Los Angeles County Fire Department’s decision to donate surplus firefighting equipment to Ukraine in 2022 is being met with heavy criticism as California faces a barrage of wildfires in 2024.

With thousands of acres scorched, homes lost, and first responders stretched to their limits, the timing of this earlier “humanitarian” gesture has now come back to haunt the state.

In March 2022, the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) joined a national effort to collect and donate surplus equipment and gear to support first responders in Ukraine.

This initiative involved gathering items such as hoses, nozzles, turnouts, helmets, body armor, and other personal protective equipment to address shortages faced by Ukrainian emergency services during the conflict.

According to the press release:

On Thursday, March 17, 2022, the Los Angeles County Fire Department joined Fourth District Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn at Fire Station 171 in the City of Inglewood to announce they would join the national effort to gather and donate surplus equipment and gear overseas to help first responders in the country of Ukraine.

In its fourth week of conflict with Russia, first responders in Ukraine are faced with shortages in supplies to help provide basic emergency services and fire protection to its citizens and communities.

“As Ukrainian firefighters continue to work under extreme peril to remove victims with limited resources, we felt the need to step up and help in some way,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby.

Surplus items such as hoses, nozzles, turnouts, helmets, body armor, and other associated personal protective equipment will be collected and sent to assist with the shortage.

Firefighters from the three Central Coast counties in California—San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, and Monterey County—teamed up with southern California fire departments to gather donations for Ukrainian firefighters overseas.

KEYT reported:

Santa Barbara City Fire Captain Isaac Siegel took the lead on the effort to collect supplies on the South Central Coast, and agencies from San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties all stepped up quickly to gather donations, said Montecito Fire spokeswoman Christina Favuzzi.

The effort is part of Project Joint Guardian, which is a nationwide program to send firefighting and rescue equipment to first responders in Ukraine, Favuzzi added.

A crew of Santa Barbara, Montecito, and Carpinteria-Summerland firefighters traveled to San Diego on Tuesday, picking up supplies from other fire departments along the way.

They will return to Santa Barbara on Wednesday afternoon, and Direct Relief International will inventory the items and then ship them to Ukraine, Favuzzi said.

Adding fuel to the fire is the Biden regime’s USAID program, which has reportedly invested millions in Ukraine’s emergency response infrastructure.

According to investigative reporter Natalie Winters, “Joe Biden’s USAID has funded 16 Ukrainian Fire Departments with “protective gear, motor pumps, chainsaws, rescue motor cutters, rechargeable spotlights, fire extinguishers, and hydraulic rescue tools.”

Elon Musk immediately weighed in stating, “But what about California?”

But what about California? https://t.co/w0YcFSDky7

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 8, 2025

Southern California is grappling with multiple severe wildfires, notably the Palisades Fire, Eaton Fire, Hurst Fire, and now Woodley Fire.

#BREAKING: A 4th wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles County, the Woodley Fire now at 75 acres.

Current wildfire acreage, as of 6:56AM PT:

1) Palisades Fire: 2,925 acres
2) Eaton Fire: 2,227 acres
3) Hurst Fire: 505 acres
4) Woodley Fire: 75 acrespic.twitter.com/EVPKcSUyas

— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) January 8, 2025

The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles have already claimed two lives and destroyed over 1,000 structures, with firefighters facing unprecedented challenges, including water shortages from dry hydrants.

Critics argue that the equipment sent abroad could have been utilized to bolster local firefighting efforts.

The post You Can’t Make This Up: Los Angeles County Fire Department Donates Surplus Equipment to Ukraine to Aid First Responders — Alongside Biden’s USAID, Which Funded 16 Ukrainian Fire Departments appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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He built the world’s fastest car.

He sends starships to space faster – and cheaper – than NASA.

But what the world’s richest man is planning at a remote facility in Memphis may be his greatest achievement to date.

Recently, earth’s most powerful billionaire revealed a giant AI supercomputer 10 times more powerful than the technology used to create ChatGPT.

Some are even calling it a “ChatGPT killer.”

The crazy part? He has plans to double its power in a matter of weeks … and double it again by this summer.

It’s the new pinnacle of AI technology. World-famous venture capitalist and 35-year AI expert James Altucher predicts it’s about to reveal what AI can really do…

And create a second boom in AI stocks in 2025.

The best part? He has found the #1 way to play it.

Discover the full details on this exciting AI profit opportunity now – before it’s too late to get in.

The post World’s Richest Man Seen at Weird Facility in Memphis? See What He’s Planning… appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Matt Gaetz said he is “reviewing the opportunity” of running for Florida Governor in 2026 following his resignation from Congress in November after the President tapped him to lead the Department of Justice as US Attorney General. 

The current Governor, Ron DeSantis, is unable to seek reelection because of term limits.

The former lawmaker and former Attorney General Nominee told Fox News that he will take “active steps toward a run” near the end of the year if he ultimately decides to throw his hat in the ring. Increasing prices for Florida residents is something he says he is “deeply concerned” about. “I know how to fight the special interests who’ve increased prices in my home state,” he said.

Gaetz has said he does not plan to return to Congress and recently posted a cryptic tweet saying he will fight to save our country from “a different post.” Two days later, as The Gateway Pundit reported, Gaetz posted an image of the Flordia state flag on X, leading many to believe he’s contemplating a run for Governor in 2026.

Gaetz’s prospects for Governor are well-known and widely reported on. Recent polling data shows Gaetz leading in a hypothetical matchup between Gaetz, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), and Democratic State Sen. Shev Jones.

In late November, Gaetz withdrew his name from being considered for AG due to the unfair distraction from President Trump’s next term caused by the Deep State and RINOs’ attempts to sabotage his Senate confirmation with junk allegations of sex trafficking.

A House Ethics Committee investigation was reopened in 2023 as Gaetz ramped up challenges to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was later ousted by Gaetz’s Motion to Vacate the chair. Later, when Gaetz threatened to bring a Motion to Vacate against McCarthy in October 2023, McCarthy’s RINO allies began threatening to expel Gaetz based on the Committee’s investigation.

It should be noted that the Ethics Committee revived the junk allegations against Gaetz, even after the Biden DOJ exonerated Gaetz of criminal wrongdoing and dropped the charges in February 2023.

Gaetz left Congress after Trump nominated him for AG, stripping the Ethics Committee of jurisdiction over him as a private citizen, but that didn’t stop them from continuing to weaponize the committee in an unprecedented move.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, the House Ethics panel secretly voted to release its lawfare report on Matt Gaetz last month before the end of the Congressional session. Republicans hold a majority on the Committee, suggesting that RINOs on the Committee voted with Democrats to smear Gaetz with allegations that were already debunked by Biden’s DOJ. The report alleged that Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women for sex while he was a member of Congress and committed other so-called ‘crimes.’

The Gateway Pundit reported that Gaetz responded to the report in explosive fashion with a series of tweets. This included testimony from witnesses saying she “never charged anyone anything” and they “never discussed money.” “This is testimony from one of the alleged ‘prostitutes’ that you won’t see in the report!” Gaetz said. “Giving funds to someone you are dating – that they didn’t ask for – and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?”

In September 2024, The Gateway Pundit reported on Gaetz’s “final response” to the Ethics Committee. the fix is in,” says Gaetz, calling the investigation a “political payback exercise, devoid of adequate due process, riddled with leaks, and now seeking deeply personal information that is no business of Congress.” Gaetz provided the committee with evidence showing how he was framed by Democrat prosecutors who wanted to take down Republican politicians and how the Committee’s star witness admitted that he fabricated allegations of sex trafficking against Gaetz in exchange for a lesser prison sentence. Read more here:

McCarthy Strikes Back: House Ethics Committee Revives Junk Matt Gaetz Investigation after He Was Cleared by Biden’s DOJ – Steve Bannon Goes Off!

Gaetz has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

Gaetz has since joined One America News Network’s (OANN) primetime lineup, hosting “The Matt Gaetz Show” every weeknight, The Gateway Pundit reported.

He said on X Wednesday that he will be addressing the Fox report on his show tonight at 9pm EST.

I will be addressing this report tonight at 9pm est on @OANN https://t.co/Pc4YP2lLZ2

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) January 8, 2025

The Gateway Pundit will continue to provide updates on Gaetz's potential bid for Governor of Florida. 

The post JUST IN: Matt Gaetz Reportedly Considering Florida Gubernatorial Bid, Says He Will Address Report Tonight on OANN appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The ideological battle over immigration policies has spilled into the Catholic Church, with Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò forcefully countering claims made by the newly appointed Washington, DC, Archbishop Robert McElroy.

McElroy, widely known for his leftist views and frequent critiques of President Trump, suggested on Monday that Trump’s proposed deportation policies are “incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”

During a press conference, McElroy acknowledged that the Catholic Church recognizes a nation’s right to secure its borders.

However, he claimed that large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants would violate the dignity of individuals and Catholic teachings, Breitbart reported.

“We are called always to have a sense of the dignity of every human person. And thus, plans which have been talked about at some levels of having a wider indiscriminate massive deportation across the country would be something that would be incompatible with Catholic doctrine,” McElroy said.

He added, “So, we’ll have to see what emerges in the administration.”

Archbishop Viganò, a staunch critic of Pope Francis and globalist policies, did not hold back in his rebuttal. He argued that safeguarding a nation’s borders is not only a legal right but a moral obligation dictated by Natural Law and common sense.

Viganò accused McElroy and others within the Church hierarchy of aligning with leftist political and globalist agendas under the guise of compassion.

He called out the complicity between what he terms the “deep church” and the “deep state,” alleging that both entities profit from unchecked illegal immigration.

Read his full statement below:

“The “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants is a decision that the State can legitimately take, and this is a principle dictated by Natural Law even before positive civil law or Canon Law.

Conversely, the “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants is certainly and indisputably incompatible with the network of pseudo-charitable organizations in the hands of the Bergoglian Hierarchy, the Democratic Party and the NGOs attributable to George Soros, and with the system of complicity between the deep state and the deep church, both of which are actively engaged in the dissolution of the social, economic, cultural, and religious fabric of the Nations in which they have taken control of the institutions. Stopping illegal immigration would make them lose an inexhaustible source of profit, paid for by citizens’ taxes.

The “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants is certainly and unquestionably incompatible with the subversive plan of ethnic substitution shared by the globalist elite, because it thwarts it and prevents the creation of the premises for social revolt that are intended lead to a further restriction of fundamental freedoms.

When we hear representatives of the deep church (i.e. the Bergoglian “church”) or the deep state speak, we ought to realize that these people are emissaries of the subversive globalist lobby, and that every word they say is false, because behind an apparently acceptable excuse they actually hide unmentionable criminal purposes.

Let us not be surprised then if “Cardinal” McElroy – appointed by Bergoglio as “Archbishop” of Washington, heir of the serial abuser and right-hand man of the Argentine Jesuit, Theodore McCarrick – is so busy with immigrants, LGBTQ+, the environment and vaccines: these are the points of the Agenda 2030, which the Bergoglian “church” has been promoting since the Mafia of St. Gallen managed to have a puppet of the World Economic Forum elected “pope”. And let us not be surprised if what the exponents of the deep state and the deep church have in common is corruption, vice, and perversion.”

The “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants is a decision that the State can legitimately take, and this is a principle dictated by Natural Law even before positive civil law or Canon Law.

Conversely, the “mass deportation” of illegal immigrants is certainly and indisputably… pic.twitter.com/1uiev8fTFU

— Arcivescovo Carlo Maria Viganò (@CarloMVigano) January 8, 2025

The post Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò Fires Back: Defends Trump’s Immigration Policies Against Newly Appointed DC Archbishop’s Claims of ‘Incompatibility with Catholic Doctrine’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

On Wednesday, Joe Biden, the alleged president, announced another $500 million in military aid for Ukraine as Los Angeles burns to the ground.

The Associated Press reported:

The U.S. is set to provide Ukraine an additional $500 million in weapons quickly pulled from its existing stockpiles as the Biden administration works to get Kyiv in a stronger negotiating position before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, two U.S. officials said.

The announcement is expected during Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s final trip to meet with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a consortium of about 50 partner nations that Austin brought together months after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 to coordinate weapons support.

The meeting on Thursday is the 25th and potentially last gathering of the U.S.-led group, as the participating countries wait to see whether it will be continued under Trump.

Joe Biden sent Ukraine a $1.25 billion weapons package late last month while he was on a taxpayer-funded vacation in sunny St. Croix until New Year’s.

Biden is sending Ukraine as much money and military aid as possible in his last few weeks in office.

BREAKING: In what has become a weekly routine, the outgoing Biden regime is preparing another $1.25 billion weapons package for Ukraine as they work to push out all available funding before Trump takes office. pic.twitter.com/FyxdkcXtiB

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) December 27, 2024

In September, the Biden Regime announced an eye-watering $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington.

This massive giveaway comes as Americans continue to face economic hardships, skyrocketing inflation, and an unprecedented crisis at the southern border.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Congress has approved nearly $175 billion in aid and military assistance for Ukraine.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations:

Since the war began, the U.S. Congress has voted through five bills that have provided Ukraine with ongoing aid, doing so most recently in April 2024. The total budget authority under these bills—the “headline” figure often cited by news media—is $175 billion.

The historic sums are helping a broad set of Ukrainian people and institutions, including refugees, law enforcement, and independent radio broadcasters, though most of the aid has been military-related. Dozens of other countries, including most members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), are also providing large aid packages to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, more than 70,000 residents in Los Angeles have evacuated after wildfires erupted.

More than 1,000 homes burned to the ground.

Total destruction in Malibu. These were beachfront homes on Pacific Coast Highway. #palisadesfire pic.twitter.com/DhQnJMmoUW

— Liz Kreutz (@LizKreutzNews) January 8, 2025

Total destruction.

This is what’s left of the Pacific Palisades. The mall survived. Most everything else is gone. Homes, apartment complexes… businesses. pic.twitter.com/Vfz721V48J

— Jonathan Vigliotti (@JonVigliotti) January 8, 2025

But don’t worry because Joe Biden said he has been briefed on the fires.

I am being frequently briefed on the wildfires in west Los Angeles. My team and I are in touch with state and local officials, and I have offered any federal assistance that is needed to help suppress the terrible Pacific Palisades fire. Earlier tonight, FEMA approved a Fire…

— President Biden (@POTUS) January 8, 2025

The post NEW: Joe Biden Announces Another $500 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine as California Burns appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.