Good morning.

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Today’s introduction comes from Adam Nagourney, our Los Angeles bureau chief.

Even as California declared itself the center of Democratic resistance to President Trump and Congressional Republicans, there was a sense (or hope) among California conservatives that the state had a protector in Washington: Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader and one of Mr. Trump’s closest allies.

But the tax bill being pushed through by Mr. Trump and House Republicans is testing one of the most interesting political dynamics of the year: Does Mr. McCarthy’s loyalties rest more with his home state, or with fellow Republicans in Washington?

The Republican tax bill has drawn opposition from Republicans in other blue states because it would eliminate or restrict reductions for state, local and property taxes — a change that would be particularly expensive to residents of California. In the latest bit of bad news for California, it turns out that the bill would eliminate deductions for personal losses from natural disasters like wildfires and earthquakes, according to The Los Angeles Times.