California’s fight over taxes and regulation is colliding with a broader economic shift, as wealthy residents and entrepreneurs take their money elsewhere — delivering a windfall of capital, jobs and taxpayers to red-state competitors.

That shift is already visible in migration patterns across the country.

From 2021 to 2024, Texas and Florida posted the largest net population gains, while California and several northeastern states recorded some of the steepest losses, according to IRS and U.S. Census Bureau data.

CALIFORNIA WEALTH TAX PROPOSAL HEMORRHAGES $1T AS BILLIONAIRES FLEE

Those migration trends are now colliding with a political fight over how the Golden State taxes its wealthiest residents.

At the center of the controversy is a proposed ballot initiative backed by the Service Employees International Union that would impose a one-time 5% wealth tax on Californians with assets exceeding $1 billion, including unrealized gains. 

If the measure qualifies for the November ballot and is approved by voters, it would apply retroactively to anyone who lived in California as of Jan. 1, 2026.

Supporters say the measure would boost funding for healthcare and education, while critics warn it could drive investment and talent out of the state.

Those concerns come as income migration data already shows money moving out of several traditionally blue states. 

IRS figures indicate several traditionally blue states losing billions of dollars in adjusted gross income — the income used to calculate federal taxes — as residents move to lower-tax states, particularly across the South and Sun Belt.

CONSERVATIVE STATES SEE LOWER INFLATION THAN LIBERAL ONES NATIONWIDE, WHITE HOUSE DATA SHOWS

Steve Moore, co-founder of Unleash Prosperity, said California’s tax base will continue to erode as more high-profile tech billionaires relocate ahead of the proposed wealth tax.

«California’s tax base took a massive hit at the end of last year. Silicon Valley billionaires left the state, taking their wealth and future wealth with them,» Moore said, attributing those moves to the proposed 2026 Billionaire Tax Act, which targets the state’s ultra-wealthy.

«These business tycoons are running to states like Florida and Texas because of lower taxes, economic freedom and future economic prosperity,» he said, describing it as «voting with their feet.»

«It is common sense for business leaders to pick places for future financial success rather than economic suffocation,» he added.

 MAMDANI’S RISE IN NYC MIRRORS ECONOMIC FLIGHT TO THE SOUTH, STUDY SHOWS

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the wealth tax should be handled at the national level. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has also come out against the proposed wealth tax, warning it could backfire even as he defends the state’s existing progressive tax system.

«For months, I’ve been fighting this, because it’s exactly what I feared would happen — and now it has. This is something I’ve been warning about for years,» Newsom told The New York Times.

Newsom said he has long opposed the measure and believes taxing the ultra-wealthy should be addressed at the national level rather than state by state.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office told Fox News Digital that he will continue welcoming businesses and residents fleeing California to his state. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Even as Newsom raises alarms, Republican governors in Florida and Texas say they are already benefiting from businesses and residents leaving California.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office echoed that sentiment, saying the state continues to draw companies seeking lower taxes and a lighter regulatory environment.

«People and businesses vote with their feet, and they are continually choosing to move to Texas more than any other state,» Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said. 

He added that Texas’ lack of corporate and personal income taxes and its predictable regulatory climate have made it an attractive destination for companies weighing a move out of California.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the California proposal «economic insanity.»

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pressed the Syrian government to hold perpetrators accountable amid accusations of grave human rights violations within Syria’s army during the seizure of two Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo. Some reports claim jihadist-aligned members of the army were responsible for the abuses. 

Jim Risch, R-Idaho., wrote on Tuesday on X that «I am gravely concerned about the conduct of armed forces in Aleppo, Syria, over the past week and urge the government to hold accountable those who committed these egregious acts. After years of war, the role of Syria’s new government and armed forces is to safeguard the inherent rights of its citizens, not to infringe upon them.»

Risch responded to an X Post from the Syrian Network condemning the desecration of a woman’s body in Aleppo, where it was thrown from a high floor by a member of the Syrian Army.

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On Tuesday, Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, appealed «to all parties to exercise maximum restraint» in the Aleppo area. 

After days of intense clashes, Syrian army forces controlled by the former U.S. designated terrorist Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was previously a member of the terrorist movements al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, seized two neighborhoods (Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh) on Sunday in the city of Aleppo, where members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF were based.

The SDF played a critical role in aiding U.S. forces to defeat the Islamic State in Syria.

ISRAEL SHUTS DOOR ON TURKEY IN GAZA AS TRUMP PRAISES ERDOGAN, PLAYS DOWN CLASH

Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the SDF, wrote on X that an agreement via international mediation had cemented the evacuation of Syrian Kurds from the two districts in Aleppo.

Abdi wrote that, «With mediation by international parties to halt the attacks and violations against our people in Aleppo, we have reached an understanding that leads to a ceasefire and ensures the evacuation of the martyrs, wounded, stranded civilians and fighters from the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsood neighborhoods [in northern Aleppo] to North and East Syria [Rojava],» according to the Kurdish news organization Rudaw. 

The U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, who also serves as the Special Envoy for Syria, wrote on X on Saturday after the Aleppo ceasefire agreement was apparently reached, that he met with President «al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, and members of their team in Damascus to discuss recent developments in Aleppo and the broader path forward for Syria’s historic transition.»

Soldiers of the Syrian army in the entrance of Sheik Maksoud neighborhood during continuing fighting between the Syrian forces and the SDF on Jan. 10, 2026 in Aleppo, Syria. A ceasefire announced yesterday did not take hold as fighting continued between the Syrian army and Kurdish fighters in the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods of Aleppo. Overnight, the army announced that it had completed a security sweep of the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood.  (Adri Salido/Getty Image)

He added, «The Syrian government has reaffirmed its commitment to the March 2025 integration agreement with the SDF, which provides a framework for incorporating SDF forces into national institutions in a manner that preserves Kurdish rights and strengthens Syria’s unity and sovereignty.»

Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a Kurdish studies expert, told Fox News Digital prior to the Syrian army ousting SDF from Aleppo districts that, «Kurds suspect that Turkey is pushing Damascus to push out Kurdish forces from Aleppo to give a major blow to the SDF, so that they will make more concessions to Damascus and make the Kurdish negotiation position weaker. 

«Ankara wants the SDF to integrate into the Syrian army on an individual basis, not as separate divisions,» van Wilgenburg said. He added, «Moreover, the SDF wants a decentralized system, while Damascus wants a centralized system. The Kurds have decided to make a stand in Aleppo. The current situation could spark a widespread conflict that could undermine Trump’s policy of creating sustainable peace in the Middle East.»

ISRAEL AND SYRIA RESUME DIPLOMATIC DIALOGUE AFTER MONTHS OF SILENCE UNDER US MEDIATION

Tom Barrack met with the Syrian president on behalf of the United States on Saturday, Jan 10, 2025 (@USAMBTurkiye via X)

The Aleppo health directorate said at least 24 civilians were killed and more than 120 people were injured during five days of clashes.

The government of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan views the Syrian Kurds as a threat to Turkey because many Kurdish organizations across the region seek an independent state that would include a part of Turkey, where there is a large Kurdish population. Erdogan has over the years launched devastating attacks on the Kurds in northern Syrian.

Retired four-star Army general Jack Keane previously told Fox News’ Mark Levin on «Life, Liberty & Levin» that President Trump during his first term was able to stop Erdogan’s attacks on the Syrian Kurds. 

The General Command of the SDF issued a statement last week, stating «We warn that the continuation of this aggression against civilians will lead to serious repercussions that will not be limited to Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh or to the city of Aleppo alone, but will risk plunging all of Syria back into an open battlefield. Full responsibility for this will rest with those who persist in choosing the use of force against civilians.»

Al-Sharaa‘s rule over the past year has seen radical Islamist forces aligned with his army engage in massacres of a range of Syrian minority groups, from Alawites to the Druze. Radical Islamists have also murdered Syrian Christians.

Sinam Mohamad, the representative of the Syrian Democratic Council to the U.S., told Fox News Digital that a «decentralized system will save Syria from any or conflict in the future.» She said «We regret foreign influence» in Syria, noting that «Turkey still has influence on Damascus.» She said that Turkey seeks to «provoke» in Syria, citing the recent attacks in Aleppo.

Rebel forces seized Mengh Airbase and the city of Tel Rifaat in the Aleppo countryside on Dec. 1, 2024, following clashes with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian regime forces. (Photo by Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (Photo by Rami Alsayed/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Mohammad said the Syrian Kurds have a «negotiating committee to discuss the autonomous government in northeastern Syria. We also have women units in the SDF who have been fighting against ISIS.» She asked what is the «future of women in the army» in Syria?  «Damascus does not want women units in the army. In Israel, they have women in the army.»

She said this part of the negotiations with al-Sharaa’s government with respect to the March 2025 agreement reached between the SDF and the Syrian regime.

Van Wilgenburg said, «The clashes began after the latest negotiations between the Kurds and Damascus over the implementation of the March 10 agreement did not produce any results. Damascus earlier verbally agreed on three SDF divisions, but there were remaining discussions and different view points over command and control. The last meeting took place on Jan. 4 in Damascus.»

FILE: Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), meets with the Raqa civil council in Syria’s northeastern city of Hasakeh on Nov. 1, 2020.  (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the SDF, «the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh have been under complete siege by factions of the Damascus government for more than six months. These neighborhoods do not, under any circumstances, constitute a military threat, nor can they serve as a launching point for any attack on the city of Aleppo.»

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The statement added that, «The allegations promoted by bloodthirsty circles within Damascus-affiliated factions, claiming the existence of intent or military movement by our forces from these neighborhoods, are false and fabricated. They are used as a pretext to justify the siege, shelling and massacres committed against civilians.»

Fox News Digital reached out numerous times to the spokesperson for Turkey’s embassy in Washington D.C. as well as the U.S. State Department.

La tragedia que sacudió a Crans-Montana, en el suroeste de Suiza, sumó un nuevo capítulo: las autoridades identificaron a Cyane Panine, una moza francesa de 24 años, entre las 40 víctimas del incendio que destruyó el bar Le Constellation durante la celebración de Año Nuevo.

Según la investigación, Panine habría iniciado accidentalmente el fuego al sostener dos bengalas encendidas cerca del techo del local, mientras animaba la fiesta subida a los hombros de un compañero. Todo ocurrió siguiendo instrucciones de los dueños del bar, Jacques y Jessica Moretti, quienes ahora están bajo la lupa de la Justicia por presunto homicidio por negligencia.

Leé también: “Vi morir gente delante de mis ojos”: el estremecedor relato de un joven tras el incendio en un bar de Suiza

El dramático momento y la investigación judicial

Imágenes tomadas durante la fiesta muestran a la joven camarera con las bengalas en la mano, segundos antes de que los paneles acústicos colocados en el techo comenzaran a arder. El fuego se propagó en cuestión de minutos y desató el caos: más de un centenar de personas resultaron heridas, muchas con quemaduras graves.

La familia de Panine, a través de sus abogados, remarcó que ella actuó bajo órdenes de sus empleadores y que no debe atribuírsele responsabilidad alguna. “Independientemente de las conclusiones de la investigación, esta joven siguió las instrucciones de sus empleadores. Hizo lo que se esperaba de ella frente al gerente. No hubo nada inusual en ello”, dijo el letrado.

Al menos 40 personas murieron en el fuego y más de 100 resultaron heridas. (Foto: captura de video).

Los propietarios, por su parte, aseguraron que la consideraban “como de la familia” y que incluso había pasado la Navidad con ellos días antes del desastre. “Era como una nuera para nosotros, como mi hermana pequeña. Pasó la Navidad con nosotros. Estoy devastada”, dijo Jessica Moretti.

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Panine estaba de novia con el chef de otro restaurante de Moretti, quien, al parecer, era amigo cercano de la pareja.

El dueño del local dijo que encontró a la moza en el piso tras forzar una puerta de servicio que estaba cerrada por dentro. “Intentamos reanimarla durante más de una hora, hasta que los servicios de emergencia nos dijeron que era demasiado tarde”, declaró a los investigadores.

El dolor de la familia de la moza

“Era linda de alma y corazón. No debería haberse ido tan chica. Nuestra vida nunca será la misma, no podré volver a festejar Año Nuevo”, dijo su mamá, Astrid Panine, a France 3.

“Quería escapar y hacer salir a los clientes, pero no lograron abrir la puerta”, afirmó su papá, Jérôme Panine. “No esperábamos este tipo de incidentes en una estación de esquí de Suiza, pensábamos que allá se respetaban las normas de seguridad”, agregó.

“Era una persona muy alegre, muy risueña y muy festiva”, contó una excompañera de secundaria sobre la joven moza al medio francés France 3.

La fiscal jefe de Valais, Beatrice Pilloud, confirmó que la investigación sigue en marcha y que los videos grabados por los asistentes son clave para reconstruir lo sucedido. En varias grabaciones se ve cómo la fiesta continuaba mientras el techo ya estaba en llamas, probablemente por las bengalas que se repartían junto a las botellas de alcohol.

Unas 40 personas murieron en el incendio y más de 100 resultaron heridas. (Foto: captura de video).

Los Moretti explicaron que las bengalas se habían usado durante unos diez años para “crear un ambiente festivo” al servir espumante, sin incidentes hasta entonces.

Quiénes fueron las víctimas y cómo sigue la causa

Entre los fallecidos hay 21 suizos, nueve franceses (incluida una mujer con doble nacionalidad franco-suiza y una persona con triple nacionalidad franco-israelí-británica), seis italianos (uno con ciudadanía emiratí), una mujer belga, una portuguesa, un rumano y un turco, según la Policía de Valais.

Las edades de las víctimas fatales van de los 14 a los 39 años, y al menos veinte eran menores de edad. La más joven era una suiza de 14 años.

Así escapaban del bar que se prendió fuego en Suiza. (Foto: captura de video).

El incendio dejó además 119 heridos, entre ellos más de 70 suizos, 14 franceses, once italianos, varios serbios y personas de otras nacionalidades, según el Instituto de Medicina Forense de Valais.

La Justicia suiza mantiene bajo investigación a los dueños del bar, mientras la comunidad local y las familias de las víctimas exigen respuestas y justicia tras una de las peores tragedias en la historia reciente del país.

“Las personas culpables de este drama tienen que pagar por lo que hicieron. Tiene que haber un cierre a esta historia. Tenemos que saber, sin odio. Ella no podrá volver”, declaró a France 3 Camille, la mejor amiga de Cyane, que estaba con ella la noche de la tragedia y sufrió graves quemaduras en un brazo.