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The Latest: California Republicans uneasy over Trump’s threat to condition wildfire aid

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The Latest: California Republicans uneasy over Trump’s threat to condition wildfire aid


President Donald Trump is remaking the traditional boundaries of Washington, asserting unprecedented executive power and daring anyone to stop him.

Here’s the latest:

The response from the Kremlin came Thursday after the US president threatened Moscow with further sanctions if an agreement isn’t reached to end the fighting in Ukraine.

In a post to his Truth Social site on Wednesday, Trump urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “settle now and stop this ridiculous war.”

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“If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries,” Trump added in the post.

During his regular call with journalists on Thursday morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said these threats were nothing new. “Trump, in his first iteration of his presidency, was the American president who most often resorted to sanctions methods. He likes these methods,” Peskov said.

Peskov added that Moscow “remains ready for an equal dialogue, for a mutually respectful dialogue.”

In an interview aired Wednesday night, Trump said he may withhold aid to California until the state adjusts how it manages its scarce water resources. He falsely claimed that California’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas.

“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

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Local officials have said the conservation efforts for the delta smelt had nothing to do with the hydrants running dry as firefighters tried to contain flames around Los Angeles. They cited limited municipal systems, which are not designed to battle such massive blazes.

“Los Angeles has massive amounts of water available to it. All they have to do is turn the valve,” the president said.

California Republicans are pushing back against suggestions by President Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans that federal disaster aid for victims of wildfires that ravaged Southern California should come with strings attached, possibly jeopardizing the president’s policy agenda in a deeply divided Congress at the outset of his second term.

Several Republicans who narrowly won California House seats in November have expressed dismay that the state relief could be hitched to demands in exchange for helping the thousands of Californians in their districts still reeling from this month’s disaster.

“Playing politics with people’s livelihoods is unacceptable and a slap in the face to the Southern California wildfire victims and to our brave first responders,” Republican Rep. Young Kim, whose closely divided district is anchored in fire-prone Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, said in a statement.

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▶ Read more about Trump’s threat to withhold wildfire aid

The House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that requires the detainment of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes, marking the first legislation that President Donald Trump can sign as Congress, with some bipartisan support, swiftly moved in line with his plans to crackdown on illegal immigration.

Passage of the Laken Riley Act, which was named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan man, shows just how sharply the political debate over immigration has shifted to the right following Trump’s election victory. Immigration policy has often been one of the most entrenched issues in Congress, but a crucial faction of 46 politically vulnerable Democrats joined with Republicans to lift the strict proposal to passage on a 263-156 vote tally.

“For decades, it has been almost impossible for our government to agree on solutions for the problems at our border and within our country,” said Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican. She called the legislation “perhaps the most significant immigration enforcement bill” to be passed by Congress in nearly three decades.

Still, the bill would require a massive ramp-up in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s capabilities, but does not include any new funding.

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▶ Read more about the Laken Riley Act



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California Now Offers Free Passes to State Historic Parks (Just Don’t Miss the Deadline) | KQED

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California Now Offers Free Passes to State Historic Parks (Just Don’t Miss the Deadline) | KQED


An annual pass that’s usually $50 is free in honor of Juneteenth — and to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Historical buildings are visible at Sonoma State Historic Park, Sonoma, California, May 31, 2026. Until July 6, Californians can download the state historic park pass for free and use it as many times as they want through the end of 2026. (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)

“California doesn’t hide from hard truths and uncomfortable history – in fact, we embrace it and learn from it,” Newsom wrote.

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Until July 6, Californians can download the state historic park pass for free and use it as many times as they want through the end of 2026. The pass gives free entry to state historic parks for up to four people.

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The Historian Passport grants entry to more than 30 state historic parks, including parks like Olompali and Malakoff Diggins which, rather than just providing outdoor recreation, also have an educational emphasis on the state’s history.

Jack London State Historic Park in Napa Valley, California. (Ablokhin via Getty Images)

Many of these parks tell the story of the state’s cultural or indigenous history, from missions and museums to temples and the site that sparked the California Gold Rush.

Newsom made a similar move to make state parks free for Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, in response to Trump’s decision to eliminate the holiday from the list of fee-free days at national parks across the country, replacing it with his birthday on Flag Day.

How to get your free Historian Passport for up to four people

You must make an account with the state’s reservation site ReserveCalifornia.com to obtain a Historian Pass. Then, visit the site’s Advance Passes page and select “Special Edition Historian Passport” from the dropdown menu, which will show as costing $0. No payment information is required.

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After checking out, you’ll receive an email with an attached PDF version of your Historian Passport.

The state recommends you print off this PDF to present at any California state historic park for free entry, although you may just be able to show the image on your phone too.

Bear in mind that cellphone service may be poor at many state historic parks, so it’s worth screenshotting the PDF to save it as an image on your phone in case you’re unable to search your email.

Looking for free entry to other state parks that aren’t included in the Historian Passport? Consider checking out a parks pass from your local library, which provides these passes as part of the California State Library Parks Pass program.

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Northern California State Historic Parks to visit for free this year with a Historian Passport

Bay Area

Sacramento area

Sierra foothills

KQED’s Carly Severn contributed to this report.





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In-N-Out drive-thru DUI arrest gets California man 3 years in prison

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In-N-Out drive-thru DUI arrest gets California man 3 years in prison


A 33-year-old Northern California man was sentenced to three years in prison after he was found passed out drunk behind the wheel in the drive-thru of an In-N-Out Burger, marking his seventh arrest and conviction for driving under the influence.

According to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol officers were alerted to the June 2025 situation by a store employee.

Responding officers approached the vehicle and reported smelling urine and vomit, along with the odor of alcohol inside the car, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A menu is displayed in the drive thru at an In-n-Out restaurant in California.(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Officers arrested the man, identified as Carlos Alvarez of Salinas, on suspicion of felony DUI.

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This was his fourth DUI conviction in the past 10 years, The Times reported.

It was not immediately clear what sentences were imposed in Alvarez’s prior DUI convictions or whether he has previously served jail time for any of the other felony convictions.



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Two California students swept out to sea and drowned while napping on beach

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Two California students swept out to sea and drowned while napping on beach


Two college students died after being swept out to sea from a Santa Cruz beach as massive waves and dangerous rip currents inundated the California coastline in recent days.

Authorities confirmed this week that Harshita Nair, 21, and Mahial Sran, 20, were killed after the sudden swell at a Santa Cruz beach last Wednesday. Nair died last week while Sran died in a local hospital on Sunday.

The incident came a day after a five-year-old girl in southern California was killed when turbulent waters swept the child, who was walking with her mother and brother, out to sea from the shore of Treasure Island Beach in Orange county.

Authorities have urged people to take precautions while visiting beaches throughout the state as the coast faced treacherous conditions with the continuing king tides, a non-scientific term describing the highest tides of the year.

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On 10 June, local authorities in Santa Cruz responded to a beach for an ocean rescue of two women who had been pulled into the water. A team of about eight rescue swimmers helped pull Nair and Sran from the water, and they were taken to local hospitals by ambulance and helicopters.

It was the fifth rescue firefighters had undertaken on that mile-long portion of coastline from Yellow Bank Beach to Bonny Doon Beach, the San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit of Cal Fire said in a statement online.

Kyle Breton, a Santa Cruz county volunteer fire captain, said in a video that officials believed the two friends were napping near a rock archway between two beaches when the water came in and swept them out.

Sran was a student at San Jose State University and Nair attended the University of California, Berkeley, the universities confirmed to media outlets.

In an obituary, Nair’s family remembered her as a “cherished sister, granddaughter and a treasured friend” who “always found a way to lift others up”.

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“Harshita was truly full of life – radiating energy, warmth and joy wherever she went. She had a deep love for adventure and embraced every moment with enthusiasm and courage. Her spirit was contagious, her laughter uplifting and her presence comforting.”



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