The politics of the California fires are already looming large for both parties: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker digs into how political leaders from both parties are handling the California wildfires. Plus, senior White House Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez sits down for a one-on-one interview with Donald Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan. And Trump’s status as a convicted felon becomes official.

— Deputy politics editor Adam Wollner

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The politics of the California fires are already looming large for both parties 

By Kristen Welker

The fires are still burning in Southern California, ravaging communities and families that have lost their homes, their livelihoods or, in some cases, their loved ones. 

And as officials race to get the fires under control and help thousands of Californians begin to rebuild, the politics of disaster relief already looms large for both political parties. 

As governor, Gavin Newsom sits at the center of it all, tasked with the arduous responsibility of helming the recovery while answering very serious (and sometimes less so) questions about the state’s preparation and response. As one of the Democrats’ highest-profile leaders at a time when the party is looking for a path forward, Newsom’s success or failure in the coming months will go a long way toward defining his political future, particularly ahead of an expected run for president. 

And President-elect Donald Trump is inserting himself at a tenuous moment, too, choosing to point fingers at Newsom and other Democrats as the fires continue to burn — a stark departure from how President Joe Biden has fashioned himself as the nation’s “consoler-in-chief” in moments of tragedy. In less than two weeks, when Trump sheds “elect” from his title, he’ll have a role to play in the recovery, too. And it’s clear some of Trump’s Republican allies want to take a different approach — listen to how Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin dodged a question from reporters at Mar-a-Lago about Trump’s tone amid an ongoing disaster.  

Disasters are some of the most difficult tests our political leaders face. These tragedies dealt heavy blows to those seen to bungle them (Hurricane Katrina undercut public faith in George W. Bush). But they can elevate leaders who are seen as able to competently address them (then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s standing improved after Hurricane Sandy, while Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear pointed to his handling of floods and tornadoes in his successful re-election). 

Both Newsom and Trump will be judged in the coming months and years in part by how they handle this moment — but we don’t know how yet. 

We’ll get into all of this, and more, on Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” where I’ll speak with Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford and California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla. I hope you’ll tune in.

For the latest on the California wildfires, follow our live blog →

Incoming border czar Tom Homan details more of his plans for the Trump administration 

Incoming border czar Tom Homan told NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez in a one-on-one interview at the U.S. southern border that Donald Trump administration would shut down the Darien Gap, the dangerous Panamanian jungle hundreds of thousands of migrants cross each year. 

“It needs to happen,” he said, “Shutting down the Darien Gap is going to protect our national security. It’s going to save thousands of lives.”

Panama has faced pressure to crack down on migration in recent years, and the country’s immigration authorities said this month there had been a 42% drop in crossings last year through the 70-mile stretch of jungle.

Homan’s comments come as the president-elect begins laying out an expansionist foreign policy. This week, Trump didn’t rule out using military force to retake the Panama Canal or acquire Greenland.

‘Collateral arrests’: Homan, who was the acting director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement during Trump’s first administration, also acknowledged that Trump’s mass deportation plan would include “collateral arrests” — undocumented immigrants without criminal records who are discovered as ICE agents search for their targets.

He also warned that workplace roundups would ramp up again soon after Trump takes office. 

“We’re going to do it in a smart way,” Homan said. “We’re still working on how exactly we want to roll this out, but [work site] operations have to come back again because it’s the No. 1 place we find victims of forced labor being run by many cartels.” 

The $86 billion question: A critical outstanding standing question is how the administration will pay for these ambitious plans. ICE already has a $230 million budget shortfall, and it’s unclear when and how Congress will agree on funding. Homan said $86 billion would be a “great start,” noting that it’s less than what the United States has spent on military and other assistance to Ukraine after the Russian invasion.   

“I’m saying, ‘We’re going to defend another nation’s borders?’ How about defending our borders, too? And so, give us the money to do this job,” he said.  

When pressed about how the Trump administration would pay for this deportation operation, Homan would not say whether officials would take money from the Defense Department to fund it. 

“That decision is above me,” he responded. “DOD can certainly be a force multiplier.”

Read our full story from Gabe’s interview →

And watch “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt” tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT for more.

After penalty-free sentencing, Trump is now a convicted felon

It’s official: Donald Trump will be the first convicted felon to serve (or have served) as president. 

Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the hush money case, sentenced Trump on Friday to an “unconditional discharge.” That means the president-elect won’t face any additional penalties but is now a convicted felon in the eyes of New York state law, Adam Reiss, Gary Grumbach, Fallon Gallagher and Dareh Gregorian report.

It brings an end to the case that resulted in Trump being convicted of 34 felony counts. 

“This has been a very terrible experience,” Trump said, addressing the judge remotely from his Florida home. 

The sentencing came just 10 days before Trump is set to be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.

“Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Merchan said. “This has been a truly extraordinary case.” 

Trump’s attorneys had repeatedly sought to stay the proceeding, but the U.S Supreme Court declined to block it in a 5-4 ruling late Thursday.

📜 Jack Smith report update: Trump suffered another legal setback Thursday night: A federal appeals court ruled that the Justice Department can release a report on Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. But it kept in place a judge’s order requiring a three-day delay to allow for further appeals.

That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner, Ben Kamisar and Faith Wardwell.

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