INTERNACIONAL
Los Angeles Mayor Bass says ‘hell yeah’ she regrets Ghana trip after wildfires ravaged city
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass continued to express regret for her controversial Ghana trip ahead of the devastating fires earlier this year in a recent interview with Vice News.
«I was asked, ‘Do I regret going?’ Hell yeah. I mean, let me just do a comparison. If you are out of town and your kid or a member of your family gets sick or hurt, it doesn’t matter where you were or why you were there. You feel horrible,» Bass said in an interview with Vice News earlier this month.
«I’m really not trying to give excuses, but there was no way in the world I knew that the city was in danger when I left,» she later added. «Absolutely no way. And if you think about it through, if you take a step back, and because I did ask the chief when I came back, you know, like ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ and basically the response was ‘Because we have Santa Anas all the time and nobody expected hurricane-force winds.’»
The mayor faced intense scrutiny for the presidential delegation’s visit to Africa even though there were warnings of the fire ahead of time. The Los Angeles Times reported that her team was aware of the fire risk before her trip.
She ended up returning the day after the fires began ripping through Los Angeles neighborhoods, like the Pacific Palisades, where thousands of buildings were destroyed.
LA MAYOR RIPPED FOR INTERFERING WITH ICE RAID AT CRIME-RIDDEN LOCAL PARK: ‘FULL OF S—‘
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addressed her regret over her Ghana trip during the LA fires. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
«Well, I mean to be with honest with you. Well, I didn’t get briefed. That’s true. But I think that, again, people did not anticipate the historic wind. And it wasn’t just LA. It was the county too.»
«What typically happens is that if there’s going to be a big weather event, there are these briefings that happen and, uh, it’s either initiated by the fire department or the emergency department,» she said. «I was used to the fire chief calling me and telling me, you know, this is getting ready to happen. Come over. I need to brief you and all, you know, everything goes into motion. That didn’t happen in the county, meaning LA and LA County.»
On her flight back, she said she was on the phone almost the entire 12-hour flight back to the U.S. from Ghana.
SOCIAL MEDIA, TRUMP ADMIN ERUPTS OVER LA MAYOR’S REACTION TO ICE RAIDS: ‘YOU’RE A CRIMINAL TOO’
The aftermath of the fire in Pacific Palisades and along the Pacific Coast Highway. Officials said that at least 10 people were killed in all the Los Angeles fires, and 5,300 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
«Well, they’re telling me what’s happening in the fire. We were preparing the emergency declaration. They were talking to the mayor, the council president who serves as acting mayor while I’m gone. I don’t remember if I talked to him or not then, but because there were just a lot of phone calls. Sometimes a lot of people. I think I even did a news interview, but all of that was while I was on the way home,» she said, noting that she had phone access on the plane because it was a military plane, and she did not realize that the Sky News, who she went viral for not answering his questions, was even on the flight.
Bass ousted Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley from her position in February, and Crowley unsuccessfully appealed her removal.
«Our firefighters support Chief Crowley because she stood up for the men and women of our department,» United Firefighters of Los Angeles City posted to X at the time.
In the interview, Bass claimed there were «lies told» about the budget and fire engines.
LOS ANGELES MAYOR SLASHES FIRE DEPARTMENT DEI BUREAU IN PROPOSED BUDGET MONTHS AFTER WOKE BACKLASH
Pali High School rests across the street from homes destroyed in the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, 2025. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
«Yes, there were broken fire engines. We find out later that those fire engines were there broken because they’re used for spare parts. But there were 40 fire engines that were idle because they didn’t have the staff that [Crowley] sent home. And the budget cut and I don’t I don’t know the reasons for it, and then the budget cut that never happened,» she added.
«Yes,» Crowley notably responded in an interview at the time of the fires when asked if city leadership «failed» her when it came to resources.
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«What we did when we did the budget was we put money aside for fire because we were in labor negotiations. If the budget was signed before then, but when the labor negotiations were done, we put it back in the budget. Which is a common thing. We’re doing that right now,» Bass said.
When asked about the after-action report for the fire, Bass said she would ‘look and see, but they should be about finished now.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Bass’ office and Crowley. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Los Angeles Fire Department, but they did not immediately comment.
INTERNACIONAL
ICE director says Portland facility faces violence with ‘little help from local police’
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Federal immigration officials say their Portland, Oregon, facility has come under nightly attack, with little help from local police because of political directives from city leaders.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Cammila Wamsley, director of Portland’s ICE office, said the facility has faced violence for more than 100 consecutive nights, with Portland police largely absent under guidance from the mayor and city council.
«I just, I can’t figure out what’s happening at the FDA. I’m totally baffled by it,» Wamsley said, describing her frustration at seeing federal staff attacked outside the building while officers inside lack jurisdiction to intervene. «It’s frustrating for us to watch people be attacked on the street and know that we don’t have the authority to be able to really step in unless there’s some nexus to federal law.»
She said nightly protests have escalated beyond chants and signs, with bottle rockets striking the ICE building, rocks shattering windows, lasers targeting officers’ eyes and barricades blocking vehicles.
ANTI-ICE PORTLAND RIOTERS WITH GUILLOTINE CLASH WITH POLICE IN WAR-LIKE SCENES
People protest outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility as federal agents watch from the rooftop in Portland, Ore., Wednesday. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
Wamsley said protesters have followed ICE staff members home and doxxed at least six employees.
«Later, towards the evening and around dark, there are a lot of folks that come up dressed in all black,» she explained. «They are here to wreak havoc. They’ll block our cars, throw paint, damage property and even try to follow our folks home.»
She warned that when crowds swell quickly, the violence becomes more dangerous.
ICE DIRECTOR REVEALS DANGEROUS NIGHTLY ANTIFA ‘BATTLE’ AS TRUMP PREPARES FEDERAL DEPLOYMENT TO PORTLAND
A Federal Protective Service officer stands guard in front of demonstrators as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcementdraw hundreds to the ICE headquarters in south Portland, Ore., Sunday. (John Rudoff/Reuters)
«We’ve seen it before. The folks here can go from a crowd of 50 to a crowd of 1,000 in 30 minutes,» she explained. «Sometimes we only have 20 officers here. We would not be able to defend the building with that show of force.»
Wamsley said the Portland Police Department has been slow to respond — and sometimes doesn’t respond at all — because of city policy. She explained that assaults have occurred outside and across the street from the building, but police have either taken too long to arrive or not shown up at all.
«That is not the stance they would take six blocks from here, but it is the stance they take with us because of guidance from the mayor and city council,» Wamsley said.
PORTLAND MAYOR DOUBLES DOWN ON SANCTUARY STATUS AFTER VIOLENT ANTI-ICE RIOT
Anti-ICE protesters roll out a guillotine in front of the ICE field office in Portland, Ore. (X/@KatieDaviscourt)
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Portland mayor’s office and police department for comment.
Still, Wamsley said ICE staff remain committed to their mission despite the unrest.
«The people that work here are here to serve the American public,» she said. «They are here to enforce the same immigration laws we’ve had in place since the 1950s. Nothing has changed in that regard. We come to work every day. We do our job the way we have been doing it, and we’ll continue to do that.»
PORTLAND RAMPS UP PRESSURE ON ICE BUILDING WITH LAND USE VIOLATION NOTICE
Federal agents arrest a person outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., in June. (X/@choeshow/@frontlinesTPUSA)
Todd Rignel, assistant special agent for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Oregon, said federal agencies are targeting Antifa-linked groups they blame for organizing much of the unrest.
«They’re not just facing HSI. They’re facing the FBI, ATF, DEA, IRS — all of these agencies,» he said. «That’s a force to be reckoned with.»
Portland remains a flashpoint for unrest with the ICE facility at the center of nightly confrontations.
President Donald Trump announced plans to send 200 National Guard troops to Portland to support immigration authorities. Officials said the troops would be stationed near protest areas.
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The warnings follow an attack on an ICE facility in Dallas Sept. 24. Authorities said two detainees were killed and another was hospitalized after a gunman opened fire before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Investigators said shell casings recovered bore an «ANTI-ICE» message.
Fox News Digital’s Madison Colombo contributed to this report.
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QUIERO RECIBIRLO
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the assassination of Charlie Kirk was a sign of a «deep rift» in American society, while offering his condolences to the family of the late conservative activist.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi at a forum of Russian experts, Putin addressed the killing, according to Reuters.
«This is a disgusting atrocity, especially since it was broadcast live. We all saw it. It was truly horrific,» Putin said. «First and foremost, I extend my condolences to Mr. Kirk’s family and all his loved ones. We sympathize and empathize.
JD VANCE DECLARES THERE IS ‘NO UNITY’ WITH PEOPLE WHO CELEBRATE CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday condemned the killing of Charlie Kirk while speaking to a panel of Russian experts. (Getty Images)
«What happened is a reflection of a deep division within society. In the United States, I don’t believe there is any need to escalate the situation externally, as the country’s political leadership is working to restore order domestically,» he added.
Kirk was shot and killed in September while speaking at Utah Valley University.
His alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, faces seven charges, including aggravated homicide, which carries the potential death penalty; felony discharge of a firearm; obstruction and witness tampering.
Robinson returned to court Monday and is scheduled to appear again Oct. 30. Prosecutors said they had already gathered «voluminous» evidence against him.
TRUMP DEFENDS LABELING ANTIFA A ‘TERRORIST ORGANIZATION’ AS HE TARGETS LEFT-WING EXTREMISM
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is assassinated during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)
Kirk’s murder has intensified debate over political violence in the United States. Republican leaders have urged Democrats to moderate their rhetoric toward President Donald Trump and to embrace greater tolerance for opposing views.
In addition to addressing Kirk’s death, Putin responded to Trump’s recent characterization of Russia as a «paper tiger.»
«A paper tiger? Then go deal with this paper tiger,» Putin said. «If we are fighting the entire NATO bloc, moving forward, advancing and feeling confident, and we are still called a paper tiger, then what does that make NATO itself?»
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Last week, Trump predicted Ukraine could reclaim all its territory from Russia before labeling Moscow a «paper tiger.»
vladimir putin,charlie kirk,russia
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