Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin talks about why he and many of his Republican colleagues believe fire aid for California should only come if there are some strings attached.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has joined some of his fellow GOP lawmakers in calling for conditions on California wildfire aid. NPR’s Steve Inskeep asked Johnson on Wednesday’s “Morning Edition” about if he believes “that it is Congress’s place to instruct” California “as to what to do on a state and local level,

As authorities in Los Angeles launched searches for the dead, crews made some progress fighting the fires. But there are worries about the return of dangerously high winds this week.

Several large wildfires continue to rage out of control in Los Angeles County. At least 10 people have been killed, according to the LA County Medical Examiner, and thousands have fled their homes.

Already the subject of much public scrutiny, President-elect Trump's pick to lead the U.S. military, Pete Hegseth, appears on Capitol Hill today for the opening of Senate confirmation hearings.

Los Angeles County faces at least three out-of-control wildfires fueled by unusually strong Santa Ana winds. Thousands have been forced to evacuate and a state of emergency has been declared.

STEVE BRILL: Good morning. How are you? INSKEEP: What do you make of ... that listening to your earlier report about the fires in California, that, to me, is the equivalent of saying we've ...