House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Congress should place conditions on disaster assistance for California in the wake of the state’s destructive wildfires.

Johnson did not say what kind of conditions he would like to see on the disaster relief, but said it appears “state and local leaders were derelict in their duty in many respects.” 

It also remains unclear when Congress will begin the process of considering disaster aid, since the fires are still ablaze and the price tag for such a package is unknown. Read Full Story

• Townhall: Many to Blame for LA’s Ring of Fire
• PJ Media: To Stop Wildfires, Burn Wokeism
• American Thinker: The Environmentalist War on California
• The Washington Times: California’s Wildfire Disaster Threatens to Torch Newsom’s 2028 Presidential Ambitions
• The Federalist: Prescribed Burns Are Only Way for California to Avoid Another Catastrophic Fire

President-elect Donald Trump said on day 1 of his administration the border will be closed and criminals deported, calling it “common sense,” The Washington Times reports.

“It’s going to be closed very strongly. It’s going to be closed and we’re going to have to take people out that are criminals,” Trump told reporters Wednesday evening. 

“We have people from jails from all over the world and from mental institutions, and as you know, they’re going to have to be removed,” he explained. “We’re going to get a country back again and we’re going to be really governed by common sense.” Read Full Story

• The Hill: Trump Says It ‘Doesn’t Matter’ How GOP Passes His Agenda: ‘The End Result Is the Same’
• Townhall: Trump on Canada, Greenland, and Panama
• PJ Media: Incompetence Is Why Fire Insurance Companies Have Fled California
• The Federalist: In 2025, Competency Is In and Corporate Media Are Out
• National Review: Trump Should Withdraw U.S. Support for Corrupt U.N. Agencies

President-elect Donald Trump will be on Capitol Hill on Wednesday at the invitation of Senate Republican leadership, according to sources.

One of the big questions that needs to be hashed out is whether to move Trump’s agenda in a single budget reconciliation package or break it up into two packages. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has spoken in favor of splitting it into two. 

The first would beef up border security and expand fossil fuel production domestically. The second package would be devoted to extending the expiring Trump tax cuts and reducing spending.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans prefer to tackle all of Trump’s major agenda items in a single package. Read Full Story

• The Daily Caller: John Thune Reveals Why He’s Having Senate Take Up One Bill in Particular as Its First Order of Business
• The Washington Times: Trump Accuses Biden of Sabotaging Presidential Transition
• Washington Examiner: DOGE Effect Will Be Felt ‘Over Time’: James Comer
• Townhall: Democrats Learned Nothing From Election
• PJ Media: Why America Is in So Much Trouble
• The Federalist: Legacy of Jan. 6 Should Be Massive Reform of FBI and DOJ