*By Chloe Aiello and Justin Chermol*
Not many Californians are pleased with President Trump's weekend Twitter response to the wildfires that are devastating parts of California ー especially not Congressman-elect Harley Rouda.
Fresh off a victory in California's 48th Congressional District, the newly-elected House Democrat had some choice words for the president on Monday.
"This is the time to step up and show you have one ounce of empathy in your entire being. And instead, he uses this an opportunity to insult Californians, insult firefighters, insult those families that have lost lives, property ー incredible devastation. These tweet tantrums that show him acting as a temperamental, small child has to stop," Rouda told Cheddar on Monday.
Rouda was referencing a tweet Trump blasted out on Saturday, blaming the destruction on poor forest management. The White House did not immediately respond to Cheddar's request for comment on Rouda's criticism.
"There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor," [Trump wrote on Twitter](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1061168803218948096). "Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!"
Two new blazes broke out in Ventura County, Calif., on Monday. Firefighting resources are already stretched thin, as they work to combat three fires already scorching the state. In Northern California, the Camp Fire has killed at least 31, making it the deadliest in the state's history. Further south, the Woolsey Fire and the Hill Fire have forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands, some from the state's wealthiest zip codes.
Trump blamed forest management for the raging fires, failing to mention climate change as a contributing factor. [Climate scientists agree](https://www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/effects-drought-forests-and-rangelands) climate change aggravates the drought that contributes to wildfires.
"Unfortunately our President denies basic science ... It would be better to see our country take a leadership role in addressing climate change and creating the new industries and new jobs that will have to be created to address this issue for the sake of humanity," Rouda said.
"And that's why I'm excited with our new Congress ... if the President won't do it in concert with Congress, then Congress will march ahead without him," he added.
Rouda just unseated Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a 30-year GOP incumbent with ties to Russia. [The Associated Press called](https://twitter.com/ap_politics/status/1061432753248448512?s=21) the race for Rouda Saturday afternoon, but Rohrabacher has yet to concede.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/congressman-elect-rouda-ousts-30-year-republican-incumbent).
The National Emergencies Act of 1976 was passed in an attempt to regulate the president's ability to declare open-ended national emergencies. The point of the law, commentators said at the time, was to give Congress the power of oversight on matters of national urgency. It is perhaps ironic then that President Trump announced he will, under the provisions of that law, declare a national emergency as a way to circumvent Congress and build a border wall.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb, 15, 2019.
Amazon's decision to pull its new HQ2 out of New York City is very bad for the city ー and a sign that the home of Wall Street is falling victim to anti-business attitudes, according to former CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder. "I think it's a hit to the New York economy. New York is a big city, it's a strong city, but it used to be the home to capitalism. Now it's coming under some of these socialist policies and it's going to lose companies like Amazon ($AMZN)," Puzder told Cheddar on Thursday.
Amazon has backed out of its plan to build a second headquarters in Queens, New York. The abrupt decision shocked even those who opposed Amazon's planned expansion in Long Island City. Cheddar spoke with Jimmy Van Bramer, deputy leader of the New York City Council.
A day before the anniversary of the Parkland shooting, a massacre that re-framed the debate over gun control as a defining cause of Gen Z, Congress advanced its first piece of gun legislation in decades. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a newly elected Democrat from a Parkland-adjacent district who sits on that committee, discussed the victory with Cheddar.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.
Catching a ride in New York just got more expensive, and passengers aren't the only ones complaining. "It's a problem for the drivers," Aleksey Medvedovskiy, the president of NYC Taxi Group, told Cheddar Wednesday. "It's a problem for the general public."
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday Feb. 13, 2019.
The daunting task of paying back astronomical student loans may soon be less taxing, California Congressman Scott Peters tells told Cheddar Tuesday. Rep. Peters (D-Calif.) has received 99 co-sponsors on his bipartisan Employer Participation in Repayment Act, which would allow employers to contribute to their employees' student loan payments, tax-free.
The shocking rise in teen vaping is a public health crisis that the FDA has been slow to address, according to a nationally recognized cardiologist. Dr. Kevin Campbell, who is also CEO of Pace Mate, a digital cardiac monitoring service, said the recent study from the CDC that linked vaping to a spike in teen tobacco use shows that more serious steps need to be take. The first step? Get rid of the flavored nicotine "pods," which Campbell said are acting as a gateway for teenage beginner vapers to get hooked on nicotine.
