The Politics of Disaster Aid in California

The Eaton and Palisades fires continue to wreak destruction across Los Angeles. They are predicted to become the most expensive fire recovery in American history. As the fires have burned, a torrent of right-wing rage has emerged online. Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Charlie Kirk have attacked liberal mismanagement and blamed D.E.I. programs and “woke” politics for the destruction. Meanwhile, California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has expressed concerns that the future Trump Administration may add conditions to federal financial-assistance relief for California, something that Republican Congress members have already floated. The New Yorker staff writer Jay Caspian Kang joins Tyler Foggatt to discuss what happens when disaster relief is swept up in the culture war. 

This week’s reading:

• “The Insurance Crisis That Will Follow the California Fires,” by Elizabeth Kolbert
• “On the Ground During L.A.’s Wildfire Emergency,” by Emily Witt
• “An Arson Attack in Puerto Rico,” by Graciela Mochkofsky
• “Elon Musk’s Latest Terrifying Foray Into British Politics,” By Sam Knight
• “The Pressure Campaign to Get Pete Hegseth Confirmed as Defense Secretary,” by Jane Mayer

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