Tucker Carlson was shocked by a theory that meth addicts are starting some of the fires in Los Angeles out of pure nihilism.
Michael Shellenberger, referred to by Carlson as potentially the finest journalist in the country, made an appearance on the host’s show to address the cause of the wildfires, which have claimed the lives of 25 individuals so far.
The fires are still raging a week on – costing at least 25 lives, razing an estimated 12,300 structures and wiping out 40,000 acres of land.
Over 200,000 citizens have been issued evacuation directives while numerous others remain stranded in shelters, unable to return home. Meanwhile, authorities have initiated the challenging process of sifting through the wreckage and rubble in search of human remains.
After criticizing Democratic figures at both city and state level such as Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass for their ineffectiveness, Shellenberger posited a theory that homeless individuals may be responsible for ‘igniting fires throughout the city.’
Carlson asked: ‘Why do homeless people start fires?’
Shellenberger shot back: ‘Well, it turns out meth heads love to start fires.’
He then explained that meth is ‘the drug of nihilism’ and therefore, ‘perfect’ for California and suggested that ‘half of all fires’ started in the county for many years have been by the homeless.
Carlson then wondered if the fires started by addicts were in the act of cooking the drug which his guest suggested was possible.
Shellenberger then added that meth drives psychosis and psychopathy that would lead someone to starting fires and said that they were ‘into fire.’
He even referred to it as ‘Satainc’ and said that the homeless problem has been a constant issue for Democrats in the area.
‘They were always gonna come out and say it was inevitable and that’s just a total lie,’ Shellenberger added.
His comments come as Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass is facing new calls to resign or lose her job after swatting away questions about whether she regrets traveling overseas in spite of extreme weather warnings.
Bass was in Ghana on a diplomatic trip last week, when the first fire broke out in the ritzy celebrity enclave of Pacific Palisades and spread rapidly up to Malibu and down toward Santa Monica.
It quickly emerged that Bass was aware of the increased weather risk ahead of traveling overseas. Forecasters had been sounding the alarm since Thursday about a ‘recipe for fire’ – two days before she departed.
Asked on Tuesday whether she ‘would have taken that trip overseas’ in hindsight, Bass stumbled over an answer before dismissively conceding, ‘no.’
‘You know, I am going to focus today-‘
As she delivered her response avoiding the question, the CBS journalist interrupted, asking: ‘But please-‘
‘No,’ she said sharply, before turning around and walking away from cameras as journalists scrambled to ask more questions.
The criticism Bass has faced goes beyond the decisions she made as the fire threat loomed.
Her administration has made decisions over the years which have left emergency services chronically underfunded.
LA’s fire chief Kristin Crowley told CNN: ‘Over the last 3 years, we have been clear that the fire department needs help.’
She added that she has emphasized how ‘understaffed, under-resourced, and underfunded the LAFD is’, adding: ‘I rang the bell that these additional cuts could be very very devastating for our ability to provide public safety.’
Bass slashed the LA Fire Department’s budget by $17.6million in 2024 after being talked down from $23million in cuts, and officials ignored warnings about the threat of infernos.
In less than a week, four fires around the nation’s second-biggest city have scorched more than 40,000 acres, roughly three times the size of Manhattan.
The National Weather Service warned the weather will be ‘particularly dangerous’ on Tuesday, when wind gusts could reach 65mph.
Huge swathes of Southern California is under this extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley.
Two fires continue to burn largely uncontained as:
The sheer scale of the devastation is unprecedented, with prime real estate stretching from Malibu to the Palisades and down to Santa Monica wiped off the map.
The Palisades fire remains just 17 per cent contained, having burned through 23,713 acres. So far, eight bodies have been found in the wreckage.
The Eaton fire, which has wiped out large swathes of Pasadena and Altadena, has burned through less land than the Palisades fire, but the human cost is far greater.
Already, 16 bodies have been found in the carnage. Some 7,000 structures are estimated to be gone, but the process of examining what remains is slow going.
Mandy Moore’s home was among those charred beyond recognition in the Eaton fire, which spans 14,117 acres.
It is just 35 per cent contained.
The death toll is likely to rise, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday. At least two dozen people have been reported missing, he said.
Luna said he understands that people are eager to return to their homes and neighborhoods to survey the damage, but he asked for their patience. ‘We have people literally looking for the remains of your neighbors,’ he said.
Bass is not the only Los Angeles official under intense scrutiny.
More than 100,000 people signed a petition calling on Governor Newsom to resign from his position.
He has made a concerted effort to shift blame onto other officials, including Bass, and maintained he didn’t know how the wildfires happened.
Most recently, Newsom was slammed for trying to draw in donations for the victims through his own Super PAC.
