Federal response teams are combatting the Los Angeles fires blazing across hundreds of acres, which have forced thousands to evacuate from their homes.
President Biden was in Los Angeles this week to visit local agencies and provide updates. However, President-elect Trump remained largely critical of Biden and other Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Mayor Karen Bass (D), accusing them of a lack of preparation leading up to the disaster.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell will likely talk about the fires on ABC’s “This Week,” CNN’s “State of the Union” and CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Meanwhile Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.) is set to join NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday. Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.) is also scheduled to join the show.
Read the Sunday shows lineup here and follow along below for today’s updates.
Barrasso predicts Trump will issue a ‘blizzard of executive orders’ once inaugurated
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said he believes President-elect Trump will issue a “blizzard of executive orders” once he is inaugurated.
Barrasso joined CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where he was asked about the Senate’s confirmation of Trump’s Cabinet picks and what lies ahead for the start of Trump’s second term.
Kelly says he is aware TikTok ban ‘is controversial,’ yet there is ‘national security risk to’ app
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said Sunday that he is aware that the possible TikTok ban “is controversial,” yet the app “has a national security risk to it.”
“I imagine [there’s gonna] be a disruption in the service here, you know, starting on the 19th,” Kelly told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation.”
Vance: Those who ‘committed violence’ on Jan. 6 ‘obviously’ shouldn’t be pardoned
Vice President-elect JD Vance said people who “committed violence” on Jan. 6 “obviously” shouldn’t be pardoned by President-elect Trump.
“I think it’s very simple, look if you protested peacefully on January 6th, and you had Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice treat you like a gang member, you should be pardoned,” Vance said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
Barrasso predicts ‘strings attached to money’ for California fire aid
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) predicted Sunday “that there will be strings attached to money that is ultimately approved” for Los Angeles-area fire aid.
“Do you expect, though, that Congress and Republicans will still help these Americans in need, even if they don’t like their local politics in the party?” CBS News’s Margaret Brennan asked on “Face the Nation.”
“I expect that there will be strings attached to money that is ultimately approved, and it has to do with being ready the next time, because this was a gross failure this time,” the Wyoming Republican responded.
During his “Face the Nation” appearance, Barrasso said, “In addition to the tragedy on the ground, you’re also seeing gross mismanagement in California by elected officials.”
GOP rep. calls for ‘honest analysis’ of California policies that ‘may have contributed’ to wildfires
Rep. Erin Houchin (R-Ind.) said on Sunday that there should be an “honest analysis” of the policies in California that “may have” contributed to the rapid spread of wildfires.
In an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday,” Houchin suggested she would be open to supporting additional aid for Californians, saying, when asked about additional aid, “We’re going to do what’s necessary to take care of the American people.”
She added: “However, I do think we have to have an honest analysis of some of the policies that may have contributed to the worsening of this problem in California and get to the bottom of it so it doesn’t happen again.”
“That will involve bipartisanship, both at the federal and the state level, and I hope that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will come to the table with some commonsense policies that Republicans have long supported and that Republicans will come to the table for the assistance that California needs,” she said.
The Hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns NewsNation.
California congressman: ‘Climate change has wreaked havoc on us’
Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.) pointed to climate change as a significant contributor to the rapid spread of wildfires in California in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”
Min, a new member of Congress, said he spent the last two years chairing the California State Senate’s Natural Resources and Water Committee, where he looked closely at the issues of wildfires and water supply.
“We were very aware of the fire risks in Southern California and Northern California,” Min said of his time on the committee.
“And what has happened is that climate change has dried out our foliage, our flora,” Min said. “And coupled with these massive winds … these 50 to 100 mile an hour winds that happen every year around this time, a little ember can turn into a massive fire.”
Los Angeles-area Democrat says her community ‘not out of the danger zone’ amid fires
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said Sunday that her community is “not out of the danger zone” amid the recent Los Angeles-area fires.
“I know 11 of these reported deaths were in your community. How are you, and do you know if the community is out of the danger zone at this point?” CBS News’s Margaret Brennan asked Chu on “Face the Nation.”
“It is not out of the danger zone. We have another Santa Ana gust of winds that will happen Monday or Tuesday. They will be around 50 miles per hour,” Chu responded.
“That is less than what caused this whole terrible catastrophe. Last week, the winds were between 80 to 100 miles per hour, nonetheless, they could spread the fire. And I urge all residents to pay attention to the evacuation warnings and orders, and most of all, to make sure that they are safe,” she added.
FEMA Administrator: L.A. was ready for wildfires, not 100 mph winds
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Deanne Criswell said in an interview that aired Sunday that the Los Angeles area was “very prepared” for the recent wildfires it has faced; however, it was not ready for ‘100 mile-an-hour winds.”
“I think that they were very prepared. This is something that they are very used to, they fight fires all the time,” Criswell told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation.”
“But they have never seen 100 mile-an-hour winds that are fueling the fire, and those winds and that weather condition is what really impacts, you know, where this fire is gonna go, but more importantly, how they’re able to try to contain it in those first few hours and days,” she added.
Vance dismisses concerns about withholding wildfire aid
Vice President-elect JD Vance dismissed concerns that President-elect Trump might try to withhold federal aid from California as it seeks to rebuild the damage from the wildfires.
In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Shannon Bream asked Vance about Trump’s remarks from September 2024, when he threatened at a press conference in Los Angeles to withhold federal aid from California.
“We won’t give him money to put out all his fires,” Trump said at the time. “And if we don’t give him the money to put out his fires, he’s got problems.”
On whether there is any consideration of withholding aid to Californians, Vance dismissed the idea but said Trump is committed to improving federal responses to crises.
“No, look, President Trump cares about all Americans, right? He is the president for all Americans,” Vance said. “And I think that he intends to have FEMA and other federal responses much, much better and much more clued into what’s going on there on the ground.”
FEMA administrator says she doesn’t ‘have any information on the cause’ of Los Angeles fires
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said in an interview that aired on Sunday that she doesn’t “have any information on the cause” of the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires.
“Do you know, were the power lines a cause of any of these blazes?” CBS News’s Margaret Brennan asked Criswell on “Face the Nation.”
“Yeah, I don’t have any information on the cause, and I think that’s certainly gonna be something that’s gonna be, you know, under investigation,” Criswell responded. “But I think when we think about moving the power lines underground, it’s not just from the cause, but it’s also, how do you keep the power on when we have these severe weather incidents.”
Padilla says he is ‘a no’ on Laken Riley Act ‘as currently written’
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said on Sunday that he is “a no” on the Laken Riley Act “as currently written.”
“As currently written, I’m a no because it opens the doors for people simply being charged without a conviction, to be detained and deported, that includes minors, that includes Dreamers, that’s shoplifting a pack of bubble gum,” Padilla told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.”
Sullivan: ‘History has judged well’ Biden’s call to withdraw from Afghanistan
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that President Biden made the right strategic call to withdraw from Afghanistan three years ago and that history reflects well on that decision.
“The strategic call President Biden made, looking back three years, history has judged well and will continue to judge well,” Sullivan said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
He continued, “From the point of view that, if we were still in Afghanistan today, Americans would be fighting and dying; Russia would have more leverage over us; we would be less able to respond to the major strategic challenges we face.”
Newsom announces executive order centered around rebuilding
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced an executive order centered around rebuilding in the wake of the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires on Sunday.
“I’m worried about issues of rebuilding as it relates to scarcity, as it relates to property taxes, meaning scarcity of resources, materials, personnel. I’m worried about time to getting these projects done,” Newsom said in an interview with NBC News’s Jacob Soboroff on “Meet the Press.”
GOP Sen. Britt says Trump will ‘make sure the people of California have what they need’
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said on Sunday that she is confident President-elect Trump will ensure Californians “have what they need” as they rebuild from the wildfires.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Jake Tapper asked whether she thinks Trump should honor President Biden’s pledge for the federal government to cover 100 percent of the initial disaster response costs and whether Congress is prepared to act if more aid is needed.
“When it comes to the Republican conference, we actually had this conversation this week,” Britt said. “Certainly understand the needs of the people of California, and we’ll continue to learn more.”
Padilla says he has ‘faith’ in California leaders
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said he has “faith” in California leaders amid deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
“Look, I do have faith in our leaders, and not just as individuals, but especially because we … after disaster after disaster [after disaster] have gotten really good at working together, and it’s not just the elected officials,” Padilla told NBC News’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press.”
Padilla added that he was providing “even more credit to the first responders, to the emergency response personnel, police officers, firefighters.”
The Los Angeles area has been devastated by the recent wildfires, with the death toll up to 16 people now.
Trump blasts ‘incompetent’ officials as wildfires rage on
President-elect Trump slammed officials in charge of handling the raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area, calling them “incompetent.”
“The fires are still raging in L.A.,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Sunday morning. “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.”
He added that the fires are “one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our Country.”
“They just can’t put out the fires. What’s wrong with them?” he continued.
Death toll from southern California wildfires rises to 16
The death toll from the southern California wildfires reached 16, as of Saturday night, while the fires remained mostly uncontained and additional evacuation orders were underway.
The Palisades Fire caused five of the deaths and the Eaton Fire caused 11 of the deaths, according to an update from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
Weather events ‘do not discriminate’ on politics
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said on Sunday that it’s important for weather events, like the California wildfires, not to become political.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” anchor Jake Tapper asked Criswell about President-elect Trump calling California Gov. Gavin Newsom incompetent because the wildfires have not been fully contained.
On whether she’s concerned that “politics could get in the way of disaster relief,” Criswell told Tapper, “Disasters, we need to make sure that they are never politicized.”
“It doesn’t matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican,” she continued. “These types of weather events, they do not discriminate.
Winds could make wildfires ‘dangerous and strong again’
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on Sunday warned that winds could worsen the wildfires in the coming days, as she urged residents to heed public advisories to stay far away from their homes.
“What I’m hearing right now is that the winds are potentially getting dangerous and strong again. I believe the red flag warnings have been put back in place, and so I think the biggest thing that people need to know is that this is still dangerous, and they still need to make sure they’re listening to their local officials so they can keep themselves safe,” Criswell said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” when asked about the state of wildfires.
She warned that wildfires become unpredictable when the winds start to pick up, making it especially important to exercise caution.