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On this episode Fire Resurgent, Raining SpaceX Debris, and Putin on Trump.
Welcome to this week’s edition of West Coast Milblogger. I’m your host Cyrus Emerson.
Did you enjoy the inauguration in a parallel universe on the last Friday Refrain? Please comment below. On Rabbit Burrow descent The Lords of Hemp miniseries wraps up this week.
As I mentioned last week, we’re going to start airing Pandemic Manifesto on Wednesdays starting in March. These fictionally framed journal entries that begin on March 8, 2020 are not about a business man, they were written by me while employed as a News Producer for a CBS affiliate. This collection of writing champions the taboo topic of Hemp CBD as a treatment for Covid-19. At the time, vaccinations were not available while the FDA strongly opposed CBD. Today, CBD is available in many niche markets without FDA approval, after controversial vaccines were approved at warp speed sending billions of taxpayer dollars to Big Pharma.
Now we’re learning more about fire resurgence in California with AI correspondent Elijah James back home in Sacramento. Elijah, can you give us an update on fires in your state?
Reporter Elijah James
Sacramento, California
Yes Cyrus, the two major fires we’ve been reporting on have really died down. According to CalFire the Palisades Fire has been held to a little more than 23-thousand acres with containment up to 90-percent. Meanwhile, the deadly Eaton Fire rose to more than 14-thousand acres. Fortunately, containment has also increased on that fire all the way to 95-percent.
Strong Santa Ana winds this last week helped to ignite at least three new fires in the region. Hughes fire sparked on January 22 in Los Angeles County growing to more than 10-thousand acres. It’s now 92-percent contained. On the 23rd; two fires broke out. The small Laguna Fire in Ventura County stopped at 83 acres with 98-percent containment and the more troublesome Border 2 Fire.
Border 2 Fire is in San Diego County burning more than 65-hundred acres and it’s only 10-percent contained. Three zones remain under evacuation orders. Rainfall last night has helped to decrease the intensity of this fire. Right now, fire crews are working in steep terrain to put down hot spots. Everyone’s praying they can gain control of this last fire so crews can rest after battling blazes for nearly 20 straight days.
Back to you Cyrus.
Thanks again Elijah. With fires burning right now in California, the rest of the West Coast is bracing for another round of forest fires this year, including Oregon. A state forced to pay more than $350-million in 2024, well above budgeted costs, according to Ashland.News.
President Trump visited Los Angeles this last week where he met a humbled Governor to put it nicely. Trump also took aim at the city’s mayor. Both Democrats, and as we’ve been reporting, the rebuild looks to become political with some of the most valuable property in the world now vacant.
Meanwhile, Musk keeps launching fire into the sky in Texas, where environmental regulations are pro-business. Yet as Olivia Montgomery reports, he’s getting into hot water because of his inauguration day mishap, turning his critics into enemies. Olivia.
Reporter Olivia Montgomery
Salem, Oregon
Raining SpaceX Debris Raises Impact Fears as Musk Ascends Alongside Trump.
For residents concerned about SpaceX operations in Cameron County, Texas, the year opened with a familiar feeling of regulatory impunity. But with apparent MAGA embrace of the Mars mission even these performances may soon be a thing of the past.
This story by Gaige Davila originally appeared on Deceleration’s website January 21, 2025, and has been cherry picked:
https://deceleration.news/raining-spacex-debris-raises-impact-fears-as-musk-ascends-alongside-trump/
SpaceX’s first Starship launch from South Texas in 2025 ended last Thursday much like most others have: in an explosion. Rather than debris raining down in Port Isabel and around Boca Chica Beach, however, properties in the Turks and Caicos Islands were subject to pieces of Starship, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
While residents nearby sue the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for granting SpaceX a permit to discharge wastewater into sensitive wetlands, those on the receiving end of possible Starship reentry blunders—including Hawaii and Australia—are also now raising concerns over plans to increase the number of launches.
The FAA begins its investigation into the explosion by grounding the Starship program. Meanwhile, the agency is considering whether the company can increase its annual launches from 5 to 25 as those in the program’s immediate shadow continue to demand that their complaints be addressed.
To imagine this happening 25 times a year, regardless of the FAA promising that it and SpaceX will work together to warn the public ahead of the noise, brought up another question not really addressed by either: what is it all for? Is a future on Mars for people who don’t exist yet worth making peoples’ lives on Earth, in Port Isabel, so conditional? Mars colonization is the company’s answer, moon missions are the agency’s. But the latter can only be achieved by the former, according to SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk. So, is Mars colonization a priority for the U.S. government, a policy position even?
President Trump declared that to be the case, promising in his inaugural address on Monday to put a U.S. flag on the red planet. Musk, in the audience, receiver of billions in federal contracts to get to there, gave two thumbs up in response.
A few hours later, Musk couldn’t resist tossing in a fascist-style salute to fans.
Free to publish with proper attribution.
Back to you Cyrus.
Thanks Olivia. From A to Z has long supported the move to space exploration. As we’ve been sharing in The Lords of Hemp miniseries airing on Wednesdays satellites and space shuttles could be made of Hemp or bamboo to make space exploration more sustainable. Not to mention, Hemp is the best crop to grow on the Moon and Mars because of its diverse uses.
While we’ve noticed Musk and Trump taking different sides of the same issue to suffocate Democrat talking points, most recently on a $500-billion AI project, there is a possibility the owners of Truth Social and X could turn on each other as this presidential term plays out. Their saving grace, Musk cannot become President being born in South Africa.
Now to another powerful figure Trump’s ego could be tested with, Putin 2.0. While we continue to report original Putin died in December 2023, his clones now run the county. Butch Brando joins us from Guam with more on this geopolitical relationship. Butch?
Reporter Butch Brando
Hagåtña, Guam
Putin says full-scale war against Ukraine might not have happened if Trump’s ‘2020 victory hadn’t been stolen.’
This story by Meduza originally appeared on their website January 24, 2025, and remains as written:
https://meduza.io/en/news/2025/01/24/putin-says-full-scale-war-against-ukraine-might-not-have-happened-if-trump-had-been-president-in-2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the full-scale war in Ukraine might not have occurred if Donald Trump had been president in 2022. In an interview with Rossiya TV correspondent Pavel Zarubin, Putin commented on Trump’s recent calls for negotiations to end the conflict.
“Russia has never refused contact with the U.S. administration. It wasn’t our fault that the previous administration refused those contacts. I’ve always had professional, yet pragmatic, and, I would say, trusting relations with the current U.S. president,” Putin said. “And I can’t disagree with [Trump] when he says that if he had been president, if his 2020 victory hadn’t been stolen, perhaps the crisis in Ukraine that began in 2022 wouldn’t have happened.”
Putin went on to say that it would be better for presidents “to meet based on the realities of today and calmly discuss all the issues of mutual interest to the U.S. and Russia.”
“We’re ready,” Putin said, adding that such a meeting ultimately depends on “the decisions and choices of the current U.S. administration.”
Addressing the possibility of negotiations on Ukraine, Putin said Russia remains open to talks but suggested that Kyiv’s government might reject them, citing a decree issued by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky banning negotiations with Russia.
“The current head of the Kyiv regime, when he was still somewhat legitimate, issued a decree banning negotiations. So how can talks resume now if they’re officially prohibited? […] If negotiations begin under the current legal framework, they would technically be illegitimate, which means the results of those talks would also need to be declared illegitimate,” Putin said.
Open access granted by Meduza on war related content.
Back to you Cyrus.
Thanks Butch. Russia’s economy puts The Putins in a weak position from Trump’s perspective. However, the opportunity to score a victory with peace would allow for favorable terms The Putins might enjoy. This all possible because of nuclear weapons. Otherwise, NATO would destroy the largest country on the planet. This allows Russia to play the victim after starting a fight.
We hope you enjoyed this episode of West Coast Milblogger. Remember to subscribe, like, and share. Keep it safe out there. Next up, Rabbit Burrow Descent this Wednesday at noon as The Lords of Hemp limited series concludes.
Thank you,
Cyrus Emerson
For more analysis on the war in Ukraine check out Combat Vet News:
https://www.combatvetnews.com
For more analysis on the war in Ukraine check out Denys Davydov:
https://www.youtube.com/@DenysDavydov
For more analysis on the war in Ukraine check out Jake Broe:
https://www.youtube.com/@JakeBroe
West Coast Milblogger now available in audio on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/04ohhhJQdDOYgjioisRigV
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