Article in Media Matters by Alison Fisher, 1/24/25
Headline: “Trump’s executive order on California water policy canonized right-wing media misinformation about the LA fires”
Subhead: “CNN’s Daniel Dale fact-checks Trump’s claims that CA water policy exacerbated LA fires “
“On January 20, as part of his day one executive orders, President Donald Trump directed several U.S. agencies to restart a policy from his first term that reroutes water from Northern California to Southern California. The order ties Trump’s policy to the devastating fires in California that are so far responsible for 28 deaths and more than $250 billion in damages, effectively canonizing the false right-wing media claim that current California water policy impeded efforts to contain the LA fires.
“Right-wing media wildfire misinformation underpins Trump’s executive order on California water policy
“At the outset of the LA fires, the most costly in California history, Trump blamed “federal and state protections for California’s endangered delta smelt fish. He falsely claimed that those regulations led to inadequate water availability for firefighting efforts.”