms Trump’s Warning About Newsom and Wildfires. Twitchy, CNN Fact-Checker's Ruling on Trump Immediately Ages Badly After Gov. Gavin Newsom's Statement. Matt Vespa at TownHall, CA Woman Who Confronted Gavin Newsom Reveals How She Felt About the Exchange, "dismissed and made to feel irrelevant." Bob Hoge at RedState thinks Newsom Continues to Flail, Sends Out Cringe Email Slamming People Who 'Laugh About Gay Firefighters.' @instapundit @instapundit, "A woman who can't haul me out -- 6'3", 215 lbs -- probably can't carry out an obese lesbian either, so we're both in the wrong place, sister." Misty Severi at JTN reports Gavin Newsom invites Trump to California to view fire damage amid feud. "Newsom urged Trump in the invitation not to politicize the fires, but to come and meet the firefighters who are working around the clock to the battle the blazes. President Joe Biden has already visited California amid the fires." Althouse, "The fires are still raging in L.A. The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out. Thousands of magnificent houses are gone..." ""... and many more will soon be lost. There is death all over the place. This is one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country. They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?" Trump wrote on Truth Social 3 hours ago (that is to say, in the middle of the night)."

Ace of Spades@AceofSpadesHQ, "the government to them isn't about police and fire fighting. Those are just the figleafs for the real point of government, redistributing wealth from Enemy Groups to Ally Groups. All government is perverted away from its real mission to just pay off their frenz." And Adam Carolla: California's Government Started These Fires, and Has an Evil Surprise Coming for Those Who Lost Their Homes: They Won't Let You Rebuild the Homes They Burned Down, Either. Wall Street Apes@WallStreetApes, "What another AMAZING “coincidence” California had just passed new tax laws, if your home burns down and you don’t rebuild within 2 years (impossible in California) you lose your tax basis. Your property taxes SKYROCKET to the new values of the property."

Twitchy, Elizabeth Warren's the Latest Dem Bringing a 'New Level of Ghoulish Behavior' to Fundraising for L.A. Elizabeth Warren@ewarren "To help support the communities around L.A. being devastated by wildfires, can you split a donation between the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and United Way of Greater Los Angeles? 100% of your donation will go directly to these organizations: secure.actblue.com, Support the LAFD Foundation & the United Way of Greater LA, 100% of your contribution supports these organizations "Readers added context to the link: ewar.ren/to3 This is not a link to charity. It is a link to a Democrat fundraising platform. They take 3.95% of all transactions. secure.actblue.com/pricing You can donate directly to these charities. Los Angeles County Fire Department Foundation: supportlafd.org/donate/ United Way of Greater Los Angeles: unitedwayla.org/ways-to-help/g…" The Libertarian Trap@LibertarianTrap, "Do not, under any circumstances, donate your money to ActBlue. Democrats are now using the tragedy in LA to fill their coffers. This is a new level of ghoulish behavior." Also at Twitchy, ‘Your House Burned Down? Trump’s a Convicted Felon!’ Adam Schiff Knows What Voters REALLY Care About! Hat Hair, FJB: It's Freezing/Snowing in WNC & FEMA Closed Their Disaster Relief Centers. Matt Van Swol @matt_vanswol, "THERE ARE LINES 3 MILES LONG EXTENDING ALL THE WAY ONTO THE FREEWAY FOR PROPANE TO HEAT FAMILIES LIVING IN DONATED RV'S IN #WNC TODAY AND FEMA CLOSED ALL OF IT'S DISASTER RELIEF CENTERS UNTIL MONDAY?!!!!!!!!!! WTF IS HAPPENING?!!!!!!!!" At Da Fetched, As California Burns, Biden Green Lights a Further $500 MILLION For Ukraine. Ukraine owns the Bidens. 

Only 8 more days. From WokeSpy, “We Did It, Joe!” – Poll Finds Biden Is Set To Go Down As One Of America’s Worst Ever Presidents, Althouse, It's shocking that a man in this mental condition is President of the United States. "I'm reading "Biden Calls Meta’s Ending of Fact-Checking Program ‘Shameful’/Responding to a question from a reporter, the president said he believed Americans 'want to tell the truth'" in the NYT." Nick Arama at RedState sees Biden Goes Off the Rails in Bizarre Remarks About Kamala, Pardons, and Zuckerberg. Driscoll at Insty, BIDEN: ‘I Would Have Beaten Trump,’ ‘Kamala Would Have Beaten Trump.’ Tyler O'Neal at Da Signal, 3 Big Ways Biden Is Harming Democrats on His Way Out. Sundance thinks Biden May Blanket Pardon Those Who Targeted Trump and Those Who Weaponized Government. But, from NewsMax, Biden Says He Won't Pardon Himself: 'Did Nothing Wrong'. 'Becca Lower at RedState, Now We Know the Real Reason Biden Wanted to Take Italy Trip, and It Is Not 'Solace' From Pope Francis, to give a medal of freedom to the Pope. At OTP, Biden Admits Last-Minute Russia Sanctions Will Increase Gas Prices. Madeline Leesman at TownHall hears Biden's Outgoing ICE Director Has the Last Word, “Do you think that Biden should’ve taken that action earlier?” . . . “Yes, yes,” Lechleitner interjected. “Absolutely yes, he should’ve." Driscoll, WE WERE RIGHT ABOUT IMMIGRATION: "One unique point I do think I made in my 1992 National Review cover story: there is no economic justification for these modern massive immigrant inflows. It may increase gross domestic product, but virtually all of that is captured by the immigrants themselves. American workers don’t benefit—in fact, they are disadvantaged, because immigrant wage competition shifts income within the native-born community from labor to capital. I discussed this in Chronicles’ June 2009 issue, in an article titled “The Economic Impact of Immigration.”" Steve Cortes @CortesSteve "Watch MSNBC’s Morning Joe show highlight a damning chart of the illegal immigration spike over the last four years under Joe Biden’s failed policies:"

Nick Arama has  More Evidence Directly From Kamala She Isn't Dealing Well With the Reality of Trump Winning. She cropped Trump out of the picture from Carter's service.

'Becca Downs sees Trump Has More Announcements on Picks for His Administration. Althouse, "I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day. He will not have a blue pass to the White House..." "... he will not have full access to the White House, he will be like any other person. He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down. . . . Says Steve Bannon, quoted in "'I Will Do Anything' to Keep Elon Musk out of the White House" (Breitbart)." Also, "[T]here would be clear advantages: to participate in the great drama rather than watching from across the border, to shape the imperium rather than negotiating a position in its shadow." "If I were a young Canadian, especially one outside the Laurentian heartland, I think I would feel this vision’s pull. And yes, even if I were a young left-leaning anti-Trump Canadian — because what better way to serve those causes than to actually pull Washington leftward, to add your votes to the coalition that just failed to defeat Trump? . . . Writes Ross Douthat, in "O Canada, Come Join Us" (NYT). Capt. Ed, Denmark to Trump: Let's Make a Deal? Insty, I MENTIONED JIM BENNETT’S SUGGESTION ALONG THESE LINES HERE EARLIER. NOW IT’S GETTING TRACTION: An Alternative to Buying Greenland That Could Actually Work. From TNP, Trump and Putin Plan Meeting to End Ukraine War. Twitchy reports CLEANSING FIRE! Mike Waltz Purges Biden's NSC Team (and Alex Vindman Has a Good Cry About It)

At Hat Hair, JD Vance Is a Complete Hoot. JD Vance@JDVance, "Hopefully everyone is cool with me skipping the inauguration so I can go to the national title game." Wouldn't bother me. 

Victory Girls sees John Fetterman Has No Gatekeeper. Paul A. Szypula@Bubblebathgirl "Sen. John Fetterman defends his visit to Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump by saying, “I’m everyone’s senator in Pennsylvania.” The Democrat who had a stroke makes the most sense in the party."

At Althouse, "Here's the way I look at January 6th. Truly. Have you ever been at a party that's gotten out of hand?" "Says Tim Dillon, on the new episode of his podcast:" On YouTube, Capitol Police Officer That Evacuated The House & Senate Says Jan 6 Was Set Up By Yogananda Pittman.

Nancy Mace@NancyMace, "Has anyone heard of a felony so serious it cost millions of dollars to prosecute but deserved no punishment? No one, except liberal prosecutors who want to persecute Trump." At Twitchy, Sh*t Just Got REAL! What Kash Patel Said About Judge Merchan Should Scare the HELL Out of Him (Watch).

Kash Patel~ I'm calling on Congress to issue Subpoenas on Judge Merchan's daughter's company, who made $15M off this trial 🚨

America is calling for a full accounting of our judicial system... i want all the bank records

Worth noting; Pam Bondi listening closely 👍 pic.twitter.com/APQg0IfYJZ

— @Chicago1Ray 🇺🇸 (@Chicago1Ray) January 11, 2025

Damage done, Politico writes Special counsel Jack Smith resigns from DOJ. The Peacock, Special counsel Jack Smith resigns from DOJ as Trump’s fight to block final report continues. Sundance, Jack Smith Resigned from DOJ, "Jack Smith departs the DOJ having succeeded in fabricating labels for President Trump, “first ever indicted” … “first ever tried criminally” etc. However, Smith failed to deliver on any of the prosecutorial hopes of those who followed the fabrications, because the constructs were only framed to deliver labels."

Joe Concha at NYPo, Media flail as their anti-Trump narratives fail — again and again. Speaking of flailing, WokeSpy reports Joy Reid Melts Down as She Calls Trump’s Transition to Power the “Most Violent in U.S. History”. 'Bonchie' at RedState witnesses Axios Have a Total Meltdown Because the Press Can't Control the Narrative Anymore. Michael Barone, Facebook Embraces Free Speech: The Masses Win, the Experts Lose. 

8. More. Days. Althouse, Absurd prank. "I'm reading "State Department Defies Congress, Revives Infamous Censorship Office in Absurd Prank" by Matt Taibbi. Matt Taibbi at Racket notices State Department Defies Congress, Revives Infamous Censorship Office in Absurd Prank "In a hearty double middle-finger to Congress, the "first scalp" of Donald Trump's efficiency campaign is alive and well, back to work with the same mission." Capt. Ed, It's Baa-aack: State Dept Resurrects Censorship Effort ... For Now. I think that just for yucks, Donald should adopt it, and use in on the Democrats good and hard. 

Volokh at the Volokh Report's Irony Meter severely bent when a Misinformation Expert's "Citation to Fake, AI-Generated Sources in His Declaration … Shatters His Credibility with This Court". "[A] credentialed expert on the dangers of AI and misinformation, has fallen victim to the siren call of relying too heavily on AI—in a case that revolves around the dangers of AI, no less."

Likewise at Insty, BECAUSE MUSLIM RAPE GANGS ARE “NEW BRITONS” NOT EXTREMISM, DUH: "Why the UK Government’s ‘Counter-Extremism’ Unit Is Investigating Elon Musk. “The UK government has tasked its “Counter-Extremism” unit with investigating billionaire Elon Musk following his sharp criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Musk’s recent comments, which included harsh rebukes of Starmer’s leadership and policies, have raised alarms among some government officials concerned that his high-profile remarks could stoke division or undermine public trust in political institutions throughout the country. While critics argue the investigation is an overreach, the move signals growing tensions between the government and influential public figures whose rhetoric challenges the political status quo. They’re doing it for the same reason a dog licks himself, or a Pakistani gang rapes ten-year-old white girls — because they can.”" Dave Strom at Hat Hair, Ex-Labour MP Complains About Musk, Then Gets Arrested for Child Sexual Exploitation. "It really is unfair to assume that all politicians, or even all liberal politicians who support alphabet ideology, are pedos. But it sure seems like a lot of them are." Lord Talbot@Lord_Talbot64, "Can you believe that anyone thinks this is a good idea? Quote Dane@UltraDane "Wales: The Welsh Refugee Council is using 12 yr old girls in ads meant to entice migrant men to come to Wales. The refugee council is a far left group."

Insty has more GREAT MOMENTS IN DEI: “Residents of Richmond, Virginia have been left without water for days while DEI advocate April Bingham sits at the helm of the utilities department.” From the College Fix, Minnesota may deny licenses if teachers don’t affirm LGBT identities.

From Da Caller, ‘A Huge Win’: Woke ‘Cartel’ Of Financial Giants Dealt Death Blow 11 Days Before Trump Takes Office. "Asset management behemoth BlackRock wrote a letter to institutional investors Thursday announcing its exit from an emissions-focused investor group, according to the Financial Times (FT)."