

L.A. Fires, MAGA's Schism, and Meta's Big Pivot
217 snips Jan 14, 2025
Batya Ungar-Sargon, a Free Press contributor and opinion editor at Newsweek, teams up with Brianna Wu, a Democratic fundraiser and former video game developer. Together, they analyze the catastrophic Los Angeles fires and their implications for local politics. They dive into the ideological rifts within the MAGA movement over immigration, especially regarding H-1B visas. The duo also discusses Mark Zuckerberg's pivot at Meta and predicts potential outcomes for upcoming political confirmation hearings.
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LA Fires and Political Accountability
- The Los Angeles fires, the most destructive in the city's history, raise questions about political accountability.
- While the fires' ecological causes are undeniable, the government's response has eroded public trust.
LA's Decline: A Witness Account
- Brianna Wu witnessed LA's decline, including open drug use and rampant homelessness, before the fires.
- This experience, coupled with the fire's devastation, underscores a crisis of confidence in elected leaders.
Governmental Shift from Basic Services
- Bari Weiss observes a governmental shift from basic services like safety and crime prevention in cities like LA.
- This shift towards "luxury issues" contributes to the erosion of public trust and the perceived failure to address core needs.