{"id":2581790,"date":"2026-03-19T14:37:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-gets-absolutely-wrecked-after-he-tries-to-defend-114-million-unfinished-butterfly-bridge-and-claims-fl-and-tx-have-same-problems\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T14:40:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T18:40:45","slug":"newsom-gets-absolutely-wrecked-after-he-tries-to-defend-114-million-unfinished-butterfly-bridge-and-claims-fl-and-tx-have-same-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-gets-absolutely-wrecked-after-he-tries-to-defend-114-million-unfinished-butterfly-bridge-and-claims-fl-and-tx-have-same-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsom Gets Absolutely Wrecked After He Tries to Defend $114 Million Unfinished Butterfly Bridge and Claims FL and TX Have Same Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">44<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnewsom-gets-absolutely-wrecked-after-he-tries-to-defend-114-million-unfinished-butterfly-bridge-and-claims-fl-and-tx-have-same-problems%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2581790&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>This article from The Western Journal argues that California Governor Gavin Newsom\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kristen-clarke-regrets-attacking-senators-crucial-to-her-nomination\/\" title=\"Kristen Clarke Regrets Attacking Senators Crucial to Her Nomination\">high-profile bid<\/a> for national leadership is undermined by his record on big infrastructure projects, using the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing as a focal example.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; It asserts Newsom transformed a state budget surplus into a large deficit and failed to solve major California problems such as crime, homelessness, and out-mmigration, even as he championed costly projects like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trains-built-for-doomed-wisconsin-rail-project-sold-to-nigeria\/\" title=\"Trains Built for Doomed Wisconsin Rail Project Sold to Nigeria\">high-speed rail line<\/a> with well-known overruns.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The centerpiece case is the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife crossing on the U.S. 101 freeway: a planned wildlife overpass meant to improve safety and animal connectivity. The piece notes initial promises that the project could be completed within a modest overrun, but by 2026 the project had cost about $114 million and remained unfinished, with the bridge not yet delivering tangible benefits.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; City Journal is cited as reporting about a roughly $21 million overrun and casts the project as a patronage-driven endeavor for environmental groups, highlighting Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation as a public face of the project and noting substantial grant funding from the annenberg Foundation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Critics portrayed the project as a boondoggle and a symbol of government overreach, while supporters argued the bridge would save lives by reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece highlights Newsom\u2019s public messaging, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >including social media posts<\/a> that framed criticism as MAGA-driven outrage and attempted to contrast California\u2019s project with initiatives in Florida and Texas, implying political posturing rather than timely delivery.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The overall tone is highly critical, suggesting that the failed or delayed wildlife crossing epitomizes broader governance problems and could undermine Newsom\u2019s prospects for a 2028 presidential run.<\/p>\n<p>In short, the article portrays Newsom\u2019s wildlife-crossing project as a costly misstep that reflects broader questions about his handling of infrastructure and fiscal discipline, framed within a broader political critique of his national ambitions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to be our president. Oh, granted, he hasn&rsquo;t announced yet. However, if you think what he&rsquo;s doing now is just a really high-profile book tour (for a tome he admittedly can&rsquo;t read, let alone could have written), you probably need to be disabused of belief in Santa Claus, as well.<\/p>\n<p>The question therefore turns to what Mr. Newsom has done in office. He&rsquo;s taken a substantial budget surplus and turned it into a <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/politics\/2025\/12\/california-budget-primer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ginormous deficit<\/a>. With that money, he&rsquo;s solved none of the problems (crime, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-newsom-boldly-claims-california-national-model-homelessness-numbers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">homelessness<\/a>, resident flight) that have plagued the state. He&rsquo;s also taken on a signature infrastructure project, a high-speed rail initiative with legendary cost overruns.<\/p>\n<p>And now, he&rsquo;s got a $114 million butterfly and cougar bridge that, years after the project was begun, still isn&rsquo;t helping any butterflies or cougars cross the highway.<\/p>\n<p>The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing was supposed to span the 10-lane U.S. 101 Freeway, and when ground was broken on the project in 2022, Newsom said that in addition to the $54 million the state had committed to the project, officials could &ldquo;complete the job within another $10 million,&rdquo; probably.<\/p>\n<p>As Christopher Rufo and Kenneth Schrupp reported in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-journal.org\/article\/california-wallis-annenberg-wildlife-crossing-gavin-newsom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">City Journal<\/a> on Wednesday, that&rsquo;s decidedly not what happened. And &mdash; I know you&rsquo;ll never believe this &mdash; but part of the problem is wokeistas treating the wildlife bridge as a patronage project.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>From City Journal:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Nearly four years after the ceremony, the bridge is past due and the project some&nbsp;$21 million over budget. What was supposed to be the world&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-highway-101-will-close-overnight-for-construction-for-worlds-largest-wildlife-crossing\/\" title=\"California&#039;s Highway 101 to temporarily close for construction of the &#039;world&#039;s largest wildlife crossing&#039; during overnight hours\">largest wildlife crossing<\/a> has become a jobs program for environmentalists, with taxpayers on the hook for what WAWC leader Beth Pratt told us is an overpass &ldquo;for everything from monarch butterflies to mountain lions.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Pratt, a cougar-sweater-wearing environmental activist who serves on WAWC&rsquo;s Partner Leadership Team, is the program&rsquo;s public face. She is also a regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation. In 2021, the group received a $25 million grant from &ldquo;Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation&rdquo; for the bridge that bears the late philanthropist&rsquo;s name.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>That money apparently was not enough. This past January, donning a hard hat and a &ldquo;#SAVELACOUGARS&rdquo; jersey, Pratt announced a possible $21 million overage. She effectively blamed&nbsp;President Trump, attributing the multimillion-dollar overrun to &ldquo;tariffs, inflation, [and] labor problems.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no boondoggle,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Given the times we&rsquo;re living in,&rdquo; a potential $21 million overage is &ldquo;not that bad.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I&rsquo;m not saying one picture can sum up a person&rsquo;s entire essence &mdash; but in this case, I&rsquo;m not&nbsp;<em>not<\/em> saying it, either:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">California wanted to build a $100 million butterfly bridge. This is the woman they put in charge.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no boondoggle,&rdquo; she insists. The $21 million cost overrun is &ldquo;not that bad.&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Mpm8YqqK6d\">pic.twitter.com\/Mpm8YqqK6d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Christopher F. Rufo &#9876;&#65039; (@christopherrufo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/christopherrufo\/status\/2034348511983255761?\">March 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Anyhow, this is what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-vows-block-us-canada-bridge-canada-treats-us-fairness-respect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the bridge<\/a> looks like right now:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">California already spent $114 million on this unfinished wildlife crossing bridge (leading nowhere) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sGzJ8fIkMj\">pic.twitter.com\/sGzJ8fIkMj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EndWokeness\/status\/2034355524817268839?\">March 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Now, this would be the best time for Gavin Newsom and his surrogates &mdash; especially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/brand-newsoms-comms-kid-caught-humiliating-black-woman-slave-song-sarcastically-calling-smart\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Izzy Gardon<\/a> &mdash; to shut up. Just shut the heck up. Lay low. Let this one go away. Trust me, a $114 million butterfly bridge to nowhere is bad, but it&rsquo;s probably not going to be the worst thing that gets reported about California this week.<\/p>\n<p>I repeat: Just shut up. That&rsquo;s all you have to do. That&rsquo;s literally <em>all you have to do<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>We&rsquo;re talking about them, so guess what? That&rsquo;s not what they did.<\/p>\n<p>First came a post from Newsom&rsquo;s press office account saying that &ldquo;MAGA&rsquo;s outrage over a project that literally SAVES LIVES tells you everything!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This freeway project, grounded in decades of research, restores a critical wildlife corridor and reduces DEADLY collisions on one of the busiest highways in the country &mdash; protecting both drivers and animals,&rdquo; the post read.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">MAGA&rsquo;s outrage over a project that literally SAVES LIVES tells you everything!<\/p>\n<p>This freeway project, grounded in decades of research, restores a critical wildlife corridor and reduces DEADLY collisions on one of the busiest highways in the country &mdash; protecting both drivers and&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FcBeyHIk6P\">https:\/\/t.co\/FcBeyHIk6P<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovPressOffice\/status\/2034391409520939311?\">March 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The post added that the timeline was just delayed &ldquo;largely due to severe weather last year.&rdquo; I&rsquo;m guessing he&rsquo;s referring to the Southern California wildfires&hellip; that, you know, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/environmentalists-permanently-halted-pacific-palisades-fire-prevention-project-fire-sparked\/\">California could have prevented<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>That strawman argument was bad enough; the point isn&rsquo;t the necessity of a wildlife bridge for butterflies and cougars as much as it is Newsom overpricing and underdelivering on a key infrastructure project. (The fact that it&rsquo;s a $100 million-plus butterfly bridge does make it a bit more comical, but that&rsquo;s secondary to Newsom&rsquo;s extraordinarily poor record on these things.)<\/p>\n<p>But wait, there&rsquo;s more! Newsom decided that he was going to own the cons by showing unfinished projects in Florida and Texas &mdash; red states!<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">How is Florida a real place?<\/p>\n<p>How is Texas a real place?<\/p>\n<p>See, we can do it too&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MRrjXD80U0\">https:\/\/t.co\/MRrjXD80U0<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JdNd3nGGkW\">pic.twitter.com\/JdNd3nGGkW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovPressOffice\/status\/2034397373410283932?\">March 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Oh, do you have some ice for those sick burns, Govs. Abbott and DeSantis? Ouch! There&rsquo;s no way the right can recover from an own like that!<\/p>\n<p>Unless, of course, those projects had already been completed long ago and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ci.marathon.fl.us\/community\/page\/old-seven-mile-bridge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had been<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.texasfreeway.com\/Statewide\/Jasper\/OldUS96-NechesRiver-Bridge\/OldUS96-NechesRiver-Bridge.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">decommissioned<\/a>. We&rsquo;re still talking about this, so guess what &mdash; again?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The picture on the left is the old Seven Mile Bridge in Key West that was built a century ago and has been decommissioned since its replacement was built in 1980.<\/p>\n<p>Newsom&rsquo;s moronic staffers think that&rsquo;s somehow similar to the $100M &lsquo;wildlife bridge&rsquo; they&rsquo;ve failed to build. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ewu2m5tC8O\">https:\/\/t.co\/ewu2m5tC8O<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/greg_price11\/status\/2034413401175155000?\">March 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This is such a massive own goal.<\/p>\n<p>The bridges in Florida and Texas are decommissioned. Old bridges \/ causeways that aren&rsquo;t used.<\/p>\n<p>You just played yourself. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/66IiooGjn6\">https:\/\/t.co\/66IiooGjn6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; RBe (@RBPundit) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RBPundit\/status\/2034404799614005752?\">March 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Mistakes were made.<\/p>\n<p>This would be darkly hilarious enough if this man weren&rsquo;t just aiming for a 2028 presidential run, but is the <em>de facto<\/em> frontrunner among the Democrats. If this is the best they have, heaven help us all &mdash; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/1-billion-butterflies-dead-environmentalists-may-blame\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">butterflies<\/a> included.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>Some critics say California Governor Gavin Newsom is aiming for the presidency, though he has not formally declared it; they view his current actions as a high-profile, book-tour-like effort rather than genuine governance. They argue that he turned a budget surplus into a large deficit and has not solved major California problems such as crime, homelessness, or outmigration. His signature infrastructure project, a high-speed rail line, is marked by enormous cost overruns. The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing-a butterfly and mountain-lion overpass over the U.S. 101-has cost about $114 million and remains unfinished since ground was broken in 2022. Newsom had suggested the project could be completed for much less, but reporting indicates much more is needed. Critics also claim some of the support and spending around the project amount to patronage tied to activist groups. Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation is the project\u2019s public face, and she defended the costs while attributing overruns to factors like tariffs, inflation, and labor problems. The governor\u2019s camp countered with posts portraying opponents as politicizing the project, while critics mocked the comparison to completed, decommissioned bridges elsewhere. Overall, the unfinished $114 million butterfly bridge is framed as a costly failure and a symbol of broader governance problems during Newsom\u2019s tenure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2581791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-19T100325.789.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[76155,5113,32742,3694,76156],"class_list":["post-2581790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-butterfly-bridge","tag-florida","tag-gavin-newsom","tag-texas","tag-unfinished-bridge"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-19T100325.789.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2581790"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2581795,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581790\/revisions\/2581795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2581791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2581790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2581790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2581790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}