West
Trump's immigration crackdown in LA ignites 'same emotional notes' for Dems, top local GOP leader says
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The federal immigration operations in Los Angeles have created a sense of “political irony” in the Golden State, according to Los Angeles County Republican Party Chair Roxanne Hoge.
The region continues to make waves after anti-ICE riots in June, as well as authorities recently conducting a massive operation on a cannabis farm in Southern California that resulted in a riot, hundreds of illegal immigrant arrests and a child labor investigation into the company. The operation was the result of a criminal search warrant, and the company, Glass House Brands, has denied intentional wrongdoing.
“The political irony of the Trump administration coming in to clean up the mess that the California Democrats has made, is it will make Los Angeles livable, right?” Hoge said.
CALIFORNIA CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR BLASTS NEWSOM WHILE WALKING THROUGH LA RIOT AFTERMATH
A law enforcement officer fires a less-lethal projectile during a protest on Saturday, June 14, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Noah Berger)
“They’re gonna end up looking better because the traffic will be easier, ERs will be easy to get to, and people will realize that there isn’t a two-tiered justice system,” Hoge continued. “If you want to open a restaurant in Los Angeles, you’re looking at years before you can get the permits and build something. Just look at the poor people in the Palisades. If you’re illegal, Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom have rolled out the welcome mat for you and your cart on the street. And people are noticing that.”
In a deep blue area, Republicans generally have an uphill battle, and Hoge said that the message for the party to Independents and “disaffected Democrats” is to “continue to espouse public safety.” In November, Los Angeles County voters ousted progressive District Attorney George Gascon and swapped him out with Nathan Hochman, an independent, by a wide margin.
“That really is the number one role of government, and it is the thing that the Democrats have completely failed at,” Hoge said. “They own Los Angeles, all of it. The encampments, the inability to run a business, the inability of your kids to get a good education. That all lies on the feet of California Democrats, and we’re just going to keep pointing out that we can do better.”
The fires in Los Angeles brought heightened scrutiny to California leadership earlier this year, but the attention on them quickly shifted to immigration nationally. Mayor Bass and Gov. Newsom have been vocal opponents of the administration, with the mayor even directly meeting with ICE during a sweep earlier this month near MacArthur Park.
ANTI-ICE RIOTS REVEAL THE LEFT HAS LEARNED NOTHING. IT’S JUST HANDED TRUMP A GIFT
Authorities used tear gas against protesters who converged on a Southern California marijuana farm amid an immigration raid on Thursday. (KABC LA)
“They need to leave, and they need to leave right now. They need to leave because this is unacceptable!” Bass said at the time, and later said at a press conference that ICE needs to “go home.”
“I don’t know if there’s a deal to be made. Like I told you, the deal that needs to be made is for them to go home,” the Democrat said at the press conference.
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Newsom has also remained firm in his stance against the administration, including a lawsuit against National Guard troop deployment by President Donald Trump over the riots in June.
“For more than a month, [Trump] has been exploiting [the California National Guard] as his political pawns,” Newsom posted to X on July 15, as some of the troops were taken off their orders. “Thousands of members are still federalized in Los Angeles for no reason and unable to carry out their critical duties across the state. End this theater and send everyone home.”
Hoge said voters should consider the broader issues that stem from the border crisis and illegal immigration created, in her view.
ICE RAMPS UP ARRESTS OF CONVICTED CRIMINALS AS RIOTS RAGE IN BLUE CITY: ‘YOU WILL NOT STOP US’
People hold Mexican flags and gesture next to a car in flames following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, California, on June 7, 2025. (REUTERS/Barbara Davidson)
“My message is the same to everyone, including disaffected Democrats, of which I was a classic liberal. I’m an immigrant. I came here legally and became a naturalized citizen,” Hoge said, adding that Democrats are “taking advantage” of people coming to the country illegally and opening the door to “exploitation by employers,” sex crimes, and “all sorts of horrible things.”
“I would say just remember that the fruit of the poison tree is the original sanctuary laws,” Hoge said.
However, the Republican noted that the political implications are “tough to tell,” adding that the left “has the advantage of just playing the same emotional notes over and over.”
“Sometimes people are swayed by that,” she added.
Los Angeles is considered a sanctuary city as of November 2024, which acts as a roadblock for the city to be “utilized” or “to cooperate” with the federal government on “immigration enforcement,” according to a news release. The policy is currently facing a federal lawsuit.
As for the state of California, the governor’s office recently said to Fox News Digital on background that state law “does not impede criminal investigations or sharing of information about an individual’s criminal history. California does not interfere with the federal government’s authority to enforce federal immigration laws with federal resources.”
The governor’s office noted on background that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has “coordinated” on over 11,000 cases with ICE, including serious crimes.
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Alaska
Pilot dies in small plane crash southeast of Cordova
A pilot was killed in a plane crash in mountainous terrain near Cordova, Alaska State Troopers said Friday.
The agency was notified of the overdue Piper Pacer around 8 p.m. Thursday, troopers said in an online post. The pilot was believed to be the sole person on board the aircraft, which was thought to be flying between Yakutat and Fairbanks, troopers said.
Aircraft from the Alaska Air National Guard and Alaska Wildlife Troopers started searching for the plane, and a Guard helicopter crew found the overdue Piper Pacer around 4 p.m. Friday where it had crashed near Kanak Island, about 40 miles southeast of Cordova, troopers said.
The pilot, whom troopers did not identify, was found dead in the crashed plane, troopers said. His body was take to the State Medical Examiner Office in Anchorage for autopsy and positive identification, according to troopers.
Troopers said the pilot’s next of kin and the National Transportation Safety Board were notified.
Arizona
Arizona’s Rugged Wilderness Area Has Gorgeous Mountain Trails And Scenic Camping Spots – Islands
While those who haven’t spent a lot of time exploring Arizona may associate the Grand Canyon State with towering saguaro cacti and endless stretches of barren, moon-like landscapes, that description, though accurate, does not tell the complete story. Because located within the Tonto and Coconino National Forests is 252,500 acres of rugged wilderness that, in addition to cacti and desert, also includes pine forests, snow-dusted mountain peaks, and the Verde River, Arizona’s only designated Wild River Area.
Called the Mazatzal Wilderness Area, and spanning from the brush-covered Sonoran Desert to the tip of the 7,903-foot Mazatzal Peak and beyond, the area became a designated wilderness in 1940. It has since become known for its diverse, rugged scenery that includes steep ridges, narrow canyons, riparian habitats, and 240 miles of hiking trails, many of which are too craggy and steep for mountain bikes and horses. The trails are gorgeous, however, offering sweeping forest and mountain views as well as several scenic camping spots along creeks and ridgelines of wildflowers. Mazatzal, which gets its name from an Aztec word that means “land inhabited by deer,” is home to mule deer and whitetails as well as bald eagles, river otters, bears, and kit foxes, among other wildlife.
Mazatzal is unique in that it combines a rich network of diverse ecosystems into one expansive wilderness area, allowing you to swim in a cactus-lined river or cool off in an icy mountain waterfall. Just two hours from Phoenix, Mazatzal offers access to remote wilderness you can experience without having to venture too far from the comforts of urban life.
Mazatzal Wilderness Area is a backpacker’s paradise
The more than 40 hiking trails at Mazatzal offer breathtaking Tonto National Forest scenery full of unforgettable wildlife and panoramic views. “…This ‘secret’ area has some of the most beautiful, interesting, fascinating geography, geology, flora and fauna to be found anywhere in the high Sonora Desert,” writes a reviewer on TripAdvisor. “You’re almost guaranteed to see not a single other person for your entire hike, but you’ll see birds, snakes, lizards, range cattle, desert bighorn sheep and who-knows-what other animals while getting a sense of what it must have been like a hundred years and more ago, the natural environment almost absent [of] the effects of human beings.” One of the most popular hikes includes the moderate, 6.2-mile Barnhardt Trail Waterfall, where the sound of birds singing will be your soundtrack as you hike through lush vegetation punctuated by red rocks and jagged cliffs to lookout points with sweeping views of the hazy rolling hills and olive-green forests below. A seasonal waterfall is your reward at the end. “Barnhardt trail is an absolute must, one of the top 5 classic hikes in Arizona,” says a reviewer on a forum for Backpacking Light.
Although gorgeous, many of the trails are challenging, with cat claw plants that snag on your clothing, treacherously steep inclines, and rocky, overgrown terrain where you can twist an ankle if you’re not careful. Portions of the Arizona National Scenic Trail pass through the wilderness area, too, with the Arizona National Scenic Trail ranking number six in the list of the 11 U.S. National Scenic Hiking Trails ranked by difficulty.
Mazatzal offers primitive and dispersed camping throughout the wilderness area that can serve adventure-seeking backpackers and multi-day hikers with a remote wilderness camping experience. None of the campsites have toilets or any other facilities and all campers are encouraged to follow Leave No Trace principles and pack out all waste. Although glamping this is not, the campsites offer scenic views of ponderosa pine canyons and fire-red mountain ridges. For those looking looking to RV or car camp, Mazatzal is about a 40-minute drive from Payson, a high-elevation Arizona lakeside town where you can camp at one of the full-service campgrounds as well as shop, dine, and gamble at the Mazatzal Casino.
California
California man arrested for alleged lewd acts, exploitation involving juveniles
A California man was arrested on suspicion of committing lewd acts and exploiting minors through online platforms.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Edward “Eddie” Alessandro Zarate, 20, of Santa Maria.
On May 28, authorities began investigating Zarate over allegations that he was communicating with underage girls online and exchanging sexually explicit material with them.
Detectives later learned that Zarate allegedly communicated with minor victims through mobile phone apps such as Whipd, Purp, Wizz and Snapchat, along with exchanging text messages.
Zarate’s profiles appeared to portray him as a juvenile.
“Once he established communication with minors, he would often encourage them to move conversations off the platform and continue communicating via text message,” the sheriff’s department said. “During these conversations, Zarate would disclose his true age and identity.”
So far, authorities are aware of two female juveniles who have met with Zarate in person and reportedly engaged in lewd acts.
He is accused of communicating with minors in multiple states including California, Florida and Illinois. In California alone, detectives believe Zarate contacted minors from Los Angeles, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Santa Maria, Lompoc, Paso Robles, Nipomo, Arroyo Grande and San Francisco.
“Based on the scope of the investigation, detectives believe there may be additional survivors who have not yet been identified,” authorities said.
On June 10, Zarate was arrested and booked on multiple felony charges including oral copulation with a person under 18 years of age, unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, sending harmful matter to a minor, and two counts of possession of obscene material depicting a minor.
Anyone who may be a victim, has communicated with Zarate online or through text or has information on the case is asked to call Sheriff’s Detectives at 805-681-4150. Anonymous tips can be provided to the SBSD’s tipline at 805-681-4171 or online at SBSheriff.org.
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