California Fire Politics Already Emerging as Major Threat to Both Parties: From Politburo

Welcome to the online version of From the political officean evening newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker examines how political leaders from both parties are handling California’s wildfires. Plus, Senior White House Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez sits down for a one-on-one interview with Donald Trump’s new border czar, Tom Homan. And Trump’s status as a convicted felon becomes official.

— Adam Wollner, deputy political editor

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California’s fire politics already threatens both parties.

By Kristen Welker

Fires are still burning across Southern California, ravaging communities and families who have lost their homes, their livelihoods or, in some cases, their loved ones.

And as officials race to bring the fires under control and help thousands of Californians begin rebuilding, the politics of disaster relief are already of major importance to both political parties.

As governor, Gavin Newsom sits at the center of it all, charged with the heavy responsibility of leading the recovery while responding very serious (And sometimes less) questions about state preparedness and response. As one of the Democrats’ most high-profile leaders at a time when the party is searching for a path forward, Newsom’s success or failure in the coming months will go a long way toward defining his political future, especially ahead his planned campaign for president. .

And President-elect Donald Trump is also stepping in at a difficult time. choose to point to Newsom and other Democrats as the fires continue to burn — a stark departure from how President Joe Biden has fashioned himself as the “chief comforter» in tragic moments. In less than two weeks, when Trump loses “elect” from his title, he will also have a role to play in the recovery. And it’s clear that some of Trump’s Republican allies want to take a different approach — listen to how Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. I dodged a question reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Trump’s tones in the midst of an unfolding disaster.

Disasters are among the most difficult tests our political leaders face. These tragedies dealt major blows to those who spoiled them (Hurricane Katrina undermined public confidence in George W. Bush). But they can raise leaders who are seen as capable of addressing them competently (then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s standing improved after Hurricane Sandy, while Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, highlighted his handling of floods and tornadoes during his successful re-election). .

Newsom and Trump will be judged in the months and years to come in part by how they handle this moment — but we don’t yet know how.

We’ll cover all of this, and more, on Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” where I’ll speak with Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford and California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla. I hope you will listen.

For the latest news on the California wildfires, follow our live blog →

New border czar Tom Homan further details his plans for the Trump administration

New border czar Tom Homan told NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez in a one-on-one interview at the U.S. southern border that Donald Trump’s administration would close the Darien Gap, the dangerous Panamanian jungle through which hundreds of thousands of migrants each year.

“This needs to happen,” he said. “Closing Darien Gap will protect our national security. This will save thousands of lives.

Panama has faced pressure to crack down on immigration in recent years, and the country’s immigration authorities said this month that there had been a 42% drop in crossings last year through 70 miles of jungle.

Homan’s comments come as the president-elect begins to outline an expansionist foreign policy. This week, Trump did not exclude use military force to retake the Panama Canal or acquire Greenland.

“Collateral arrests”: Homan, who was acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration, also acknowledged that Trump’s mass deportation plan would include “collateral arrests” — undocumented immigrants with no criminal records who are discovered then that ICE agents are searching for their targets.

He also warned that workplace raids would intensify again soon after Trump took office.

“We’re going to do it the smart way,” Homan said. “We are still working on exactly how we want to roll this out, but operations (on construction sites) need to resume because this is the number one place where we find victims of forced labor run by many cartels.”

The $86 billion question: A crucial outstanding question is how the administration will finance these ambitious projects. ICE already has a A budget deficit of 230 million dollarsand it is unclear when and how Congress will agree on funding. Homan said $86 billion would be a “good start,” noting that it is less than what the United States spent on military and other aid to Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

“I say, ‘We’re going to defend another country’s borders?’ What if we also defended our borders? So give us the money to do this work,” he said.

When asked how the Trump administration would finance this deportation operation, Homan did not say whether officials would take money from the Department of Defense to finance it.

“This decision is beyond me,” he replied. “The DOD can certainly be a force multiplier.”

Read our full story from Gabe’s interview →

And watch “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT for more.

After a no-penalty conviction, Trump is now a convicted felon

It’s official: Donald Trump will be the first convicted felon to hold (or have held) the office of president.

Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the financial silence case, sentenced Trump on Friday to “unconditional discharge.” This means that the president-elect will not face any additional sanctions, but is now a convicted felon in the eyes of New York State law. Adam Reiss, Gary Grumbach, Fallon Gallagher and Dareh Gregorian report.

This ends the case that resulted in Trump’s conviction on 34 counts.

“This has been a very terrible experience,” Trump said, speaking to the judge remotely from his home in Florida.

The sentencing came just ten days before Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.

“Never before has this court been confronted with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Merchan said. “This is a truly extraordinary case.”

Trump’s lawyers repeatedly tried to stay the proceedings, but the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block it in a 5-4 decision Thursday night.

📜 Jack Smith Report Update: Trump suffered new legal setback Thursday evening: A federal appeals court ruled that the Justice Department can release a report on Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. But it upheld a judge’s order requiring a three-day delay to allow new calls.

That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. Today’s newsletter was written by Adam Wollner, Ben Kamisar and Faith Wardwell.

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