This is an LA Times Studios podcast.

Hi, I'm Angelica Cornado at LA Times Studios.

Here are some of today's headlines from the Los Angeles Times.

California officials say budget cuts and layoffs from the Trump administration are undermining

key environmental efforts.

Haley Smith reports that the cuts are affecting areas like fire prevention and water supply due to

reductions in the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Patrick Wright, the director of the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force,

says he lost many employees in essential roles that help firefighters do their job. In addition to

these layoffs, the Trump administration has drained hundreds of millions in clean energy funding.

But despite these cuts, California's Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot says the state remains committed to its values.

California is responding to these cuts by rehiring laid-off workers and filing lawsuits against the administration.

The Los Angeles Olympics is three years away, and with millions of people expected to visit, officials are working to show tourists the best of California.

Reporter Dakota Smith says leaders discuss tourism challenges, safety, and the economic benefits of the games at a Senate committee hearing in Sacramento.

Ryan Becker, senior vice president at Visit California, said international travel here has declined this year due to a strong U.S. dollar and concerns about entry and safety.

The Olympics is being paid for by the organization LA28.

But if the event is under or over its budget of $7 billion, Angelino taxpayers will end up covering most of the costs. Despite

these challenges, officials remain optimistic that the events will bring a significant

economic boost and help showcase California as a welcoming global destination.

AI is making misinformation problems worse during natural disasters as more people turn to chatbots for updates.

Reporter Queenie Wong says users on X were affected by this problem when the chatbot GROC provided contradicting responses to questions about the Texas floods.

Users asked the AI program if President Trump's cuts to federal weather agencies were to blame.

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