Nearly 600 days after the devastating 2025 fires, thousands of Los Angeles residents are still waiting for more than $15bn in federal funds to rebuild their communities

As thousands of residents in Spokane, Washington, begin to grapple with a long recovery after a destructive set of blazes that consumed hundreds of homes in the state’s second most populated city this month, victims of the Los Angeles firestorm broke a grim record – they have faced the longest delay in modern history for federal aid.

Nearly 600 days since a historic firestorm roared into communities across Los Angeles, reducing more than 16,000 structures to ash and toxic debris, the Trump administration has failed to appropriate more than $15bn in long-term recovery funds that are crucial to rebuilding. The delay in supplying the badly needed funds is months longer than the last record set when victims of the Maui fires had to wait 500 days to receive the support, LAist noted this week.

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© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

© Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters

Climber, stuck on 6in ridge, had veered off treacherous path and ‘any fall would almost certainly be fatal’

An ill-fated move left a man stranded on a 6in ledge over 10,000ft off the ground for hours in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, before a volunteer rescue team came to his aid.

The climber, who has not been publicly identified, had been scaling the Mendenhall couloir, a gully on the face of Laurel mountain, with a friend on Saturday.

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© Photograph: Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team

© Photograph: Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team

© Photograph: Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team

The state is asking a court to reverse a Trump administration agreement and reinstate a planned offshore wind farm.

© Julia Nikhinson/Associated Press

The proposed land swap would allow easy access to the crown jewel of the national park system. Democrats and former Park Service officials are incensed.

© Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times

Nevada-based Kingsbarn Realty Capital seeks to acquire land to construct private road to development outside park

The Trump administration is reportedly pushing to give a parcel of land inside Yosemite, the country’s first national park and one of its most popular, to a Nevada-based private developer.

Staff with the National Park Service have been exploring how the agency can give a quarter-mile parcel to a company operated by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, the news outlet Notus reported on Friday, citing agency documents and unnamed sources “directly familiar with discussions”.

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© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

© Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

X2 ride at Magic Mountain has been closed for a month after one rider experienced brain compression and another remains in coma

An infamous Six Flags Magic Mountain rollercoaster, long favored by intrepid theme park goers, has been closed for more than a month after two people say they experienced brain injuries after riding it, according to a new CNN investigation.

The X2 rollercoaster sends riders plummeting and twisting hundreds of feet, reaching up to 76mph (about 122km/h) as the seats rotate 360 degrees. On the southern California theme park’s website, it’s advertised as a rite of passage for daredevils.

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© Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP

© Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP

© Photograph: Jae C Hong/AP

Racing against the darkness, rescuers in California on Saturday saved a man who had become stranded on a ledge perched atop a soaring peak on the Sierra Nevada.

Judge ruled Jeanine John Taele, discovered with firearm days before Trump visit, was unfit to face felony charge

A judge in California has suspended criminal proceedings against a man found with a loaded gun near Donald Trump’s golf course in Los Angeles, and instead ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Jeanine John Taele, 38, of Downey, California, was arrested for weapons violations days before the president spoke at a 5 August Republican fundraiser at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes.

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© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

© Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A surrogate refused to have an abortion after the fetus was diagnosed with a serious heart problem. She fled to Texas and had the child. Now she wants a judge to give custody to her instead of the biological parents.

© LM Otero/Associated Press

Gov. Gavin Newsom has just over four months left in office and will head back to Marin County full-time, where he will consider a run for president.

© Fred Greaves/Reuters

The 12-bath, seven-bed home near the state capital boasts a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, a pool and a tennis court

California governor Gavin Newsom has put his Sacramento-area mansion up for sale, before his term will end in January.

The 12-bath, seven-bed Spanish-style home in Fair Oaks, a suburb of the California capital, hit the market on Monday with an asking price of $7.5m. The estate, which sits on a 8.2-acre (3.3-hectare) parcel of land, boasts an array of amenities including a full-size tennis court, a 5,000-bottle wine cellar, a pool, a cold plunge and a hot tub, according to a Zillow listing from realtors Matthew Hindy and Nick Sadek.

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© Photograph: Nick Sadek Sotheby's International Realty

© Photograph: Nick Sadek Sotheby's International Realty

© Photograph: Nick Sadek Sotheby's International Realty

‘A child isn’t born to commit gun violence,’ Francisco Villarruel says

Francisco Villarruel and Gustavo Galvez sat in a park in Los Angeles reminiscing on their first boxing lesson together. They had gone to a big commercial gym, where they took turns hitting boxing pads and doing footwork exercises. They then started regularly training together.

For Villarruel, 40, working out together wasn’t really about boxing. It was about giving Galvez, 19, an opportunity to open up and to mentor someone whose pain he understands. “ I think a lot of the traumatic scenarios that he went through are very similar to mine in my upbringing,” Villarruel said.

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© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images/Francisco Villarruel

© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images/Francisco Villarruel

© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images/Francisco Villarruel

The latest opposition effort is led by Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google, who has contributed more than $100 million this year toward California campaign efforts.

© Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times

The attorney general of California, one of 12 states suing to block the $111 billion deal, accused Paramount of leaking and misrepresenting earlier settlement discussions.

© Daniel Cole/Reuters

Like so many others before them, Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in Hollywood with big plans. They are leaving with their star power fading.

© Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Mr. Newsom, the governor of California, normally has harsh words for President Trump. But he called the new children’s savings accounts “one of the best things” the president has done.

© Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Florida counted most of its primary ballots within hours on Tuesday night, well ahead of the days California took to report the results of its major election.

© Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Aisha Wahab, a Democratic state senator in California, will fill out the term of Eric Swalwell, who resigned from the House amid accusations of sexual misconduct.

© Heather Diehl/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security told Nevada election officials that it identified 185 “potential” noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls, not the nearly 16,000 it claimed last month.

© Roger Kisby for The New York Times

The couple will remain non-working royals. It is unclear where they will live.

© Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images